http://thelongestchapter.com/2009/11/16/the-anatomy-of-melancholy/ Literary fiction, poetry, first editions, classics... Fri, 27 Jan 2012 03:05:33 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.com/ http://thelongestchapter.com/2009/11/16/the-anatomy-of-melancholy/#comment-714 Sat, 04 Dec 2010 00:59:13 +0000 http://thelongestchapter.com/?p=3067#comment-714 This is a great guide to what would appear to many readers (including this one) to be an overwhelming commitment. Thank you, Ian.

]]> http://thelongestchapter.com/2009/11/16/the-anatomy-of-melancholy/#comment-712 Fri, 03 Dec 2010 19:33:57 +0000 http://thelongestchapter.com/?p=3067#comment-712 I don’t think it’s necessary to read the ‘Anatomy’ end to end. Skip around. Read the introduction from ‘Democritus Junior,’ and skip, if you want, to the section on Love-Melancholy, which is one of my favorites. The pleasure of the book, I think, lies in its unexpected words, rhythms, in the weird references, the anecdotes, and the early 17th century prose which has it’s own appeal; it’s possibly an acquired taste. For a superb read in its own right and a sort of oblique introduction to the ‘Anatomy,’ read Anthony Powell’s fantastic series of novels, ‘A Dance to the Music of Time.’

]]>