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Analyzing Langer's Perception Of Death In Modern Literature

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In the first chapter of Langer’s analytical book on how death (specifically mass annihilation and atrocities) is represented in modern literature, Langer emphasizes the duty of the author to avoid the cynical approach to mass death without being ignorant in the reality of atrocity as part of the human experience and a condition of life. Someone who is writing about death must not be too harsh in declaring atrocities and quick deaths as the reality of death partially because no one would want to read literature so depressing. As Langer states, "literature that failed to uncover traces of the human amidst the human debris of our recent history would quickly lose its audience" (Langer 2). He also emphasizes the difficulty of addressing death
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