Ostensibly an elaborately systematized medical treatise dealing with various morbid mental states their causes, symptoms, and cures the anatomy is much more. Complete summary of robert burtons the anatomy of melancholy. Take our free the anatomy of melancholy quiz below, with 25 multiple choice questions that help you test your knowledge. These four humours have some analogy with the four elements, and to the four ages in man. The anatomy of melancholy is definitely the desert island book. What it is, with all the kinds, causes, symptoms, prognostics, and several cures of it the history of medicine melancholy paperback robert burton. Burtons anatomy of melancholy, 1628 the british library. Anatomy of melancholy, the, exposition by robert burton, published in 1621 and expanded and altered in five subsequent editions 1624, 1628, 1632, 1638, 165152. Nicholas lezard celebrates the anatomy of melancholy by robert burton, a 17thcentury compendium of human thought that is funnier than it sounds. Bbc radio 4 in our time, the anatomy of melancholy. Fish, in selfconsuming artifacts i write of melancholy, by being busy to avoid melancholy, explained robert burton, author of that rollicking compendium the anatomy of. Melancholy, cold and dry, thick, black, and sour, begotten of the more feculent part of nourishment, and purged from the spleen, is a bridle to the other two hot humours, blood and choler, preserving them in the blood, and nourishing the bones. Burton uses melancholy as the lens through which all human emotion and thought may be scrutinized, and virtually the entire contents of a 17thcentury library are marshalled into service of this goal. Many agree with claudiuss claim that theres something in hamlets soul which seems to be ruled by melancholy 3.
The anatomy of melancholy is an especially lengthy book, the first edition being a single quarto volume nearly 900 pages long. This, the fifth volume of the clarendon press edition of robert burtons anatomy of melancholy, contains commentary on the text from partition 1, section 2, member 4, subsection 1 until the end of part. Sep 15, 2006 the anatomy of melancholy appeared in five editions during the authors lifetime and has been reprinted countless times since. The book was an eyeopener for me where it concerns modern society. What it is, with all the kinds, causes, symptomes, prognostics, and several cures of it. If you have a morbid bone in your body or if you posses even a dram of humour, do yourself a favor and read this book. The gist of burtons anatomy of melancholy little blue book by charles joseph finger 1 jan 1924. Burton continued to revise and add to his great book, which went through a further. Burton considers melancholy to be an inbred malady in all of us and admits that he is not a little offended by it himself p. A third volume of text and two volumes of commentary will follow. Aug 17, 2001 the anatomy of melancholy by robert burton nyrb classics. Anatomy of melancholy, the work by burton britannica. This collection is the inversion of robert burtons anatomy of melancholy. With the very cheap price on this book, i wont be asking for a refund, but you get what you pay for isnt really the issue.
My book was coming out in the united states, and a friend threw a party on october 11th. Jan 01, 2002 amusing, touching, and unsettling, the melancholy of anatomy is that most wonderful of fictions, one that makes us see the world in an entirely new light. Here is the body turned inside out, its members set free, its humors released upon the world. Determine which chapters, themes and styles you already know and what you need to study for your upcoming essay, midterm, or final exam. The wordy nature of the book, which started out at over 300, 000 words in 1621 and ended up at over half a million words by the time. If you have the onevolume edition, as i do, it can be terribly unwieldy. The text is divided into three major sections plus an introduction, the whole written in burtons sprawling style. One of the stories a false history of the dildo is available via the authors site. This is the first of five volumes that will comprise the first authoritative modern edition of burtons great work. Hailed as a modern day catcher in the rye, matthew selwyns acclaimed debut novel, or, the anatomy of melancholy is a startling look into the addled mind of a young man hooked on the culture of the internet and desperately reaching out for human connection. Read a full online version of a later edition of the anatomy of melancholy.
Librivox recording of the anatomy of melancholy, volume 1, by robert burton. This is part of my ongoing project to read maximalist fiction really, to read the longest, most complex books i can find. The club will be supported by our social media channels, and is free for anyone to join. Micrographia the original classic edition book depository. The anatomy of melancholy robert burton oxford university. Discover book depositorys huge selection of robert burton books online. The anatomy of melancholy the original classic edition. In the first part of the treatise, burton defines the inbred malady of melancholy, discusses its causes, and sets down the symptoms. Melvyn bragg and his guests discuss robert burtons masterpiece the anatomy of melancholy. The anatomy of melancholy the original classic edition robert burton. The essential anatomy of melancholy by robert burton.
This is the first of five volumes that will comprise the first authoritative modern edition of. Anatomy melancholy by robert burton, first edition abebooks. The anatomy of melancholy is a book by robert burton, first published in 1621. The text is divided into three major sections plus an introduction, the whole written. The anatomy of melancholy, one of the richest, most inexhaustible books in the english language. The anatomy of melancholy goes quite beyond the titled gloominess to spread melancholy onto a compendium of human conditions, complete with symptoms, prognostics and the various cures ever known in the western world. The anatomy of melancholy the original classic edition by robert burton, 9781486145577, available at book depository with free delivery worldwide. The anatomy of melancholy is a book that stands out from anything else that i have ever read before. The best of a softer world by joey comeau, 9780982853764, available at book depository with free delivery. May 12, 2011 melvyn bragg and his guests discuss robert burtons masterpiece the anatomy of melancholy. He served as a vicar in oxford and then as the rector of seagrave. Have publishers forgotten it is their responsibility to proofread. What cannot be cured must be endured, robert burton wrote four centuries ago in his the anatomy of melancholy a survey of sadness in all its myriad forms. Oct 18, 2015 the anatomy of melancholy by robert burton, 978448273, available at book depository with free delivery worldwide.
The anatomy of melancholy by robert burton, 978448273, available at book depository with free delivery worldwide. English churchman and scholar robert burton 15761639 was a passionate student of medicine, history, literature, and science the whole of human knowledge. A checklist of a part of the collection in memory of sarah bixby smith 18711935. The anatomy of melancholy by robert burton free ebook. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. Apr 30, 2001 robert burton 15771640 was elected a student of christ church college, oxford, in 1599 and took his b. Full text of the anatomy of melancholy internet archive.
With all the kinds, causes, symptomes, prognostickes, and several cures of it. The anatomy of melancholy is, quite selfconsciously, the book to end all books. His quotations, which abound in every page, are pertinent. The anatomy of melancholy michigan historical reprint 97814181216 by burton, robert and a great selection of similar new, used and collectible books available now at great prices. Johnson, boswell reports, said it was the only book that he rose early in the morning to read with pleasure. The immensely widely read robert burton compiled it from the books that existed in a 17thcentury library in order to explain and account for all human emotion and thought.
Without admitting it to ourselves, we all silently know that there is no cure for our tragedy and so, the nation groans in unending violation. The anatomy of melancholy, in all of its distracting confusion, is finally something of a mercy, and it is the only mercy to be found within its confines. Johnson said, was the only book that ever took him out of bed two hours sooner than he wished to rise. The decision to construct a stage performance from robert burtons the anatomy of melancholy 1621 is certainly an innovative one. I have finally finished a careful reading of robert burtons anatomy of melancholy, along with a wonderful book by ruth fox, the tangled chain. Free kindle book and epub digitized and proofread by project gutenberg.
The anatomy of melancholy is a book which has been universally read and admired. A new penguin classics edition of burtons masterpiece ostensibly a guidebook to melancholia or depression, in reality an allencompassing examination of. Volume iii by robert burton, 9780198123316, available at book depository with free delivery worldwide. In this surprisingly compact and elegant new edition, burtons spectacular verbal labyrinth is sure to delight, instruct, and divert todays readers as much. The anatomy of melancholy book club th april youtube.
The huge and encyclopaedic anatomy of melancholy was produced by the english clergyman robert burton 15771640. This is an idea that has been elaborated in emmy guts book productive and unproductive depression, which proposes that the long pause brought about by a. The anatomy of melancholy appeared in five editions during the authors lifetime and has been reprinted countless times since. The anatomy of melancholy by robert burton, 9780940322660, available at book depository with free delivery worldwide. The anatomy of melancholy by burton,robert and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. Buy the anatomy of melancholy nyrb classics new ed by robert burton isbn. Apr 30, 2001 the anatomy of melancholy by robert burton, 9780940322660, available at book depository with free delivery worldwide. In 1621 the priest and scholar robert burton published a book quite unlike any other. One critic has said that all the anatomy of melancholy proves is that a seventeenth century classical education could produce an astounding amount of recondite learning.
The structure of disorder in the anatomy of melancholy. Today we start a virtual book club to read an abridged version of the anatomy of melancholy. It explores a dizzying assortment of mental afflictions, including what might now be called depression. The only problem with taking this wonderful book to a desert island with you or anywhere else, for that matter, is its size. On its surface, the book is a medical textbook in which burton applies his large and varied learning in the scholastic manner to the subject of melancholia which includes what is now termed clinical depression. The anatomy of melancholy by robert burton free at loyal books.
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