Obituaries in American Culture

Janice Hume bases this book on the proposition that obituaries serve a social need by mirroring and reinforcing basic cultural values of a period. The theoretical elaboration of and justification for this proposition are thoughtful and engaging. The presentation and analysis of the evidence to support it is less successful. Hume begins her study with a careful discussion of public memory and cultural values. One of her central concerns throughout the work is inclusion: that is, who was or was not deemed worthy of an obituary. She rightfully argues this can illuminate American society at various points in time. Hence she has selected over eight thousand obituaries and shorter death notices from a national sample of newspapers for years around the election of Andrew Jackson (1818 and 1838, to consider egalitarian impulses), the Civil War (1855 and 1870, to reflect on nationalism), and the passage of the Nineteenth Amendment (1910 and 1930, to explore inclusion, especially women). Ultimately, these periods seem to have less effect on the content of obituaries than does the transformation of the American economy, as those noted in death change from public servants and war heroes to prominent business leaders. Hume analyzes obituary content regarding four framing categories: name and occupation, cause of death, character traits, and description of the funeral. She draws the distinction between content designed to chronicle (convey information) and commemorate (reinforce values).