Today's coined word: Literothanatophobia

[dianeduane]

Or, "The fear of death in literature."

A British book retailer plans to set up a counseling hotline for all heartbroken fans of Harry Potter, in case he dies in the much awaited next book.

As a former psychiatric professional, I can kind of see the point.  ...But I do start wondering, sometimes... Are human beings actually less robust, more fragile, than they used to be -- or are we just being encouraged to believe we are? 

And I remember clearly the resilience and fortitude of my younger patients as compared to the so-called "adults". The kids were endlessly more pragmatic and better at handling pain than the grownups. Any bets on the percentage of over-eighteens who wind up being counseled, as opposed to the under-eighteens?...

Comments

[marrael.livejournal.com]

My question is... what kind of power has entertainment been given over people's lives that people are expected to be traumatized by the death of a fictional character? Growing up I read a lot of books - and whenever something in a fantasy/horror novel upset me - I didn't need consolation. All I had to do was remember it was a book that I picked up to be entertained. I was more upset when I saw books written badly (because trees were cut down to print it) than when I saw made-up characters killed. At the end of the day, is it so un-PC now to say "It's just a book"? Must I cry at sad movies or will I be considered cold if I'm sitting there analyzing the film for being 1-2 hours of flickering images designed to manipulate my emotions?

Of course here I'm questioning how vulnerable we are to media and why we aren't questioning that. Not really answering your musing, sorry! :)