"Since the beginning of time death has been regarded as a symbolically meaningful yet unfathomable event. In Life Sentences Zohreh Bayatrizi looks at the many concerted attempts dating back to the mid-seventeenth century to strip death of its mystery, and to order, manage, and transform it from an individualized and fatalistic event to a social phenomenon that allows intervention. Examining a wide range of archival, statistical, and discursive materials, she discusses the process of understanding that has evolved in terms of four quasi-biblical commandments: thou shalt not die violently; thou shalt not die prematurely; thou shalt not kill thyself; and thou shalt not die an undignified death."--Jacket.