F241. Melancholy and the Literary Uses of Sadness

Room 200 B&C, Level 2
Friday, April 10, 2015
3:00 pm to 4:15 pm

 

There is nothing wrong, philosophically speaking, with happiness—it’s just not interesting. That it should in fact be insipid—or so our favorite books suggest—is partly the work of melancholy, the art of sadness. Melancholia has enjoyed a distinguished history from Albrecht Durer to W.G. Sebald. It has long been the artistic malaise of choice, embraced by darkly dressed brooding men and women. How writers use melancholy to transfigure their restlessness and sorrow is the subject of this panel.


Participants

Moderator:

Alyce Miller is the author of three books of fiction and a forthcoming book of nonfiction. More than 200 essays, short stories, articles, and poems have appeared in print. She is professor of English and creative writing at Indiana University-Bloomington. She is also a pro bono attorney.

Jeff Porter is the author of Oppenheimer Is Watching Me and Understanding the Essay (with Patricia Foster). His essays have appeared in Antioch Review, Isotope, Northwest Review, Shenandoah, Missouri Review, Hotel Amerika, Wilson Quarterly, Seneca Review, Blackbird, and other journals.

David Lazar's books include Occasional Desire, The Body of Brooklyn, Truth in Nonfiction, and Powder Town. Who's Afraid of Helen of Troy and After Montaigne are forthcoming. Five essays were "Notable Essays of the Year" in Best American Essays. He is founding editor of Hotel Amerika and a professor at Columbia College Chicago.

Bernard Cooper’s most recent book is The Bill From My Father. He is also the author of Maps To Anywhere, A Year of Rhymes, Truth Serum, and a collection of short stories, Guess Again.

Catherine Taylor is the author of Apart, a mixed-genre memoir and political history of South Africa, and of Giving Birth: A Journey Into the World of Mothers and Midwives. A founding editor of Essay Press, she received her PhD from Duke University, and she teaches at Ithaca College. 

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February 7–10, 2024
Kansas City, Missouri

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