Literature in the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries (IN: A Handbook for the Study of Suicide, ed. by S Perlin)

By the end of the 18th century, suicide had emerged as a major theme in literature. By the 20th century it had become a common reality; neither a noble alternative, as it had been regarded in the days of Roman Empire, nor a mortal sin. The effect upon both art & artist is discussed. The suicides of several poets & writers are examined. The contribution that poets bring to the study of suicide is not solutions but an understanding of how it feels to be suicidal. 19 Ref. (NBB)