Melancholy (The Margellos World Republic of Letters)

ISBN: 0300167482

Author: Foldenyi, Laszlo F.

Condition: New

A leading European intellectual reflects on the changing concept of melancholy throughout historyAlberto Manguel praises the Hungarian writer László Fldényi as one of the most brilliant essayists of our time. Fldényis extraordinary Melancholy, with its profusion of literary, ecclesiastical, artistic, and historical insights, gives proof to such praise. His book, part history of the term melancholy and part analysis of the melancholic disposition, explores many centuries to explore melancholys ambiguities. Along the way Fldényi discovers the unrecognized role melancholy may play as a source of energy and creativity in a well-examined life.Fldényi begins with a tour of the history of the word melancholy, from ancient Greece to the medieval era, the Renaissance, and modern times. He finds the meaning of melancholy has always been ambiguous, even paradoxical. In our own times it may be regarded either as a psychic illness or a mood familiar to everyone. The author analyzes the complexities of melancholy and concludes that its dual nature reflects the inherent tension of birth and mortality. To understand the melancholic disposition is to find entry to some of the deepest questions ones life.This distinguished translation brings Fldényis work directly to English-language readers for the first time.