Overview

This is a social history of death, burial and a cherished public space in Montreal from the early 19th century to the present day. Brian Young shows how the history of the Mount Royal Cemetery, founded in 1852, mirrors the evolving social makeup, changing mores, and tragic events of what was long Canada's largest city. We meet not only prominent members of the elite but ordinary Montrealers, natives, the poor and suicides. Young shows how epidemics, train-wrecks, and the deaths of soldiers or firemen challenged conventional notions of the family and reveals that the cemetery introduced new customs and sensibilities from Jewish, Chinese, Greek Orthodox, Buddhist, and other communities to English Montreal.

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9780773525290

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As Young's very evocative stories indicate, the cemetery was a contested site for Protestants and Catholics. He is particularly good at recounting individual events in the cemetery's history. I loved Joe Beef, the various controversial funerals, and the lovely descriptions of the family nature of Mount Royal's management. The book is an easy read and well written with good coverage of a wide expanse of topics. David C. Sloane, author of The Last Great Necessity: Cemeteries in American History /// This fascinating history contains a wealth of information and insight. In presenting the cemetery to us in all its complexity, Young sheds new light not only on this institution and its natural setting on Mount Royal but also on the evolution of many social and cultural practices. Jean-Claude Marsan, author of Montreal in Evolution

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