AUSTRALIA: The Long History of Old Age

The cultural concept of old age is a comparatively recent phenomenon. The Long History of Old Age argues that age is less a state of being than a state of mind. _______________________________ Book Review THE LONG HISTORY OF AGE Author Pat Thane, editor Genre Art,Society/Politics Publisher Thames Hudson RRP $75.0 _______________________________ MELBOURNE, Victoria (The Age), December 23, 2005: By Simon Caterson "Age is unnecessary," laments King Lear, discovering for himself just how ungrateful, selfish and cruel the younger generation can be. Soon after he has given up all his power and property, Lear is humiliated and discarded by his grasping daughters and cast out into the wasteland with only a madman for company. Shakespeare notwithstanding, we tend to assume that the so-called problem of old age is a modern phenomenon. While we work to prolong life by eliminating disease and other risks, there is also a widespread assumption in the West that an ageing population threatens future living standards, which cannot be maintained without increased breeding and/or immigration. Thus we are led to believe by politicians and policymakers that the only way to cope with an ageing population is to embrace overpopulation. It seems we can't have it both ways - wanting to enjoy living as long as possible ourselves and yet resenting all the other people who grow old. But rather than join in the gerontophobia of our time, the authors of this impressive book challenge the cultural negativity associated with old age. The first myth dispelled by The Long History of Old Age is the notion that the elderly weren't around much before the 20th century. While it is true that "average life expectancy at birth was only around 40 to 45", these calculations take into account very high infant and child death rates. "Those who survived the hazardous early years of life at any time in the pre-industrial past had a good chance of survival to 60 or beyond." The succeeding chapters trace attitudes towards and the experience of old age from ancient Greece and Rome through to the present day. Special attention is paid to the visual arts, and indeed the book is wonderfully illustrated. Though contemporary artists are less inhibited than their predecessors, painters down the centuries have not flinched from self-portraits skilfully depicting aspects of their own mortality. As is noted in the caption to one such painting: "It could be argued that the absence of vanity does not rule out pride." In this and other respects, the salutary message of this book is that age is less a state of being than a state of mind, and always has been.