Essays on Burial Rites

Hannah Kent’s award winning Australian novel Burial Rites illustrates the remaining days of the last woman executed in Iceland; Agnes Magnúsdóttir. In an interview conducted by the Guardian, Kent stated that she first learnt of Agnes’ story through a university exchange program to Iceland. “I...

Hannah Kent’s novel Burial Rites explores how the turbulent setting of 19th century Iceland in turn reflects the turmoil experienced by key characters in the narrative to a large extent. Kent’s juxtaposition of brutal, frosty winters with bountiful, brilliant summers and springs alongside foreboding, dubious...

The Valley of the Kings is where King Tutankhamun and over 60 other kings and pharaohs are buried, but most of the tombs were looted by grave robbers. In 1500 B.C., the Egyptian pharaohs stopped building great pyramids in which some would be buried. Instead...

“Deep down even the most hardened criminal is starving for the same thing that motivates the innocent baby: Love and acceptance.” — Lily Fairchilde After reading this statement, one can be fully immersed into perceiving Australian author, Hannah Kent’s Burial Rites, through the lens of...

In 2003, aged 17, Kent leapt at the chance to travel to Iceland as part of a Rotary exchange programme when the opportunity arose, interested in the Scandinavian countries having never seen snow as a child (a considerably commonplace experience lacking for many Australians). Though...