The Anatomy of Melancholy
- Downloads：9064
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-06-28 00:51:01
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：Robert Burton
- ISBN：0241533759
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
- Download
Summary
Celebrating the 400th anniversary of Burton's masterpiece， this fully edited， modern edition is published as a landmark hardback volume in Penguin Classics。
Robert Burton's labyrinthine， beguiling， playful masterpiece is his attempt to 'anatomize and cut up' every aspect of the condition of melancholy， from which he had suffered throughout his life。 Ranging over beauty， digestion， the planets， alcohol， demons， kissing， poetry and the restorative power of books， among many other things， The Anatomy of Melancholy has fascinated figures from Samuel Johnson to Jorge Luis Borges since the seventeenth century， and remains an incomparable examination of the human condition in all its flawed， endless variety。
Edited with an introduction and notes by Angus Gowland
'The best book ever written' Nicholas Lezard， Guardian
Robert Burton's labyrinthine， beguiling， playful masterpiece is his attempt to 'anatomize and cut up' every aspect of the condition of melancholy， from which he had suffered throughout his life。 Ranging over beauty， digestion， the planets， alcohol， demons， kissing， poetry and the restorative power of books， among many other things， The Anatomy of Melancholy has fascinated figures from Samuel Johnson to Jorge Luis Borges since the seventeenth century， and remains an incomparable examination of the human condition in all its flawed， endless variety。
Edited with an introduction and notes by Angus Gowland
'The best book ever written' Nicholas Lezard， Guardian
Reviews
Dylan Rock
，
An book of near infinite depth and richness that covers everything from the supernatural to everyday life。
Bill
，
Really interesting analysis of Melancholy from an historical perspective， there are many analogies with the current times
Marta
，
Michała Tabaczyńskiego， niekwestiowanego fanboya Roberta Burtona， czyta się z równie wielką rozkoszą jak wynurzenia obiektu jego westchnień。
Ryan
，
“Concerning myself， I can peradventure affirm with Marius in Sallust， ‘That which others hear or read of， I felt and practised myself; they get their knowledge by books， I mine by melancholizing。’”
Zachary Tanner
，
Four stars because I found nothing of comfort in the Cures for Love-Melancholy section， but incredible book to latch onto through a seven-month major depressive episode， when it’s read a book or self-destruction， deserving a place on the suicide hotline shelf beside The Book of Job， The Golden Ass， and The Illuminated Blake。 I may have been let down， but I’m still here。 Thanks Burton！
Garden Utensil
，
tapping out after the preface （which is 130 pgs）QUOTES:"Or as he did， of whom Felix Plater speaks， that thought he had some of Aristophanes' frogs in his belly， still crying Breec， okex， coax， coax， oop， oop， and for that cause studied physic seven years， and travelled over most part of Europe to ease himself。"[Burton quoting Cardan] "He must have a barren wit， that in this scribbling age can forge nothing。 Princes show their armies， rich men vaunt their buildings， soldiers their manhood， and sc tapping out after the preface （which is 130 pgs）QUOTES:"Or as he did， of whom Felix Plater speaks， that thought he had some of Aristophanes' frogs in his belly， still crying Breec， okex， coax， coax， oop， oop， and for that cause studied physic seven years， and travelled over most part of Europe to ease himself。"[Burton quoting Cardan] "He must have a barren wit， that in this scribbling age can forge nothing。 Princes show their armies， rich men vaunt their buildings， soldiers their manhood， and scholars vent their toys。" --- summation of popular opinion re: book industry in early 1600's。 SCRIBBLING AGE。"And for those other faults of barbarism， Doric dialect， extemporanean style， tautologies， apish imitation， a rhapsody of rags gathered together from several dunghills， excrements of authors， toys and fopperies confusedly tumbled out， without art， invention， judgment， wit， learning， harsh， raw， rude， fantastical， absurd， insolent， indiscreet， illcomposed， indigested， vain， scurrile， idle， dull， and dry; I confess all （'tis partly affected）， thou canst not think worse of me than I do of myself。 （。。。） Go now， censure， criticise， scoff， and rail。""As a Dutch host， if you come to an inn in Germany， and dislike your fare， diet， lodging， &c。， replies in a surly tone， aliud tibi quaeras diversorium， if you like not this， get you to another inn: I resolve， if you like not my writing， go read something else。""I have no such authority， no such benefactors， as that noble Ambrosius was to Origen， allowing him six or seven amanuenses to write out his dictates; I must for that cause do my business myself， and was therefore enforced， as a bear doth her whelps， to bring forth this confused lump; I had not time to lick it into form。""I am therefore in this point a professed disciple of Apollonius a scholar of Socrates， I neglect phrases， and labour wholly to inform my reader's understanding， not to please his ear; 'tis not my study or intent to compose neatly， which an orator requires， but to express myself readily and plainly as it happens。 So that as a river runs sometimes precipitate and swift， then dull and slow; now direct， then per ambages， now deep， then shallow; now muddy， then clear; now broad， then narrow; doth my style flow: now serious， then light; now comical， then satirical; now more elaborate， then remiss， as the present subject required， or as at that time I was affected。 And if thou vouchsafe to read this treatise， it shall seem no otherwise to thee， than the way to an ordinary traveller， sometimes fair， sometimes foul; here champaign， there enclosed; barren， in one place， better soil in another: by woods， groves， hills， dales， plains， &c。""。。。had I been as forward and ambitious as some others， I might have haply printed a sermon at Paul's Cross， a sermon in St。 Marie's Oxon， a sermon in Christ Church， or a sermon before the right honourable， right reverend， a sermon before the right worshipful， a sermon in Latin， in English， a sermon with a name， a sermon without， a sermon， a sermon， &c。 But I have been ever as desirous to suppress my labours in this kind， as others have been to press and publish theirs。""For indeed who is not a fool， melancholy， mad？—Qui nil molitur inepte， who is not brain-sick？ Folly， melancholy， madness， are but one disease， Delirium is a common name to all。""。。。all our town dotes in like sort， we are a company of fools。" ---COMPANY OF FOOLS"Many poor men， younger brothers， &c。 by reason of bad policy and idle education （for they are likely brought up in no calling）， are compelled to beg or steal， and then hanged for theft; than which， what can be more ignominious， non minus enim turpe principi multa supplicia， quam medico multa funera， 'tis the governor's fault。""Our land is fertile we may not deny， full of all good things， and why doth it not then abound with cities， as well as Italy， France， Germany， the Low Countries？ because their policy hath been otherwise， and we are not so thrifty， circumspect， industrious。 Idleness is the malus genius of our nation。""With us， navigable rivers are most part neglected; our streams are not great， I confess， by reason of the narrowness of the island， yet they run smoothly and even， not headlong， swift， or amongst rocks and shelves， as foaming Rhodanus and Loire in France， Tigris in Mesopotamia， violent Durius in Spain。。。" --- STREAMS"We have good laws， I deny not， to rectify such enormities， and so in all other countries， but it seems not always to good purpose。 We had need of some general visitor in our age， that should reform what is amiss; a just army of Rosy-cross men， for they will amend all matters （they say） religion， policy， manners， with arts， sciences， &c。" --- DESIRE FOR A POLICE STATEVERSUS:"These are vain， absurd and ridiculous wishes not to be hoped: all must be as it is， Bocchalinus may cite commonwealths to come before Apollo， and seek to reform the world itself by commissioners， but there is no remedy， it may not be redressed， desinent homines tum demum stultescere quando esse desinent， so long as they can wag their beards， they will play the knaves and fools。"DESCRIBING HIS VERSION OF UTOPIA:"I will have no bogs， fens， marshes， vast woods， deserts， heaths， commons， but all enclosed; （yet not depopulated， and therefore take heed you mistake me not） for that which is common， and every man's， is no man's; the richest countries are still enclosed。 （。。。） Utopian parity is a kind of government， to be wished for， rather than effected， Respub。 Christianopolitana， Campanella's city of the Sun， and that new Atlantis， witty fictions， but mere chimeras; and Plato's community in many things is impious， absurd and ridiculous， it takes away all splendour and magnificence。"UTOPIA CONTINUED:"He that commits sacrilege shall lose his hands; he that bears false witness， or is of perjury convicted， shall have his tongue cut out， except he redeem it with his head。 Murder， adultery， shall be punished by death， but not theft， except it be some more grievous offence， or notorious offenders: otherwise they shall be condemned to the galleys， mines， be his slaves whom they have offended， during their lives。 I hate all hereditary slaves， and that duram Persarum legem as Brisonius calls it; or as Ammianus， impendio formidatas et abominandas leges， per quas ob noxam unius， omnis propinquitas perit hard law that wife and children， friends and allies， should suffer for the father's offence。" 。。。more
Michael David
，
Before starting the year， I asked my girlfriend regarding what book I should tackle: this one， or Kant's Critique of Pure Reason。 I mean， I was going to spend most of my year at home anyway， so I thought I had better start reading the more difficult classics to wisely spend my time。 She chose this one。 After I went to meet with her， I had to quarantine at home for two weeks。 I felt that it was the right time to tackle this text。 After all， I was legally bound to stay at home。 Reading a monumenta Before starting the year， I asked my girlfriend regarding what book I should tackle: this one， or Kant's Critique of Pure Reason。 I mean， I was going to spend most of my year at home anyway， so I thought I had better start reading the more difficult classics to wisely spend my time。 She chose this one。 After I went to meet with her， I had to quarantine at home for two weeks。 I felt that it was the right time to tackle this text。 After all， I was legally bound to stay at home。 Reading a monumental classic of literature seemed to be a productive way of spending my days instead of merely sleeping or Netflix。 I already knew that this book was well-regarded as Laurence Sterne’s Tristram Shandy was realized as a satire of the book。 Like Anatomy， it is also recognized as an enduring classic and one of the earliest examples of postmodernism。Having completed the book， I think Angela Lee Duckworth would be proud of me， because it’s an exasperating work simply because of its age and Burton’s genius， and it took a lot of grit to complete。 I believe I’m a bit of a reader， but I had already filled two pages of words that were unfamiliar to me early on。 By the end of the book I had ten pages full of words that were unfamiliar to me。 Most were archaic， and many were related to the Hippocratic theory of humours， but a lot are words one could use to bring color to one’s writing （caitiff sounds like a more badass coward）。 Burton shows his erudition through the different passages that he cites throughout the text。 His knowledge of most ancient texts bordered on encyclopedic， and his book serves as introduction to his polyhistoric knowledge。 I didn’t go into the book looking up each individual referred to， because there were hundreds。 As a dabbler in ancient history， I was familiar with a few， such as Machiavelli， the Medicis， Anaxagoras and Democritus， but there were many historical figures that were unknown to me。 I just kept reading: as it was， the book was already a mental marathon。 It did not help that the one section of the book focused on inaccurate and dangerous ideas that claimed to be medically established。 That was most uncomfortable to me， especially because I am a medical doctor。 Burton’s advice to prick hemorrhoids is dangerous， and a highly discomfiting thought。 Nevertheless， in the realm of thinking， a lot of Burton's advice still holds true， which I’ll expound upon later。 Burton wrote The Anatomy of Melancholy largely because he also suffered from it。 Instead of allowing himself to be victimized by it， however， he did what any nerd would do: he overthought， and then he wrote。 His intelligence would not permit him to be dishonest with himself: instead， it caused him to be digressive。 I found that whenever he would comment about human nature， he’d often make sense， even to me。 For example， he said that “’tis most absurd and ridiculous for any mortal man to look for a perpetual tenor of happiness in this life。 （p。 126）” In modern psychology， this idea is known as hedonic adaptation。 Man will never be fully content， and that is why he keeps on going， like Sisyphus does。 He returns to this on page 218， saying that “no mortal man is free from these perturbations… Good discipline， education， philosophy， divinity， （I cannot deny）， may mitigate and restrain these passions in some few men at some times” and expounds that these perturbations are often frequent causes of melancholy。 In page 309， he wrote about loss aversion¸ a term made popular by behavioral economics: “riches do not so much exhilarate us with their possession， as they torment us with their loss。” In page 328， he wrote about symptoms of schizophrenia， calling them manifestations of demoniacal persons。 These “laugh always， and think themselves Kings， Cardinals， and etc。， sanguine they are， pleasantly disposed most part， and so continue。”Other quotes that I found wonderful include: “Hope and patience are two sovereign remedies for all， the surest reposals， the softest cushions to lean on in adversity。 What can’t be cured must be endured。 If it cannot be helped， or amended， make the best of it; he is wise that suits himself to the time。 As at a game at tables， so do by all such inevitable accidents。 If thou canst not fling what thou wouldest， play thy cast as well as thou canst。 （p。527）” “The most unworthy is oftenest preferred， a Vatinius to a Cato， a nobody to a somebody。 An illiterate fool sits in a man’s seat， and the common people hold him learned， grave， and wise。 （p。 543）” “Time nourisheth knowledge， and experience teacheth us every day many things which our predecessors knew not of。 Nature is not effete， as he saith， or so lavish， to bestow all her gifts upon an age， but hath reserved some for posterity， to shew her power， that she is still the same， and not old or consumed。 （p。 572）” Finally， on page 555， Burton lists guidelines that I feel would still be largely applicable to people seeking to improve themselves。 Out of human Authors take these few cautions:Know thyself。 Be contented with thy lot。Trust not wealth， beauty， nor parasites; they will bring thee to destruction。 Have peace with all men， war with vice。Look before you leap。 Be temperate in four things， talking， spending， looking， and drinking。 Hear much， speak little。 If thou seest ought amiss in another， mend it in thyself。Give not ear to tale-tellers， babblers， be not scurrilous in conversation。 Lie not， dissemble not。 Keep thy word and promise， be constant in a good resolution。 Speak truth。 Admonish thy friend in secret， commend him in public。 Take heed by other men's examples。" It wasn’t only Burton’s comments on human nature which I’ve found impressive， however。 I’ve mentioned before that Burton’s vocabulary was impressive， and not merely because of its datedness。 In page 141， he describes schadenfreude centuries before the Germans established it as a word！ He called schadenfreude epichairekakia， which was translated to epicaricacy in English。 Like schadenfreude， it is “a compound affection of joy and hate， when we rejoice at other men’s mischief， and are grieved at their prosperity。” Later， he mentions the word “quodlibetaries，” which I find is a most appropriate description of his book: not only is it a book full of philosophical points for dispute， it is also a whimsical combination of texts。 Again， however， when Burton focuses on observation， he usually makes a point of relevance。 For example， “[F]oolish， drunken， or hare-brain women most part bring forth children like unto themselves， morose and languid … Excessive venery， which Lemnius condemneth in sailors， who enter unto their wives without regard to this， and without observing the interlunary period， is a principal cause of great injury。”The damaging effects of alcohol on fetal development was discovered in the 20th century: it usually affected the child’s mental development， which made them morose and languid。 Insightful comments such as these occur only occasionally in between archaic commentaries such as advising against cabbage and cucumbers because they cause troublesome dreams。 Burton also says that people not having sex sends up poisoned humours to the brain and heart。 I’d love to use that an excuse for venery， but that simply is untrue。His suggestions on medical cures such as gold-water and washing lapis lazuli are toxic at worst and useless at best， but a few of his general suggestions still ring true today。 For instance， I agree with his idea on what a physician should be: “Only thus much I would require， honesty in every Physician， that he be not overcareless or covetous， Harpy-like to make a prey of his patient; to extract their fees these scoundrels resort to horrible tortures， as an hungry Chirurgeon often produces and wire-draws his cure， so long as there is any hope of pay… Many of them， to get a fee， will give Physick to every one that comes， when there is no cause， and they do so， as Heurnius complains， stir up a silent disease， as it often falleth out， which by good counsel， good advice alone， might have been happily composed， or by rectification of those six non-natural things otherwise cured。 （p。 391）” I’ve worked with doctors who were mercenary in nature， and Nemesis （Burton’s term for karma） always seems to get them in the end。 Burton’s insistence of proper diet is also laudatory: “Excess of meat breedeth sickness， & gluttony causeth choleric diseases: by surfeiting many perish， but he that dieteth himself prolongeth his life。 （p。 401）” He even expounds upon this later， saying that in addition to diet， “body and mind must be exercised， not one， but both， and that in a mediocrity， otherwise it will cause a great inconvenience。 （p。 464）” He’s still right， by the way。Like the importance of proper diet and exercise， some things never change， however， like idiocy: “This hatred and contempt of learning proceeds out of ignorance; as they are themselves barbarous， idiots， dull， illiterate， and proud， so they esteem of others。” Dizzards， then and now， still suffer from the same Dunning-Kruger effect。 Particularly scathing was Burton’s tirade against hypocrites， particularly religious ones。 This is particularly relevant in light of people willingly putting others in danger for the sake of their “faith:” “[H]ence it happens that such sorry buffoons everywhere， so many idiots， placed in the twilight of letters， ghosts of pastors， itinerant quacks， stupid， dolts， clods， asses， mere animals， burst with unwashed feet into the sacred precincts of Theology， bringing nothing but a brazen countenance， some vulgar trash， and scholastic trifles hardly worth hearing on the high roads。 （p。 279）。”On page 856， Burton describes the reasoning being enacted by uneducated “Catholic” Filipinos: “When the priest repeated that of Genesis， ‘Increase and multiply，’ out went the candles in the place where they met， and without all respect of age， persons， conditions， catch that catch may， every man took her came next， &c。”After all， “religion makes wild beasts civil， superstition makes wise men beasts and fools; and the discreetest that are， if they give way to it， are no better than dizzards。 （p。 909）”It’s already 2021 and human nature in relation to ignorance still remains as steadfast as ever。 Filipinos still insist on having their processions， thinking that touching a statue will cure all their problems。 ***There are so many things one can learn from reading this book。 I think foremost is the novel vocabulary that Burton uses to describe specific terms or incidences I never knew had a word to represent them。 Exegetic reading of the book will probably lead one to understand ancient history: for example， Galba and Otho were mentioned alongside Nero。 Only Nero was familiar to me as one of the worst Roman emperors， but it turns out that Galba and Otho were also emperors with short-lived reigns。 Both were killed in the Year of the Four Emperors in 69 AD， where Vespasian finally established the Flavian dynasty。 In short， both were ineffectual。 It would be maddening to scour every name in the book （or at least to me， it would） because Burton’s so knowledgeable in the classics。 He even knows the Chinese term for teacher （p。 503） and wrote about the Philippines as Philippinae only a mere 60 years after it was established by Miguel Lopez de Legazspi （p。 877）。 Back then， information merely trickled through books written slowly， and the world was still largely a mystery。 The Mercator projection was still relatively new。 For Burton to have known about our country reflected the extent of his erudition。Outside being a historical record， however， Anatomy is a chore to read。 It took me ten days of focused reading （with occasional scanning during the medicine section） because it is such a digressive text。 Although the book was ordered into sections， it was such a vomit of information that the data remains difficult to cohere in my mind。 The text’s lack of focus made it occasionally amusing， such as Burton’s antiparody of marriage （p。 817）， but for the most part it was just irritating。 I love ordered writing， and nowadays， I appreciate organized non-fiction works。 Anatomy is simply not that。 As an encyclopedia of information， it is good， but making sense out of all of it is a difficult task。 。。。more
Krystian
，
Michał Tabaczyński ponownie wciska mnie w literackie nastroje depresyjne - wcześniej poprzez świetne Pokolenie wyżu depresyjnego， a teraz przy okazji Anatomii melancholii， której to fragmenty opracował i przetłumaczył。 Nie do końca miałem w planach czytanie wywodów wszelakich Burtona， przyznaję， ale Tabaczyński od pierwszych stron zręcznie naprowadza współczesnego czytelnika i pomaga w zrozumieniu pokrętnych， ironicznych， zaprzeczających sobie przemyśleń autora。 I nawet jeśli nie jest tak smutno Michał Tabaczyński ponownie wciska mnie w literackie nastroje depresyjne - wcześniej poprzez świetne Pokolenie wyżu depresyjnego， a teraz przy okazji Anatomii melancholii， której to fragmenty opracował i przetłumaczył。 Nie do końca miałem w planach czytanie wywodów wszelakich Burtona， przyznaję， ale Tabaczyński od pierwszych stron zręcznie naprowadza współczesnego czytelnika i pomaga w zrozumieniu pokrętnych， ironicznych， zaprzeczających sobie przemyśleń autora。 I nawet jeśli nie jest tak smutno， jak być powinno （niektóre stwierdzenia przez brak aktualności oraz irracjonalność sprawiają， że człowiek się nawet uśmiechnie）， myślę， że Anatomia melancholii może być interesującym zanurzeniem w sposobie myślenia o współczesnej depresji na przełomie XVI i XVII wieku。 Czego ten， kto czyta， chce się dowiedzieć prócz jałowych snów i próżnych głupstw？ 。。。more
Jagoda Gw。
，
4。5Byłoby pełne 5， ale Tabaczyński trochę zbyt nachalnie rozchlapuje siebie po całym tekście jak dla mnie。
Kathryn
，
I think the version I had wasn’t a great translation so couldn’t appreciate it
Jakub Szestowicki
，
Czarna żółć w dużej dawce， zachęca do przeczytania pełnej wersji （1400 stron）
Vanesa Vonpire
，
Un estudio muy completo para su época。 Me impresiona de sobremanera como la realidad de aquel siglo， tintada por la ciencia y la religión， actualmente se nos presenta como una especie de fantasía。
Angelo Marcano
，
Entretenido。 Un vistazo al pensamiento de la antigüedad alrededor del tema de la melancolía， con todas las supersticiones que al respecto se tenían。 Llegué a este libro por Borges （no me acuerdo bien en qué libro le hizo referencia） y reconozco completamente el ritmo que toma prestado de textos como este para usar en sus cuentos。 Pero evidentemente， sin la narrativa de Borges， el efecto no es el mismo， y a ratos se puede volver pesado。 Sin embargo， está lleno de anécdotas， referencias y datos mu Entretenido。 Un vistazo al pensamiento de la antigüedad alrededor del tema de la melancolía， con todas las supersticiones que al respecto se tenían。 Llegué a este libro por Borges （no me acuerdo bien en qué libro le hizo referencia） y reconozco completamente el ritmo que toma prestado de textos como este para usar en sus cuentos。 Pero evidentemente， sin la narrativa de Borges， el efecto no es el mismo， y a ratos se puede volver pesado。 Sin embargo， está lleno de anécdotas， referencias y datos muy interesantes sobre demonios， astrología， mitología， personajes de la realeza， antiguos griegos y filósofos， etc。。。 Tener presente que es un libro de 1621。 Para mí fue una gran curiosidad y me dejó con muchas citas interesantes y ganas de leer a Séneca， por las citas tan lúcidas que de él se hacen。 。。。more
The Moon
，
I actually really liked the book。 If you accept that he's a hardcore Christian and everything else that's typical for men of that century， you have a beautiful book in front of you。 I'd immensely enjoy to know Robert as a person， to talk with him。 I don't seem to recall him explaining why his religion is the correct one， he's quite harsh on the other ones。 Anything having to do with women is， let's say outdated。 Nevertheless I really liked Robert， which means he did it right I actually really liked the book。 If you accept that he's a hardcore Christian and everything else that's typical for men of that century， you have a beautiful book in front of you。 I'd immensely enjoy to know Robert as a person， to talk with him。 I don't seem to recall him explaining why his religion is the correct one， he's quite harsh on the other ones。 Anything having to do with women is， let's say outdated。 Nevertheless I really liked Robert， which means he did it right 。。。more
Caomhghain
，
Where does one start？ Someone called it the greatest book in English - an interesting description since so much is in Latin。 Dr Johnson found it the book he regularly went back to。 It is so much。 First of all a literary masterpiece。 Burton toys with language， stretching it out， and then compressing it， minting new words， quoting， translating and mistranslating Latin。 Almost always he produces a beautiful， copious prose。 He tells stories。 He offers the consolation that Johnson appreciated but he Where does one start？ Someone called it the greatest book in English - an interesting description since so much is in Latin。 Dr Johnson found it the book he regularly went back to。 It is so much。 First of all a literary masterpiece。 Burton toys with language， stretching it out， and then compressing it， minting new words， quoting， translating and mistranslating Latin。 Almost always he produces a beautiful， copious prose。 He tells stories。 He offers the consolation that Johnson appreciated but he is never an opinionated man。 He usually sees both sides and is aware of the complexities of his subject， the conflicting opinions of the authorities of the time。 So as often as not he gives first one side and then the other。 And then he digresses - sometimes he tells you he is digressing， sometimes not。 A book of Burton's digressions would be worth reading just for itself。 And it covers so much - medicine， science， travel， sports， religion， love， scholarship on and on。 The one topic he barely touches on is literature itself。 No need。 His book exemplifies it。 I believe there is a brand new Penguin edition coming out in December。 I look forward to rereading it。 。。。more
Sara Osvath
，
Svår att läsa för mig。 Den är säkert både skickligt och underfundigt skriven men från 15-1600-talet och väldigt omständigt formulerat。 Massa latin och fotnoter och en del upprepningar。 Orkade inte läsa klart。
Lin
，
This was exactly what I thought it would be， and overall that's good This was exactly what I thought it would be， and overall that's good 。。。more
Antonio Gallo
，
Vedi recensione edizione inglese。
Dimitris Tsioumas
，
An amazing book that deals with the phenomenon of melancholy。 Not only the individual， but also the country， the city， the family。 Analyzes the causes and wants to provide solutions to combat it。 A book that is funny at times， but also very serious on the other。 He has not lost anything of his grace and freshness and it's written 1621。 An amazing book that deals with the phenomenon of melancholy。 Not only the individual， but also the country， the city， the family。 Analyzes the causes and wants to provide solutions to combat it。 A book that is funny at times， but also very serious on the other。 He has not lost anything of his grace and freshness and it's written 1621。 。。。more
Alec Sieber
，
Most sane people should probably just skim through this one， cherry-picking little bits and pieces throughout for their own use。 Burton's self-described digressions are absolutely the most interesting sections。 His "Digression on Air" is a stand-alone masterpiece。 Most sane people should probably just skim through this one， cherry-picking little bits and pieces throughout for their own use。 Burton's self-described digressions are absolutely the most interesting sections。 His "Digression on Air" is a stand-alone masterpiece。 。。。more
João Moura
，
Uma resumo dos 4 volumes de Burton sobre a Melancolia。 Cheguei a esta obra pelas referências a ela no livro "A Morte é um Ato Solitário" de Ray Braddbury， e em boa hora。 Mais do que um estudo científico （ultrapassado do século XVI）， é uma análise pessoal a centenas de autores ao longo da história， recheada de citações e com algum humor。 Quais serão as causas da melancolia？ Os pais？ A alimentação （até se fala na boa carne de vaca portuguesa）？ Os demónios？ O amor？ E será que algo disto interessa m Uma resumo dos 4 volumes de Burton sobre a Melancolia。 Cheguei a esta obra pelas referências a ela no livro "A Morte é um Ato Solitário" de Ray Braddbury， e em boa hora。 Mais do que um estudo científico （ultrapassado do século XVI）， é uma análise pessoal a centenas de autores ao longo da história， recheada de citações e com algum humor。 Quais serão as causas da melancolia？ Os pais？ A alimentação （até se fala na boa carne de vaca portuguesa）？ Os demónios？ O amor？ E será que algo disto interessa mesmo？Uma leitura antiga， cheia de latim， de autores gregos e mitologia， mas ainda hoje interessante e com um dos melhores títulos de sempre。 。。。more
Josh Friedlander
，
Immense， sprawling - let's be frank， bloated - book about everything。 In the guise of an analysis of melancholy， Burton discusses， say， all the things which might make someone sad （war！ Injustice！ Bad marriage！） So just。。。everything。 （The last section covers religious doubt， and one senses the inklings of the Renaissance-to-Enlightenment trajectory。）The idea of melancholy as a catchall for everything from ennui to clinical depression to what I guess we'd call insanity is a fascinating one， and i Immense， sprawling - let's be frank， bloated - book about everything。 In the guise of an analysis of melancholy， Burton discusses， say， all the things which might make someone sad （war！ Injustice！ Bad marriage！） So just。。。everything。 （The last section covers religious doubt， and one senses the inklings of the Renaissance-to-Enlightenment trajectory。）The idea of melancholy as a catchall for everything from ennui to clinical depression to what I guess we'd call insanity is a fascinating one， and in tracing the development of that idea you'd have to consider a lot of difficult questions。 Foucault would probably come up a fair bit。 But this is an intellectual knapsack of a learned man of his time， throwing in the kitchen sink of Latin poetry and gossip and life hacks。 Much of it is dated， such as his discussions of what is now psychiatry: a non-FDA-recommended list of different herbs and their medicinal properties。 But much of it - the vicissitudes of life， the consolations of religion and philosophy and learning， the experience of melancholy itself - is timeless。 。。。more
Wes Allen
，
I may get around to a formal review， or I may not。 Readers much wiser than I have shared their thoughts on this monument already。 I leave you with two bits of advice: 1） read this book and 2） don't rush through it。 I may get around to a formal review， or I may not。 Readers much wiser than I have shared their thoughts on this monument already。 I leave you with two bits of advice: 1） read this book and 2） don't rush through it。 。。。more
Ela
，
I'm slowly making my way through The Anatomy while meandering through all the various primary sources and blogging about it at https://miseries-of-scholars。blogspot。。。。Edit: June 2020: I have moved the blog to miseriesofscholars。wordpress。com。 I'm slowly making my way through The Anatomy while meandering through all the various primary sources and blogging about it at https://miseries-of-scholars。blogspot。。。。Edit: June 2020: I have moved the blog to miseriesofscholars。wordpress。com。 。。。more
Gabriel
，
Desert Island Book （will never read all of it）
Claudiu Dumitrache
，
One of the best books i've read about everything。 One of the best books i've read about everything。 。。。more
Savonarola
，
An Anatomy of THE ANATOMY OF MELANCHOLYWHAT IT IS。WITH ALL THE CAUSES， QUOTATIONS， AND QUIBBLES THEREININ THREE MAIN PARTITIONS。OPENED AND CUT UP。BYBURTONIUS JUNIORWith a Satirical P R E F A C E， conducing us to the following Discourse。 P R E F A C E Hey， you: I bet that you’re pretty curious why I’ve taken the stage under the name Burtonius Junior， huh？ I admit that it seems a little silly， and the arrogating pretension of pseudonymity is obviously chock-full of folly， but as a wise man once said An Anatomy of THE ANATOMY OF MELANCHOLYWHAT IT IS。WITH ALL THE CAUSES， QUOTATIONS， AND QUIBBLES THEREININ THREE MAIN PARTITIONS。OPENED AND CUT UP。BYBURTONIUS JUNIORWith a Satirical P R E F A C E， conducing us to the following Discourse。 P R E F A C E Hey， you: I bet that you’re pretty curious why I’ve taken the stage under the name Burtonius Junior， huh？ I admit that it seems a little silly， and the arrogating pretension of pseudonymity is obviously chock-full of folly， but as a wise man once said， interdum stultus bene loquitur， and don’t forget that omne tulit punctum， qui miscuit utile dulci， and besides， what right have you to know my name， especially with yours obscured to me？ If you insist on that， gentle reader， it seems to me to be the case that it must needs be to the greatest possible advantage of everybody involved if you were to eftsoons avaunt， whithersoever thy feet guide thee， preferably to that damp grotto， that devil’s gate， damnably grotesque， from which the sorry likes of you must surely be bred and bled into this world。 Should you not enjoy the present text， ‘tis clearly not for you， and I resolve， if you like not my writing， go read something else。 For what a world of books offers itself， in all subjects， arts， and sciences， to the sweet content and capacity of the reader; what vast tomes are extant in law， physic， and divinity， for profit， pleasure， practice， speculation， in verse or prose， etc。， like so many dishes of meat served out for several palates， and if you reject my cooking， you shall admire someone else’s; and he is a very block that is affected by none of these。All I can say is that I have precedents for it， for this my review， and if you think my style shoddy， or affected， or overly vulgar， bear in mind that this is merely a confused company of notes， writ out as I do ordinarily speak， stript of fustian phrases and the like， effudi quicquid dictavit genius meus。 I am not one of those base and illiterate scribblers who write reviews by bricolage， very parrots， as if they were apothecaries， making new mixtures by plagiaristically pouring out of one vessel into another。 I know nothing more contemptible in a writer than the character of a plagiary。 Such “literary” critics （universally confuted and contemned） may be able to talk up anything， to praise Rowlings， to square circles， but in so doing they become mere outsides， empty advertisers， encomium mills， and they understand not the state of their own souls， nor what is right in this life。 Our whole course of life is but a matter of laughter， a seminary of folly; in a word， every man for his own ends， and failing that， every man to the tippling-inns， to the ale-houses。 Should you complain of this state of affairs， or think me mad for being clear-sighted， I say to you， justum ab injustis petere insipientia est， which is to say， get thee to Anticyra！But I apologize; I have taxed thee too heavily， and beg thy pardon， for am I not the same， or even worse， naught but a bedlamite， Rabelais my physician， Swift my dean， Sterne my divine， Pynchon my technical writer？ I am as foolish， as mad as anyone， blindly carried by momentary passions like some Pavlov’d dog， and I find myself so easily and suddenly derailed into raillery， into the bitterest invective， with the slightest change of breeze or ebb in serotonin: difficile est satiram non scribere。 I hope only to lay myself open—to turn mine inside outward—to dainty damsels with sweet looks， to gorgeous countesses full of pride and pelf， and perhaps even to the occasional earnest seeker after wisdom。 So since I am manifestly as foolish as thee， lectori male feriato， let it be forgotten and forgiven， and let us continue on to the First Partition， since by my reckoning， if you have kept hold of this Ariadnic thread thus far， Gordianly knotted as it is， you have most likely been sufficiently conduced to the following Discourse。THE FIRST PARTITION Robert Burton was a bookman first and last。 His famous doorstopper， the Anatomy of Melancholy， is the legitimate offspring of a bookish mind， and although it is largely a distillation of authors， it is nonetheless an original work， a rhapsody of rags， a cosmos of quotations。 Its core readership has long had the nature of an amiable conspiracy—the book discreetly passed about by enjoyably furtive coteries of Burtonians as though it were dangerous samizdat。Although no hapless publisher could ever dream of Burton becoming popular， he has perhaps more readers now than he’s ever had; it’s surely less difficult to access or acquire than it must have been when there was no new edition for over a century: Johnson and Sterne had to read their Burton in old copies。Burton’s Anatomy of Melancholy is really an anatomy of everything， but more especially of humanity， and of himself， and of the “thou thyself” （or you， his reader and my reader） whom our lovable bookman quickly declares “the subject of my discourse。” Although no individual reader could possibly suffer from every species of melancholy that Burton describes， especially given that in Burton’s time melancholia was nearly synonymous with madness in general， all of humanity’s ills are nonetheless potentially the reader’s; the essential form of human experience does not differ from individual to individual， and Burton’s Anatomy ultimately takes the form of a satire against mankind。It is clear enough that Burton’s prose is shot through with irony， but it is not so clear where his irony leads。 Subvert as he will， Burton refuses to take account of his work of destruction， as if it did not finally matter whether his book， its beholders， or the policy of the times were absurd or reasonable， or indeed whether that the distinction were worth making。 The implication seems to be that where folly is universal and unavoidable， it might as well assume a mask of equanimity and purpose。Burton’s Anatomy is decisively a Menippean （or， Varronian， or， Lucianic） satire， and as tragedy and epic and other monological genres enclose， Menippean satires conversely open up， anatomize， disclose。 The serious forms comprehend man; the Menippean forms are based on man’s inability to know and contain his fate。 To any vision of a completed system of truth， the menippea suggests some element outside the system， much like William James’ “ever not quite。” This genre presents a challenge， open or covert， to literary and intellectual orthodoxy， to all those who would institutionalize and systematize language and understanding。 The notion of a privileged person， class， or occupation is alien to the satiric logic of the genre。I would steal a line or three from William Gass’ introduction， too， if his introduction didn’t have all of the identifying features of a hurried excretion。 Throughout this First Partition， I’ve pillaged from the following:—Holbrook Jackson’s introduction to his 1932 edition of the Anatomy—Kevin Jackson’s introduction to his 2004 selection from the Anatomy—A quick snippet from Brian Greenspan’s lovely thesis “Postmodern Menippeas: The Literature of Ideas in the Age of Information”—Most importantly， I’m indebted to Philip Hoyt Holland’s thoroughly praiseworthy Ph。D。 thesis， “Robert Burton’s Anatomy of Melancholy and Menippean Satire， Humanist and English”I keep getting secondhand Bakhtin， too， so consider Problems of Dostoevsky’s Poetics， and Frye’s Anatomy of Criticism seems significant too， and I suppose I should at least mention Bloom’s Anatomy of Influence， but I most highly commend and recommend Holland’s thesis， noted a moment ago。In the Second Partition of the present review， I will try my hand at a modicum of originality， beyond my mild talent for cobbling together paraphrased plagiarisms， as seen both here and in the P R E F A C E。THE SECOND PARTITION While I’m evidently very fond of him， it’s difficult not to grow tired of some of the hackneyed praises of Burton that are endlessly bandied about。How many times can we stomach Burgess’ suggestion that Burton’s writing is like talk （isn’t all writing talk？）， or the Samuel Johnson bit about the book being all that could get him out of bed early， or those repeated reminders that Milton， and Sterne， and Keats， and Beckett， and probably Swift， all shamelessly pilfered ideas and turns of phrase from him？Melville likely drew from him， too， but since his personal copy of the Anatomy was bowdlerized， and since Melville did draw from Sterne， whose influence is often indistinguishable from Burton’s， it’s hard to tell; we also see Borges using him for epigraphs， and allusions to him in Infinite Jest， and Joyce discussing him with literary friends， and further…but why do I even begin to list all of this？ This sort of litany is exactly what I was just complaining of: let’s leave this path behind， and saunter elsewhere。THE THIRD PARTITION How about my ebullient update when I first approached finishing the book:I'd wandered away awhile， but Burton always awaits with open arms。I finished the Second Partition today。 It ends weakly （unlike the First， or the Preface） but is still strong overall， and is just as heavily marginalia'd。I've begun the Third， on Love Melancholy， and it is beautiful。 From the endless variety of ills， to the endless variety of cures， to， now， the endlessness of love。Burton is my Virgil。 You’ll have to excuse such excesses on my part—it’s purely aesthetic。 It’s play， or stylistic experiment。 But it reflects well enough my macro-understanding of the book， despite glorifying my fondness of it。I will leave out my thoughts on Democritus Junior’s Satirical Preface; my thoughts should be evident enough from my own P R E F A C E in the guise of Burtonius Junior， and besides， the majority of readers read and discuss the Preface and nothing else。Burton’s First Partition is unavoidably the most negative， even aside from beginning with a discussion of the fall of man， and ending with a discussion of suicide， because in presenting so many potential causes for human sorrow in very long lists with very thorough citations without ever addressing cures or recourses， the human soul seems plunged into a patently hostile deterministic universe， in which we not only mostly lack free will， but are also incredibly vulnerable and fragile， every slightest thing having the capacity to utterly destroy our happiness。 Burton here precedes Schopenhauer and Lovecraft。This is one of the elements that most influences （as an overall theme rather than a discrete plagiarism） Sterne’s Tristram Shandy， the Anatomy’s foremost inheritor， from its very first line。 If Moby-Dick is Ecclesiastes at length， then Tristram Shandy is the Anatomy in short。 Much of Sterne’s book consists of Tristram explaining all the ways in which his life has been led to be awful， all those little developmental domino effects that went on to make him the man he is， from the sexual habits of his parents at the time of his conception， to the astrological moment of his birth， to the flattening of his nose， to the issues involved in the assignment of his name， and so on。 This is done light-heartedly， obviously， and we should be thankful that Sterne’s work has retroactively brightened， or otherwise helped us see the light in， this bleak corner in Burton。 Sterne reminds us of levity， which equips us to acknowledge our humble smallness， our lack of control， and yet simultaneously say， sure， be that as it may—life remains a joyous thing， and tallying our ills is silliness。 Sterne draws from Burton’s digressiveness and etceterativity， too， which is also a hallmark of the larger Scriblerian tradition， as in Swift and Fielding， but why should I meddle with that， which is already the subject of many volumes？ Let us carry on。Burton’s Second Partition， in contrast to his First， is markedly optimistic。 We see not only a sprawling variety of cures and consolations， but also proto-Sternean， proto-Jamesian praise of variety itself， novelty-seeking and variety-seeking not just appetites to be satiated for one’s health， but also the very lifeblood of human experience。 Despite Burton’s melancholic and/or philosophical sympathy for the Ecclesiastesish view that there is nothing new under the sun， that there is never anything fundamentally novel， the kind of emphasis on variety that I am here delineating is not incompatible with the Ecclesiastesish outlook， because the very same human smallness that leads to the vulnerability we see in the First Partition also implies that the world’s breadth is inexhaustible for any one individual。 We are fundamentally incapable of knowing everything， or of going everywhere， but this is good， because the world is therefore， for each person， overflowingly abundant。 There is always some new delight to be had， or some new sorrow which is itself delightful in its newness， and one of the greatest threats to the good life， at least in dusty scholars of the Burtonian sort， is entrenched， habitual tedium。 As Sterne puts it in his defense of digression: Digressions， incontestably， are the sunshine;——they are the life， the soul of reading！—take them out of this book， for instance，—you might as well take the book along with them;—one cold eternal winter would reign in every page of it; restore them to the writer;—he steps forth like a bridegroom，—bids All-hail; brings in variety， and forbids the appetite to fail。 But I may have a temperamental bias， one shared by Burton and Sterne and James。 It is an existential tenor which may well be shared by all who are attracted to Menippea。 Although Menippean satire is typically identified by its sense of philosophia ludens， its gamboling play with language and knowledge， and its attendant scorn for certainty， I feel that the genre is perhaps too often taken for being a kind of ideological position， rather than being driven by a particular kind of need in a particular kind of personality。 Clearly everybody needs some degree of variety for life to remain livable， but it may be that proponents and practitioners of Menippea have this inclination more than others， that they are novelty-seekers in the clinical sense， or to invoke that contemporary Anatomy of Melancholy we call the DSM-V， that they are literature’s historical record of the ADHD type。 The ability of the Menippean to dig and dig and dig in strange places does not suggest discipline， but rather， bursts of passionate hyperfocus。[I ran out of room: continued in the comments。] 。。。more
Adam Gossman
，
Worth it
Jason Williams
，
Hard to review a book like this。 In Swift-like fashion， it's full of witty， tongue-in-cheek references to a world that really is no longer relevant。 And yet， here's a man discussing the popular and scientific explanations of a personal and social malady that plagues many of us today。 At times this felt like an extremely tedious read， even despite my deep interest in this topic and the history of psychology in general。 It was worth it - most books are。 I think Burton gets it better than the quack Hard to review a book like this。 In Swift-like fashion， it's full of witty， tongue-in-cheek references to a world that really is no longer relevant。 And yet， here's a man discussing the popular and scientific explanations of a personal and social malady that plagues many of us today。 At times this felt like an extremely tedious read， even despite my deep interest in this topic and the history of psychology in general。 It was worth it - most books are。 I think Burton gets it better than the quacks and pill pushers。 。。。more
Fergus
，