Death Makes a Holiday: A Cultural History of Halloween
by David J. Skal
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Book Summary Information
Author: David J. SkalEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2003-10-01
ISBN: 1582343055
Number of pages: 224
Publisher: Bloomsbury USA
Book Reviews of Death Makes a Holiday: A Cultural History of Halloween
Book Review: Unofficial and Uncontrolled
Summary: 5 Stars
"Halloween, the one major holiday that was unofficial, and therefore uncontrolled, was ... [a] holiday ripe for new myths and rituals."
It's the new "myths and rituals" that are the main focus of David J. Skal's "Death Make a Holiday - a Cultural History of Halloween." Other reviewers have commented on the relative lack of "history" in this book and, in some ways, that's a fair observation. The history of Halloween is covered in the first chapter (The Halloween Machine) but from there the book becomes a contemporary view of the modern celebration, in all its permutations. This isn't an historical review as much as an invitation to join the author on a fascinating journey across this peculiarly American holiday's landscape. The metaphor of traveling cross-country could be particularly apt as several chapters focus on the regional aspects of Halloween.
For example, "The Witch's Teat" examines Salem, the city where it's Halloween 24/7 and 365. This is a city where the police drive cars emblazoned with witches and wear them on their shoulders! Having visited Salem in the early `90's (and no where near October 31st) I can tell you from first hand experience that this is a municipality that's turned the tragedy of the witch trials into a ne0-goth theme park and is reaping a healthy return on investment.
For some, this detailed description of Salem's fascination is too much - it somehow distracts from the genuine history of Halloween (whatever that is). For me, as a long-time fan of David's work, it's what I've come to expect. David's attention to detail is legendary and, often, exhaustive. If you haven't read "Hollywood Gothic" it's a pluperfect recounting of everything (and I do mean everything) Dracula related. If anything, I was a little surprised that David relented when he did to move on to other topics.
Similarly, David takes us to Castro Street and San Francisco's often over-the-top Halloween parades and practices. Frequently not ready for primetime, this is new territory for much of America, certainly for me. (Google up "exotic erotic ball" and you'll see what I mean. Don't do it at work!) David handles the exotic and the erotic with a deft hand, addressing everything from the claiming of Halloween as a "gay high holy day" to the often disturbingly aggressive response of civic authority and televangelists determined to save the event's bohemian practitioners from themselves or an eternity in hell.
And that leads me to another delicate topic that often arises in critiques of Mr. Skal's work: his supposed "gay perspective." Depending on the reviewer this is either so over-the-top that it detracts from the topic at hand, or so minimal as to be non-existent.
I'm hetero and politically conservative and I've never felt that David was stridently pushing any personal gay agenda, or, conversely, ignoring the obvious facts of its existence and influence on society. This is purely my opinion, but in David Skal I read a man who's come to see his orientation as a fact and, just maybe, a blessing. He's certainly made peace with it himself and, I think, invites others to do so as well.
Personally, I've never been offended or felt put upon and I think he does justice to the notion that there will come a time when being gay or straight is no more remarkable, or remarked upon, than the color of one's tie or whether or not one chooses to drive a hummer versus a hybrid. It will just "be." I encourage readers to put aside any consideration of sexual dynamics or politics and just read the words as they're written on the page. Your consideration of them will be more rewarding if you don't waste time mentally debating whether the author is advocating (or ignoring) any particular agenda. But enough; let's move on.
Another critique is David's review of the Hollywood take on Halloween. Some think this also detracts from the "pure" aspects of the Halloween holiday and, again, I'm not sure there is such a thing. But consider: film horror is definitely David's forte, so could he have honestly bypassed the medium that's been so instrumental in forming our current concept of what Halloween was and is?
In the chapter "Halloween on Screen," David does more than just review John Carpenter's "Halloween" and instead points out the many references to the holiday in everything from "The Wizard of Oz" to "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown!" (Concerning "Halloween" here's an amusing bit of trivia -the now-famous mask worn my Michael Myers was a soft-vinyl mask of William Shatner as "Star Trek's" Captain Kirk with the face painted white and the brown hair retained! Personally, I'll never look at "Star Trek" the same way again...)
The one criticism I do have of the book is that it could have made more frequent use of footnotes. There's a healthy (and interesting) "Notes" section at the end, broken down by chapters; I would have liked it if this had been integrated into the text, so as to see where a particular reference was being used. But that's a minor suggestion and one I understand many readers would find distracting.
All-in-all, David's book is an excellent and enjoyable read for a holiday that's, relatively, new. I heartily recommend it and predict that it will someday be recognized as a seminal and authentic account of the rise of the holiday that eclipses Christmas.
Summary of Death Makes a Holiday: A Cultural History of Halloween
Using a mix of personal anecdotes and perceptive social analysis, acclaimed cultural critic David J. Skal examines the amazing phenomenon of Halloween, exploring its dark Celtic history and illuminating why it has evolved-in the course of a few short generations-from a quaint, small-scale celebration into the largest seasonal marketing event outside of Christmas.
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