Alistair Cooke's obituary for Marilyn Monroe was published in 1962, in well-respected middle-class newspaper, The Guardian.
The death of Monroe grabbed widespread attraction, especially in Europe and the States where it was televised in front-page news.
At the time, she was a popular sex symbol as a famous movie star. She rose from humble beginnings coming from a lower-class Midwestern family working her way up the ranks to elite celebrity status.
Cooke as a British-American writer, was a contemporary educated person for 'The Guardian' and his main objective is to inform and express his viewpoint of Monroe whilst trying to address the cause of her death. As he lived for some time in America, he uses the obituary with his Western awareness of the obsession with fame. By questioning the nature of the celebrity industry, it's likely that Cooke uses the piece as a future warning for other celebrities who should be cautious to step into the celebrity circle.
By the 1950's, Monroe was likely to be one of the most famous women in the world and what Cooke does is construct an obituary to persuade them his point of view on Monroe.
The type of language used is mainly low-frequency lexis with use of more sophisticated Latinate lexis 'preposterous' 'enthroned' 'forlorn' suggesting this is for a academic readership in mind. Whilst the news of her demise spread almost contagiously, this obituary would likely be for adult audiences who may of possibly been fans of Monroe. This obituary would be printed on newspapers and could also suggest that it might have been read by a wide British audience who wanted to know how she died at such a young age of 32.
The genre conventions of an obituary remain heavily factual and unbiased, however Cooke's use of more metaphorical and poetic language in the triadic 'cursed by physical beauty, to be dazed and doomed' highlights that her death was a tragedy, a death caused by attraction and lust. From a religious perspective, this alludes to the deadly sins of Lust and Greed, the desire to be admired and looked upon. Contextually, she was a popular attractive figure during the golden age of Hollywood and is Cooke expressing his view on her whilst damning her identity.
Cooke opens his obituary of Monroe with blunt declaratives (a fancier term for statements) 'Marilyn Monroe was found dead in bed this morning in her home in Hollywood' 'She died with a row of medicines and an empty bottle of barbiturates at her elbow' to create a unbiased voice, a typical feature of an obituary which need to simply address the death of an individual quickly through third-person. Consider that if you saw on BBC News, the death of someone you admired, you would quickly want to know why and how it happened. Cooke does this in his opening.
The proper noun 'barbiturates', were a common class-type drug used extensively in the 1960's and 1970's. Cooke establishes that despite her once higher-class status in society, she still suffered mental health issues like depression. The opening descriptive paragraph allows Cooke to summarise who has died but also where and how- key questions the audience would have in mind when deaths are reported publicly.
Therefore, as it's reported publicly, we identify the mass attention she gained through her life and after her death in which her icon and sex symbol is still remembered today. She is a respected and archetypal 'blonde bombshell' microcosm.
In many ways, Cooke flouts the principles of an obituary by expressing a somewhat personal opinion. The complex sentence 'The plot of her life is as seedy as anything in the pulp magazines, and to go into the details now would be as tasteless as prying...' highlights that Cooke dismisses her humble beginning, almost extensively focusing on her flaws rather than take into consideration the other side to Monroe, her positive success within the film industry.
Obituary's focus to praise people rather than to focus on the negatives- he is consistently well at doing the opposite in producing an obituary that doesn't adhere to it's typical qualities. He writes it in a way to sound more like an elegy(poem expressing sadness for someone dead) rather than informing her death.
The use of adjectives 'confused' 'haunted' and dynamic verb 'crumbled' create a semantic field of her downfall, she has lost all her senses to think rationally and sensibly. Cooke appeals to pathos here to paint a heartfelt and sorrow picture whilst ironically criticising her as 'any other pretty women whose beauty has crumbled overnight'. It depicts for the British audience, a confused picture of Monroe which could be a metaphor for Monroe itself who 'was all of a piece'.
Obituary's are inherently factual and this sounds more like a narrative story in which 'she talked easily about all this, when people had the gall to ask her' 'then she wiggled briefly past the lecherous gaze of Louis Calhern...' implying Cooke's background expertise in the craft of writing and as a journalist. This adds an air of sophistication and elegance to his work, perhaps an obituary cleverly edited and manipulated to emphasise his credibility and authenticity as a writer. However, the emotive language choices of modifiers 'pretty' 'tragic' 'pathetic' 'baffled' highlights the way he unjustly digs Monroe down despite obituary's intending to positively praise and in many ways, just to present the good bits. He censors nothing and uses juxtaposition by describing her as a 'baffled, honest girl' 'pathetic women of tragic integrity' to convey for the reader, the confusing and overwhelming atmosphere in the lens of a celebrity.
The issue of appearances, identity and mental health are explored which are extended metaphors running throughout the obituary to highlight her tragic downfall and condemned yet for the audience to question and reflect on. Perhaps he has to deviate away from typical conventions to amplify his purpose to avoid future repeats of deaths, the same way Monroe experienced.
Key figures and terms glossary:
Raymond Chandler- American-British fiction writer well-known to write about crime and detective skills. Perhaps the reference to Monroe being a 'victim', is Cooke's intention to be that detective and discuss the events Monroe faced.
William Empson- English literary critic. The same way he was a critic is Cooke taking these qualities and critically evaluating Monroe's life.
Prima Donna- chief female singer in opera
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