DEATH CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE

Abstract

Obituary publication has experienced a remarkable revival in the British press during the past 20 years. Newspapers of quality now allocate generous column space on a daily basis, establishing the modern obituary as a literary phenomenon of appreciable magnitude. This shared enthusiasm, however, enjoys a varied manifestation on the pages themselves. That combined surge in column inches, and the consequent influence on public opinion by posthumous appraisal, has been accompanied by scholarly research into obituary publishing. Until now, however, quantitative studies of contemporary practice within the British press have been limited in scope. This article addresses that omission. Drawing on findings from the first large-scale study of its type, it examines 1183 obituaries published by the “quality quartet” (Times, Daily Telegraph, Guardian, Independent) over a three-month period (1 March to 31 May 2007), combined with interviews with obituary editors and writers, to determine: style and presentation factors; subject selection by gender and demographic description; the dominant form of reference applied in naming each obituary's central character; contemporaneousness of publication; and the extent to which cause of death is included in the text. In analysing the technique applied by each of these four newspapers, this study reports the policies of their obituary editors, discusses the forces which shape contemporary practice, and creates a platform for further scholarship within the immediate field.