“Part of the appeal of melancholy in the early nineteenth century is that it was associated with a kind of reserved power that could take spectacular outward expression. Yet there was also ample awareness of the damage that could come from that power when, rather than moving outward to help a person meet some need, it ricocheted around inside—to use an anachronistic metaphor—like a mortar shell in a tank.”
- Joshua Wolf Shenk (LINCOLN’S MELANCHOLY- How Depression Challenged a President and Fueled His Greatness)
Comments