Varieties Of Melancholy

This is a book that celebrates the most neglected but valuable emotion we can feel: Melancholy. An insightful and consoling guide to the melancholic state of mind.

Melancholy isn’t depression or anger or bitterness, it’s a serene, accepting, gentle, wise and kindly response to the difficulties and occasional misery of being alive. It steers an ideal mid-way course between despair on the one hand and naïve optimism on the other. But melancholy is a well-kept secret. Those who feel the pull of melancholy moods tend to stay quiet about their tastes. We don’t often hear melancholy being celebrated or accorded the respect that it deserves. Melancholy languishes unexplored in a hyper-competitive, noisy, frantic age. And yet the emotion heartily deserves exploration, it is one that leads to reflection and thoughtfulness. 

The School of Life Library:  At The School of Life, we have been studying human nature for many years. We established The School of Life Press to condense our learning into a collection of wise and considered texts. Our titles are designed to entertain, educate, console and transform.