To Become Merged in the Sea . . . or On Old Women on Stage
Portrayals of old people on stage can be surprisingly stereotyped and dated. At what age does one become “old” nowadays? Does ageing increase wisdom or fear of death? The Swedish sociologist Lars Tornstam coined the term “gerotranscendence”: old age is “a natural progression towards maturation and w...
| Main Author: | |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
IATC
2019-12-01
|
| Series: | Critical Stages |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.critical-stages.org/20/to-become-merged-in-the-sea-or-on-old-women-on-stage/ |
| _version_ | 1798016414764761088 |
|---|---|
| author | Soila Lehtonen |
| author_facet | Soila Lehtonen |
| author_sort | Soila Lehtonen |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Portrayals of old people on stage can be surprisingly stereotyped and dated. At what age does one become “old” nowadays? Does ageing increase wisdom or fear of death? The Swedish sociologist Lars Tornstam coined the term “gerotranscendence”: old age is “a natural progression towards maturation and wisdom.” The philosopher Bertrand Russell claimed the fear of death may be overcome by making one’s interests wider and more impersonal. Discussed here are three Finnish plays (1995, 2004, 2019) featuring elderly women: unconventional, fearless and outspoken, female characters in their own right. Age is not just numbers: it is letters―life stories. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-11T15:50:25Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-837c06b81f994146b1265737cb146092 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2409-7411 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-11T15:50:25Z |
| publishDate | 2019-12-01 |
| publisher | IATC |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Critical Stages |
| spelling | doaj.art-837c06b81f994146b1265737cb1460922022-12-22T04:15:19ZengIATCCritical Stages2409-74112019-12-0120To Become Merged in the Sea . . . or On Old Women on StageSoila LehtonenPortrayals of old people on stage can be surprisingly stereotyped and dated. At what age does one become “old” nowadays? Does ageing increase wisdom or fear of death? The Swedish sociologist Lars Tornstam coined the term “gerotranscendence”: old age is “a natural progression towards maturation and wisdom.” The philosopher Bertrand Russell claimed the fear of death may be overcome by making one’s interests wider and more impersonal. Discussed here are three Finnish plays (1995, 2004, 2019) featuring elderly women: unconventional, fearless and outspoken, female characters in their own right. Age is not just numbers: it is letters―life stories.https://www.critical-stages.org/20/to-become-merged-in-the-sea-or-on-old-women-on-stage/kom theatresirkku peltolalaura ruohonenpirkko saisiomarja packalénheini junkkaalagerotranscendencetypecast old peoplefinnish national theatre |
| spellingShingle | Soila Lehtonen To Become Merged in the Sea . . . or On Old Women on Stage Critical Stages kom theatre sirkku peltola laura ruohonen pirkko saisio marja packalén heini junkkaala gerotranscendence typecast old people finnish national theatre |
| title | To Become Merged in the Sea . . . or On Old Women on Stage |
| title_full | To Become Merged in the Sea . . . or On Old Women on Stage |
| title_fullStr | To Become Merged in the Sea . . . or On Old Women on Stage |
| title_full_unstemmed | To Become Merged in the Sea . . . or On Old Women on Stage |
| title_short | To Become Merged in the Sea . . . or On Old Women on Stage |
| title_sort | to become merged in the sea or on old women on stage |
| topic | kom theatre sirkku peltola laura ruohonen pirkko saisio marja packalén heini junkkaala gerotranscendence typecast old people finnish national theatre |
| url | https://www.critical-stages.org/20/to-become-merged-in-the-sea-or-on-old-women-on-stage/ |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT soilalehtonen tobecomemergedintheseaoronoldwomenonstage |