History of Suicide: Voluntary Death in Western Culture

by Georges Minois, Lydia G. Cochrane (Translator)

In this compact and illuminating history, Georges Minois examines how a culture's attitudes about suicide reflect its larger beliefs and values--attitudes toward life and death, duty and honor, pain and pleasure. Minois begins his survey with classical Greece and Rome, where suicide was acceptable--even heroic--under some circumstances. With the rise of Christianity, however, suicide was unequivocally condemned as self-murder and an insult to God. With the Renaissance and its renewed interest in classical culture, suicide reemerged as a philosophical issue. Minois finds examples of changing attitudes in key Renaissance texts by Bacon, Montaigne, Sidney, Donne, and Shakespeare. By 1700, the term suicide had replaced self-murder and the subject began to interest the emerging scientific disciplines. Minois follows the ongoing evaluation of suicide through the Enlightenment and the Romantic periods, and he examines attitudes that emerge in nineteenth- and twentieth-century science, law, philosophy, and literature. Minois concludes with comments on the most recent turn in this long and complex history -- the emotional debate over euthanasia, assisted suicide, and the right to die.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Psychology, Philosophy, Death, Anthropology, Cultural

400 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1995

About the author

Georges Minois est un historien français né en 1946. Ancien élève de l'École normale supérieure, il est agrégé et docteur en histoire. Il a exercé la profession de professeur d'histoire et de géographie jusqu'en 2007.

Reviews

[Nikki · Rating 5 out of 5]

By far one of the most interesting and informative books I have ever read.

[Natalie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book well enough overall, though it was very Gallic-centered; since it was written by a French author, though, I might have expected that. My limited knowledge of French just barely allowed me to translate some of the un-translated French phrases that are scattered liberally throughout.

What I liked most of all, however, is the fact that the author maintains a very detached tone from his subject. I've read a large number of books about suicide, and usually the authors cannot stop themselves from moralizing to a certain degree about it, but Minois is the very epitome of an objective reporter.

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

The style of this book is definitely Oxonian; a style that lent it an air of high distinguishment, but sadly, also an air of inaccessability. Nonetheless, it is the finest book on the subject of suicide that I have ever come across, and for that alone I highly recommend it. If that's your sort of thing.

[John Jr. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read as research for a play about suicide. Possibly the most valuable book I've read on the subject, because it breaks the bounds of current cultural presumptions and reveals, as history often does, that people in the past have thought and behaved differently.

[Fraser Sherman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Minois shows Western Europe's take on suicide has always been complicated. On the one hand it was BAD — defying the will of god, depriving the state/your liege lord of a worker. On the other hand there were Samson, Cato (the Roman's suicide was much admired), Christian martyrs so can we really say "self-murder" is bad?
This is interesting but gets a little repetitive: as the arguments don't change much over time, the debates of the 1700s and 1800s have a same-old same-old quality And I'd have liked more on the 20th century as a comparison point.

[Joan Damiens · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit confusing and repetitive. It could have been more concise and shorter.
However, very interesting! Some reflections about Hamlet and its impact on suicide debates were thrilling! Well written in French.
It is very focused on the 12th to the 16th-17th century though... I did not expect that from the title...

[Daniel Iancóski · Rating 2 out of 5]

O livro, de forma imprudente, promete uma universalidade que não é capaz de proporcionar ao leitor. A história do suícidio é uma história do suicídio francês, com algumas referências à Inglaterra e a Alemanha.

[Mihai Pop · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting perspective over the evolution of humanity, even if captured by a lateral subject. The status of humanity on this topic should still be perceived as Work in Progress, but at least one gets to appreciate how many prior steps were there.

[Теодора · Rating 3 out of 5]

Previše nabrajanja koja gube funkcionalnost.

[Carlos Alberto · Rating 4 out of 5]

Uma abordagem bastante contundente sobre os aspectos do suicídio e suas consequências sociais.

[Hans · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is 'not' a morbid read. Suicide is a part of the human condition: it may be an unsavory topic, but that is insufficient reason to steer clear of trying to understand it. A very revealing read.

[Nicole M. · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book describes the general attitudes toward suicide and the treatment of actual suicides beginning hazily in the middle ages up to the present. Here, 'Western Culture' refers mainly to French and English perceptions, but not much else. The author provides numerous references from literature of old to create a picture of the general opposing attitudes. Sometimes, I found the references a bit too numerous, and the reading a bit dry. I felt as though never any progress was being made -- which really just emphasizes the truth about this debate: that it is indeed never-ending. Perhaps this would have been more interesting and enjoyable (..or, as close to enjoyable as a book about suicide can be...maybe just interesting) if it profiled more closely individual suicides over the years. It does include cases as such, but seems to be more a book on the philosophy of the matter.
Still proves to be an interesting read, though.

[Jennifer B. · Rating 3 out of 5]

I remember reading this book in English in a university library in Spain, oddly enough. It presented an interesting history on the subject, with case histories, and of course how attitudes and perceptions have changed throughout time, and how they've stayed the same.

[Ally · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting, though not particularly useful. Should more accurately be subtitled, "Voluntary Death in England and France", as this is 90% of its scope.

[Chelsea · Rating 5 out of 5]

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