A Self-Help Book? Writing and Reading The Anatomy of Melancholy

Robert Burton composed The Anatomy of Melancholy (1621) partly because he was a sufferer of melancholy. He said that he wrote to keep himself occupied and as a form of therapy, ‘to ease my mind by writing’. Yet writing was also a symptom of his affliction: ‘one must scratch where it itcheth’.

In this session, we’ll explore how Burton came to write his great work – the task of most of his adult life. We’ll learn how he saw writing and reading as therapeutic activities for mental affliction, while also recognising their risks for those prone to solitude and self-isolation. Reading about melancholy could make sufferers feel better, but it could also aggravate the symptoms.

And we’ll hear from some of the early readers of the Anatomy who found themselves entertained, consoled, and perplexed in equal measure by this unique work.