The SQUEEZE: American culture today praises happiness at the expense of sadness. But sadness, or melancholy, is an important aspect to the human experience. It is an essential part of life that has motivated key figures in history to create some of the greatest literary works and art. It is within this context that Eric G. Wilson explores the force of melancholy, highlighting its effects upon Virginia Woolf, John Keats, Vincent van Gogh, and Ludwig van Beethoven. In using melancholy as a motivator, they were able to create great masterpieces. Wilson urges the reader to embrace life that comes with pain and create opportunities to love the creative power that can come from melancholy. In “Against Sadness,” Wilson writes that he is a self-confessed melancholic and he urges his readers to examine the nature of gloom; he wants the reader to respect gloom for its beauty and honesty. He explores the roller coaster of intense feelings and the somber nature of the melancholic imagination. He weaves together a narrative that celebrates the melancholic genius and invites readers to share his reverence. It is a gratefully unhappy piece of work.

Notable Endorsement: “[Wilson has] the passionate soul of a nineteenth-century romantic who, made wise by encounters with his own personal darkness, invites readers to share his reverence for nature and exuberance for life. Providing a powerful literary complement to recent psychological discussions of melancholy . . . this treatment is variously gloomy and ecstatic, infuriating and even inspiring.” —Booklist

Common Q’s Answered by this Book:

• How is “positive thinking” defined?
• What are the “American happy types”?
• Who are the historical figures referenced?
• How is “melancholic genius” defined within the context of the narrative?
• What great literary works celebrate gloom?

About the Author: Eric G. Wilson teaches British and American Romanticism at Wake Forest University as the Thomas H. Pritchard Professor of English. Wilson, who also teaches film and literature and creative nonfiction, is the author of his recent book titled “Everyone Loves a Good Train Wreck: Why We Can’t Look Away” (2012). In this work, Wilson weaves several genres to explore the origins of “morbid curiosity.” Wilson’s scholarly-trade title “Against Happiness,” is an L.A. Times best-seller and has been reviewed by multiple magazines, journals, and publishing companies. Wilson’s other academic books include titles such as “The Strange World of David Lynch” (2007) and “Coleridge’s Melancholia” (2004). Wilson graduated with a master’s degree from Wake Forest University and obtained a doctorate from the Graduate Center housed at the City University of New York (CUNY). For a complete list of Wilson’s works and current projects, visit: http://media.news.wfu.edu/experts/eric-g-wilson/.

Book Vitals:

Publisher: Sarah Crichton Books (January 2009)