Melancholy, or melancholia, was the term for a condition profoundly influencing one’s mood, one’s state of mind, and even, on a fundamental level, one’s character or temperament. On the one hand, melancholy was regarded as a medical condition, something that, given the right therapy, might respond to treatment. On the other hand, it also became hugely fashionable. During the sixteenth and seventeenth century, there was what can be described as a cult of melancholy. Young men in particular began to wear distinctive black outfits and cultivated the kind of body language associated with melancholy. Melancholy was seen as something that could provide a powerful creative impulse – texts, music and works of art dealing with dark, brooding thoughts became popular.
This course will give you an opportunity to learn and think about melancholy, and in particular the fashion for melancholy. We will look at what dark thoughts can do, and how people actually came to enjoy them. We will also look into the later history of the concept, some forms of which have survived into our own time.
There will be a Moodle room in which a variety of texts, images and music will be made available. You will receive the Moodle room password via e-mail (to your official university e-mail address).
Just in case your application is rejected by the LSF system: If you want to do this course because you are genuinely interested, you will be most welcome, no matter what LSF says. Please get in touch with claudia.hausmann@uni-due.de who will enrol you manually. The worst that might happen to you is that you cannot do a Leistungsnachweis if you lack the formal requirements.
- Lehrende(r): Christoph Heyl