The Anatomy Of Melancholy: Episode 29


This version is captioned, a non-captioned version can be found here.

Classics are coming think and fast now. Yesterday’s episode was my favourite episode yesterday, today’s episode may well be my favourite today.

What can you do to cure someone of the misery of a loved one dying? It seems impossible and yet Burton tries. He appeals to logic, that sleep is peaceful and death is a continual sleep, so why should we be afraid of that. In a beautiful passage about the inevitability of death he describes how great cities have a limited span before being ‘involved in perpetual night’. He tries the religious consolation of a happy second meeting before setting out the consolation of a happy release. Finally, in a heartbreakingly touching passage he takes us through a consolation for a mother who has lost a child. It is sad and yet glorious stuff.

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