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Sweet old things: Moral complexities in old age in Muriel Spark's Memento Mori.

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Title: Sweet old things: Moral complexities in old age in Muriel Spark's Memento Mori.
Authors: England, Suzanne E., Rust, Martha D.
Source: Journal of Aging Studies. Apr2015, Vol. 33, p76-85. 10p.
Subjects: Memento mori, Elder care, Social services, Medieval literature, Gerontology
Abstract: Through the lens of Muriel Spark's dark comedic novel, Memento Mori , this paper explores questions of morality, mortality, and the moral choices and performances in old age and in the systems and places of care. Spark's elderly characters are complex moral actors – some virtuous and some decidedly not – who have been receiving mysterious phone calls telling them simply, “Remember you must die.” We, the co-authors, are from two different disciplines, namely Renaissance and medieval literature, and social work and critical gerontology. Among the questions that interest us is the paradox of a master narrative that on the one hand exempts the old from moral criticism yet holds them to a higher moral standard – essentially positioning them as moral nonentities, and relieving the old, their caretakers, and society of moral responsibility. Another is the question of whether moral agency in old age has distinctive aspects, and whether consciousness of one's impending mortality effects moral reasoning and performance. In this paper we offer our individual readings of the ways the novel opens up conceptual space in aging theory, and conclude with our thoughts about what our collaboration suggests for continuing cross-disciplinary dialogue. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Copyright of Journal of Aging Studies is the property of Elsevier B.V. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
Database: Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection
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  Data: Sweet old things: Moral complexities in old age in Muriel Spark's Memento Mori.
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22England%2C+Suzanne+E%2E%22">England, Suzanne E.</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Rust%2C+Martha+D%2E%22">Rust, Martha D.</searchLink>
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Memento+mori%22">Memento mori</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Elder+care%22">Elder care</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Social+services%22">Social services</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Medieval+literature%22">Medieval literature</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Gerontology%22">Gerontology</searchLink>
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  Label: Abstract
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  Data: Through the lens of Muriel Spark's dark comedic novel, Memento Mori , this paper explores questions of morality, mortality, and the moral choices and performances in old age and in the systems and places of care. Spark's elderly characters are complex moral actors – some virtuous and some decidedly not – who have been receiving mysterious phone calls telling them simply, “Remember you must die.” We, the co-authors, are from two different disciplines, namely Renaissance and medieval literature, and social work and critical gerontology. Among the questions that interest us is the paradox of a master narrative that on the one hand exempts the old from moral criticism yet holds them to a higher moral standard – essentially positioning them as moral nonentities, and relieving the old, their caretakers, and society of moral responsibility. Another is the question of whether moral agency in old age has distinctive aspects, and whether consciousness of one's impending mortality effects moral reasoning and performance. In this paper we offer our individual readings of the ways the novel opens up conceptual space in aging theory, and conclude with our thoughts about what our collaboration suggests for continuing cross-disciplinary dialogue. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
– Name: AbstractSuppliedCopyright
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  Data: <i>Copyright of Journal of Aging Studies is the property of Elsevier B.V. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
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        Value: 10.1016/j.jaging.2015.03.004
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        Text: English
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      – SubjectFull: Memento mori
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      – SubjectFull: Elder care
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      – SubjectFull: Social services
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      – SubjectFull: Medieval literature
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      – SubjectFull: Gerontology
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      – TitleFull: Sweet old things: Moral complexities in old age in Muriel Spark's Memento Mori.
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              Text: Apr2015
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