Art of Melancholy

 In Shewings of Julian of Norwich, while ill   Julian goes through visions, sixteen to be exact, about love and suffering. These two very heavy yet distinct topics are prominent in our everyday lives and sometimes coincide with each other. Through and within the nature of humanity, the visions encompass more of a spiritual meaning and emphasis. Love is visualized by Julian through creation as its source while also learning that each event occurring through life is a reason of God's love and mercy. This can provide a sense of comfort as the phrase comes from "everything happens for a reason". As this phrase is much more common today and meant on other levels aside from spirituality towards God, this helps us make sense of our world and calm ourselves down. I wonder if this came from such stories like Julian's. Like today, it was thought that suffering is a part of a plan or a product of the love God provides. It is in humanity to go through a time of suffering but love...

 There are many concepts, topics, and ideas reached through the readings but one that stood out to me was the idea of balance and moderation. Of course, we know that this is an idea that longs way before the research and reasonings we know today. For example, we talked about the Four Humours and if one was off balance, the effects would be tremendous. This was a more environmental and literal approach than what is referenced in the article but still valuable to mention. Hildegard approaches medicine with the perspective of moderation and balance but we also see such in the everyday life. I took a relationship course last semester and if an aspect important to a partner is not fully reciprocated or even fulfilled, the balance is completely thrown off. Keeping this in mind, the state of the relationship is less than average or even fair. Such theory dated back to not too long ago but we can assume it was present in years dating back to at least the era of Inferno. When aspects of a r...

 While reading the stories of Dante through Cantos, the First and Second Circle of Hell is mentioned and the numerical value continues. This name as well as the aura around it intrigued me. As the size of the circle decreases, the punishment increases. I was trying to link this adventurous action filled story to our course and then a linkage clicked. I thought of the circles as a nightmare that never ends or even a state of consciousness that is continuous but getting worse (like melancholy). Another image that ran through my head about the circles was interpreting it almost as if it is a black hole that gets deeper and deeper and increases in darkness whirling in the mind. There are aspects that must mortify a human being whether it is reality or imagination. Some specific details would be the monster Minos, a line of sinners who were deemed such through usury, violence, fraud or something else deceitful, the fear of molestation, torrential rains and wind ripping through the air, ...

 Chaucer's Book Of The Duchess is primarily about a man experiencing insomnia and is unable to sleep in the furthest extent. Although when he does sleep, the dreams are vivid and palpable. He has not been able to fall asleep for years, around eight to be specific. In order for him to try to sleep, he first takes up chess which doesn't work too well and then ultimately finds himself reading stories. I cannot help but think he is in a state of melancholy possibly from insomnia because ineffective or no sleep at all can severely impact a person. Going of of that, the cycle of restlessness and melancholy continues in a loop because they feed off of each other. When he reads the stories, it could be as escape for him to get away from the real world. Someone who is severely sleep deprived causes chemical imbalances in the brain meaning hormones are not regulate in the way they should be. Due to imbalance, melancholy can be reached and experienced deeply but as we know in the early ag...

 Lanval, a knight who lived in a kingdom with the name of Breton. Although Lanval had the necessities and some benefits of being the son of the king, he was missing one critical aspect of life: love. Ashe long for such feeling, he was in a juxtaposed state, "very thoughtful, very sad". While on a stroll with his horse, two ladies came across him and led him to what would soon dicipate the missing feeling. The Queen of Babylon approached him and gave Lanval all he could ever want emotionally and materialistically but with a cost; Lanval could not speak of or be seen with the Queen of Babylon. So, no matter how powerful the love became, he could not tell anyone. The two had moments memorable and would be soon reminisced over by Lanval while theor love grew rapidly. The knight had to go back to the kingdom but even though he was lavishly prepped by the Queen and the girls, he "feels great fear and grief? Thinking of his adventure, he goes along; doubts fill his heart"....

 When the word melancholy is said by an individual, it is likely to think of other buzzwords or synonyms that go along the lines of negative connotations. Words such as sadness, sorrow, mourn, thoughts of darkness, depression and a few other may come to mind. Ronald W. Pies takes a deeper look into the melancholia all the way back to the Avicenna in 980 CE creating a timeline up until now. Avicenna was one to be described as an "unhappy soul... lazy and sluggish about all manner of work..." (J. Cassian) and other unpleasant phrases of this nature. Melancholia has evolved before modern day medicine and research has said for it to be. Even before extensive research was compiled, delusions, hallucinations, and psychotic states pertaining to mania had been found to be evident in those suffering from melancholia. With keeping this in mind, somehow the off branch of psychotic tendencies has been shadowed in the years of today. A "mixed states" was named prior as the ...

 In the midst of all happenings in the time of war where waves crash second after second, the sky rubles left and right without a single break of silence, and the gleam of light is slim to none, a spur of emotion in the idea of love slowly finds its way into two hearts. This story goes into detail concerning the constant battle between the Trojans and the Tyrians of which one act may allow a break of peace between these two groups in the city. Dido and Aeneas are suddenly locking eyes and becoming close more than other characters seem to believe, but all occurring in secret. Juno, sees this and finds the opportunity for peace all are desiring. Although, Aeneas is not persistent with Dido due to caution since she had once lost her husband and wishes to never feel such grief in another time of her life. I find it interesting that in such chaos as war, there are still moments of bliss and love. Although they come and go as much negativity surrounds and overwhelms, I have to question w...

The history of melancholy has come a long way of which has also advanced in many aspects. For one, the thought of melancholy and the reasoning of why some experience it comes from a wide range. Overall, the melancholy closely relates and carries along with psychology. More importantly, the emotional aspect of the brain is where melancholy can originate from. Zimmerman explains melancholy as "making sense of the alleged relationship between the torments of Love, Grief, and Fear and the vitiation of pneuma and other vital fluids in the body". If this is kept in mind, the mind and the body are both effected by melancholy of which symptoms and reasonings are both contributing. Later in the article, Zimmerman touched on the idea of melancholy and relationship conceptions. One notable story involves Narcissus and Echo. To begin, Narcissus is born with no success of love through a few years f life as a young boy. In later upcoming years, Echo comes along and recognizes him for what ...

 In the beginning of the discovery to melancholy, not much was known. But of course, we all have to start somewhere. Conspicuously enough, melancholy started as a simple word that held negative meaning. Throughout it's course of discovery, the definition was reshaped, tweaked, and allowed different perspectives from people in civilizations. I thought it was very interesting to compare a snail to a patient suffering from melancholy in the PubMed Central article. A notable researcher, Burton, later explains that the melancholic patients may have symptoms (alluding to the idea of being a diagnosable illness) that could be a never-ending cycle dragging itself on. Of course, medical advances for treatments have not been discovered nor thought through in their entirety during this time but it was still head tilting. Pinel, another notable researcher, had mentioned a heightened ideology of the never-ending cycle too. Additionally, the definition evolved while also suffering with ups and d...