Whether Goethe actually cried "More light!" on his deathbed, or whether Conrad Hilton checked out of this world after uttering "Leave the shower curtain on the inside of the tub," last words, regardless of authenticity, have long captured the imagination of Western society. In this playfully serious investigation based on factual accounts, anecdotes, literary works, and films, Karl Guthke explores the cultural importance of those words spoken at the border between this world and the next. The exit lines of both famous and ...
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Whether Goethe actually cried "More light!" on his deathbed, or whether Conrad Hilton checked out of this world after uttering "Leave the shower curtain on the inside of the tub," last words, regardless of authenticity, have long captured the imagination of Western society. In this playfully serious investigation based on factual accounts, anecdotes, literary works, and films, Karl Guthke explores the cultural importance of those words spoken at the border between this world and the next. The exit lines of both famous and ordinary people embody for us a sense of drama and truthfulness and reveal much about our thoughts on living and dying. Why this interest in last words? Presenting statements from such figures as Socrates, Nathan Hale, Marie Antoinette, and Oscar Wilde ("I am dying as I have lived, beyond my means"), Guthke examines our fascination in terms of our need for closure, our desire for immortality, and our attraction to the mystique of death scenes. The author considers both authentic and invented final statements as he looks at the formation of symbols and legends and their function in our culture. Last words, handed down from generation to generation like cultural heirlooms, have a good chance of surviving in our collective memory. They are shown to epitomize a life, convey a sense of irony, or play to an audience, as in the case of the assassinated Mexican revolutionary Pancho Villa, who is said to have died imploring journalists: "Don't let it end like this. Tell them I said something." Originally published in 1992. The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.
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Add this copy of Last Words: Variations on a Theme in Cultural History to cart. $6.46, good condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Atlanta rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Brownstown, MI, UNITED STATES, published 1992 by Princeton University Press.
Add this copy of Last Words: Variations on a Theme in Cultural History to cart. $9.48, very good condition, Sold by Midtown Scholar Bookstore rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Harrisburg, PA, UNITED STATES, published 1992 by Princeton University Press.
Add this copy of Last Words: Variations on a Theme in Cultural History to cart. $9.50, very good condition, Sold by Priceless Books rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Urbana, IL, UNITED STATES, published 1992 by Princeton University Press.
Add this copy of Last Words: Variations on a Theme in Cultural History to cart. $12.00, very good condition, Sold by BookHouse On-Line rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Minneapolis, MN, UNITED STATES, published 1992 by Princeton University Press.
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Seller's Description:
Very Good. Very Good Dust Jacket. From a personal collection. 1st printing of 1st American edition, with complete number line. Binding is tight, sturdy, and square; boards and text also very good; unclipped DJ protected in Mylar. A very nice copy. Ships from Dinkytown in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Add this copy of Last Words: Variations on a Theme in Cultural History to cart. $12.50, very good condition, Sold by Priceless Books rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Urbana, IL, UNITED STATES, published 1992 by Princeton, NJ, U.S.A. : Princeton University Press, 1992.
Add this copy of Last Words: Variations on a Theme in Cultural History to cart. $13.00, very good condition, Sold by Powell's Books Chicago rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Chicago, IL, UNITED STATES, published 1992 by Princeton University Press.
Add this copy of Last Words. Variations on a Theme in Cultural History to cart. $17.19, like new condition, Sold by Lawrence Jones rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Nobby Beach, QLD, AUSTRALIA, published 1990 by Princeton University.
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Fine in Fine jacket. 8vo. 250pp, index, bibliography, notes. Or red cloth in jacket. The author looks at a topic close to the 'taboo' zone-the words we speak as we prepare to leave the world of the living and the enter the unknown. last words of famous and ordinary people are considered, along with the cultural significance of 'last words'.
Add this copy of Last Words: Variations on a Theme in Cultural History to cart. $35.82, good condition, Sold by Bonita rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Newport Coast, CA, UNITED STATES, published 1992 by Princeton University Press.
Add this copy of Last Words: Variations on a Theme in Cultural History to cart. $42.99, very good condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Reno rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Reno, NV, UNITED STATES, published 2017 by Princeton University Press.