“Death Loves To Be Represented”: Death, Dying, and Palliative Care in Popular Culture

Addressing the apparent paradox where death is deemed repugnant yet simultaneously sought after through images and stories, this chapter provides an overview of the cultural, social, and aesthetic logics, mechanisms, and social implications of representing death in popular culture. The first two sections delve into theoretical and historical issues, discussing how the disappearance of death in the last century is challenged by contemporary Western popular culture that places death at the core of its commercial strategies. The chapter argues that representing death in popular culture extends beyond selling and entertainment and can have various functions, including education and challenging stereotypical, narrow, and outdated perspectives on death. The subsequent sections analyze certain features of death representation in relation to literature and movies. In conclusion, the chapter advocates for further research into the meanings and roles of death in popular culture, including in relation to communication skills concerning health, well-being, and mortality.