Melancholy Experience in Literature of the Long Eighteenth Century

'The studies that make up Melancholy Experience show how integral and dynamic medical and literary writing can be when read together. Judiciously chosen texts from a range of genres, by major figures and anonymous authors, demonstrate the wealth of perspectives offered by the history of melancholy on such topics as sex, religion, and creativity, as well as the condition itself. The book maintains a sense of conviction that the records left by sufferers and those who cared for them in the long eighteenth century are valuable for those who suffer now and those who wish to help. It is a fine example of such cross-era juxtaposition done conscientiously and constructively. Perhaps the strongest and most unique feature of this work is the humaneness of its scholarship, which causes the reader to share the deep interest and compassion the authors evidently feel for their subjects.'

- Tristanne Connolly, Assistant Professorof English, St. Jerome's University, University of Waterloo, Canada

'Offering excellent insight into what the eighteenth century can teach us in terms of treatment of depressive states, it will be of great value not only to eighteenth-century scholars and students, but to all persons with an interest in the workings of the human mind and its disorders.' Miranda Journal

'...this is a valuable and highly varied volume...' - Review of English Studies