AustLit

'Rhetoric can serve as a useful tool in the creative writing process, providing insights into the construction of cultural meanings. Using the tools of visual rhetoric, this article explores one Australian funeral company’s use of marketing images that consciously subvert the traditionally gendered depiction of funerals and mourning. The author analysed the company logo and 14 banner images found on the marketing pages of the White Lady Funerals website. Findings from the analysis reveal a new and potent construction of the role of women in the mourning process which both reinforces traditional elements of female visual presentation while actively subverting the dominant symbols of women as passive and prostrate victims of mourning. Equally important, the analysis for this paper serves as a useful tool for the creative writing process.'  (Publication abstract)