Fakescientist8000 (talk | contribs) Adding short description: "Nonfiction book" Tag: Shortdesc helper |
Asilvering (talk | contribs) Added {{Notability}} and {{More footnotes needed}}; and removed {{Unreferenced}} tags Tag: Twinkle |
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{{Short description|Nonfiction book}} |
{{Short description|Nonfiction book}} |
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{{Notability|date=January 2024}} |
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{{Infobox book |
{{Infobox book |
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| name = Against Happiness: In Praise of Melancholy |
| name = Against Happiness: In Praise of Melancholy |
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Revision as of 21:31, 22 January 2024
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| Author | Eric G. Wilson |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Subject | Pro-melancholy |
| Publisher | Farrar, Straus and Giroux |
Publication date | January 22, 2008 |
| Publication place | United States |
| Media type | Hardback |
| Pages | 176 |
| ISBN | 978-0-374-24066-0 |
| OCLC | 156818826 |
| 152.4 22 | |
| LC Class | BF575.M44 W55 2008 |
Against Happiness: In Praise of Melancholy is a nonfiction book by Eric G. Wilson that examines the benefits of being sad. The author denotes in the book that diagnosable conditions should be treated accordingly, and is in no way saying it is "normal" or "good" to be depressed. Rather, he seeks to point out that melancholy, or as he dubs it "generative melancholy" can be a powerfully creative force that has motivated the likes of Virginia Woolf, John Keats, Vincent van Gogh, and Ludwig van Beethoven to produce some of the greatest artistic masterpieces of their respective genres. Further, he expresses concern that America's aggressive diagnosis of any negative mood, however slight, as bad, abnormal, or dangerous will lead to an eradication of one of the most powerfully inspirational and motivational forces and its potential products.