Mourning Diary

A diary of mourning that provides mental & emotional space for a person to sit with grief & its complexity. It's not a comforting read in that it doesn't try to make grief palatable. No platitudes here. It's Barthes thinking through the chaos of his grief after his mother's death. But it's a comfort nevertheless because someone seems to be able to see into you & put some of that mess into words. ❤️ Barthes. #death #JuneBookBugs @RealLifeReading

saresmoore Beautiful. 8y

TrishB Oh god, that statement, so true. I have had an empty space since my Mum died 💔 8y

batsy @TrishB ❤️❤️ I'm so sorry. I read it years after my father died and felt like it was the truest thing. 8y

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batsy @saresmoore It really is. 8y

TrishB @batsy 💜 it's been nearly 5 years now, but sometimes still seems like yesterday. Grief is an inexplicable thing until you experience it. I think you're really brave to read something like this I can't face them. 8y

batsy @TrishB That's perfectly put. One's just carries on by fitting one's life around it. I don't know about brave, maybe it was just timing 💜 8y

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Unicornsteak

Mourning Diary | Roland Barthes

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Finished. This account of grieving a mother was so perfect.

Unicornsteak

Mourning Diary | Roland Barthes

I'm working on my final essay for my degree. I'm writing about mother-daughter subjectivities, and what happens to this dyad when the mother dies. I'm using Irigaray and Kristeva as my theoretical anchors, and bringing in Freud's "On Mourning" to draw out the negotiations and ramifications in the subjectivity of the daughter. Right now I'm still working on the proposal, and I've been reading Barthes and De Beauvoir.

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JacqMac

Mourning Diary | Roland Barthes

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This book brought up all the feels. But sometimes feeling is ok. I will keep it close by. For when the I need it.

teebe I need to check this one out. I've read through most of Camera Lucida, which is partly a philosophical consideration of photography and partly a eulogy to his mother.

Camera Lucida: Reflections on Photography

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JacqMac

Mourning Diary | Roland Barthes

This book is so real. My mom died a year and a half ago. Everything he says fits what I felt. What I feel. It's like poetry. The grief put into words that I could never say.

jpmcwisemorgan I'm sorry for your loss. I didn't live very well without my mom for at least a year, maybe two. It got better but there are still hard times. And the question asked in the book you're reading is a tough one. I think the answer is different for us all. 8y

Reviewsbylola So raw, but made me think of you. @murflegirl 8y

murflegirl @JacqMac I'm so sorry for your loss. I'm two years after losing my mom and i feel like it really never gets easier. So when I read things like this it's a comfort. That pain, that grief, is always so accessible, always right under the surface, and I always find myself asking these same questions. Thanks for thinking of me @Reviewsbylola! This is beautiful and I'm putting it on my to-read. 8y

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stacybmartin I'm so sorry for your loss and I hope you find some comfort here. 💜💜💜 8y

kspenmoll Today is the first anniversary of my mom's death. I still think "I want to call Mom about... "and then it hits me; she is gone. Had lunch today with 3 sibs, an in law- was wonderful to remember her. I can relate to your feelings; no one can quite fill that mom hole in your heart. Take care as best you can. Meghan O'Rourke wrote a beautiful heart wrenching book about losing her mom, The Long Goodbye. Tough going but invaluable read. @murflegirl 8y

JacqMac @jpmcwisemorgan Thank you. Grief really is different for everyone. It's a process. But it definitely changes things. 8y

JacqMac @murflegirl I also find it comforting to know people who have similar feelings. It's not a club you want to be a part of, but it's good to know someone understands. That you don't have to explain it to them. They just get it. I don't think it gets easier. It just, becomes part of who you are. Another quote "We don't forget, but something vacant settles in us." 8y

JacqMac @stacybmartin Thank you 8y

JacqMac @kspenmoll The permanency of it all is the hardest part. Thank you. I will look for that book. 8y

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