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Learning to Die in London, 1380-1540. By Amy Appleford. (Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2015, Pp. 320. $65.00.)
"Remember that you are dust," says the Anglican priest as he or she imposes the mark of Ash Wednesday, "and to dust you shall return." From ancient times, philosophers and spiritual guides have reminded us of life's brevity. While particular cultural or subcultural approaches to death vary, one assumes that they usually are usually, or at least have been, serious. Petrarch, quoted by Amy Appleford, who teaches at Boston University, tells us that death should not elicit fear so much as contemplation. "The most harmful of all human ills," he wrote, "is to forget about God, yourself, and death" (81). As for London mayor...