'Labov's vision of our human desire to make sense of the most terrible and terrifying of our experiences is remarkable, panoramic, and a poignant tribute to the value of listening to each other keenly.' Alyssa McCabe, Journal of Sociolinguistics
1. Introduction to the language of life and death; 2. Narrative analysis; 3. The escalation of violence; 4. Confrontations with death; 5. Premonitions and communication with the dead; 6. Margie Knott: her confrontation with the neighbors; 7. Gloria Stein: 'They stoned the house'; 8. Rose Norman: the death of her younger sister; 9. Mary Costa: the death of her youngest daughter; 10. Cache County; 11. The vernacular origin of epic style; 12. Historians' use of narrative; 13. Thomas Babington Macaulay: the death of Monmouth; 14. S. T. Bindoff: the death of Elizabeth; 15. 2 Samuel: the death of Absalom; 16. The narrative view of death and life.