Why “necromania” is a great word
A pathological obsession with death, corpses, and the trappings of mortality. From the combining form necro- (from Greek nekros, meaning 'corpse' or 'dead') and -mania (from Greek mania, meaning 'madness' or 'frenzy'). Unlike 'necrophilia,' which denotes a specific sexual paraphilia for corpses, or 'thanatophilia,' which suggests a philosophical or aesthetic fascination, necromania is a broader, compulsive fixation devoid of pleasure or philosophy. It manifests as the clinical cataloging of Victorian mourning jewelry, the pilgrimages to unremarkable graves, and the silent, methodical clipping of obituaries sorted by cause of death—a quiet testament to the living mind's refusal to release its grip on the one fact that will inevitably release its grip on everything.