SWEET MELANCHOLIA: THE MELANCHOLIC “I”— BETWEEN INSPIRATION SOURCE AND AILMENT
SWEET MELANCHOLIA: THE MELANCHOLIC “I”— BETWEEN INSPIRATION SOURCE AND AILMENT

Summary/Abstract: The paper examines the phenomenon of melancholia, taking into account views on it by Emil Cioran, Joseph Campbell, Jerzy Kosiński, Georg Simmel and Maurice Merleau-Ponty. Regardless of its commonly known clinical variant—which is not the subject of the presented reflections—melancholia has no clear philosophical definition, because its status usually resembles a clinging plant affixed to and “fed” by more concise thought constructs. It is demonstrated that the self-disclosure imperative is an essential aspect of melancholia and that a typical and frequent symptom of melancholia is rejection of others and immersion in indifference, desperation, silent apathy and loneliness.

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