The Anatomy of Melancholy Volume 2


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The Anatomy of Melancholy is a book by Robert Burton, first published in 1621. On its surface, the book is a medical textbook in which Burton applies his large and varied learning in the scholastic manner to the subject of melancholia (which includes what is now termed clinical depression).

Though presented as a medical text, The Anatomy of Melancholy is as much a sui generis work of literature as it is a scientific or philosophical text, and Burton addresses far more than his stated subject. In fact, the Anatomy uses melancholy as the lens through which all human emotion and thought may be scrutinized, and virtually the entire contents of a 17th-century library are marshalled into service of this goal.

Burton is forthright about his intentions in writing the Anatomy — "I write of melancholy by being busy to avoid melancholy," he concedes. This acknowledged desire to distract and amuse himself motivated Burton to produce a wide-ranging document, containing digressions and commentary. Whatever its strengths as a medical text or as a historical document, it is the Anatomy's vast breadth — addressing topics such as digestion, goblins, the geography of America, and others — and the particularly characteristic voice of its author that are most commonly cited by its admirers as the main sources of its appeal. Both satirical and serious in tone, the Anatomy is "vitalized by (Burton's) pervading humour", and Burton's digressive and inclusive style, often verging on a stream of consciousness, consistently informs and animates the text. (Summary from Wikipedia) (0 hr 57 min)

Chapters

01 - Partition 2, Section 1, Member 1 11:26 Read by MorganScorpion
02 - Partition 2, Section 1, Member 2 8:53 Read by Kristine Bekere
03 - Partition 2, Section 1, Member 3 10:45 Read by MorganScorpion
04 - Partition 2, Section 1, Member 4 20:36 Read by Anna Simon
05 - Partition 2, Section 2, Member 1 23:35 Read by Anna Simon
06 - Partition 2, Section 2, Member 2 14:27 Read by Anna Simon
07 - Partition 2, Section 2, Member 3, Part 1 27:18 Read by hefyd
08 - Partition 2, Section 2, Member 3, Part 2 24:17 Read by hefyd
09 - Partition 2, Section 2, Member 3, Part 3 24:43 Read by hefyd
10 - Partition 2, Section 2, Member 3, Part 4 16:04 Read by hefyd
11 - Partition 2, Section 2, Member 3, Part 5 19:54 Read by hefyd
12 - Partition 2, Section 2, Member 4, Part 1 29:08 Read by hefyd
13 - Partition 2, Section 2, Member 4, Part 2 25:55 Read by hefyd
14 - Partition 2, Section 2, Member 4, Part 3 40:29 Read by hefyd
15 - Partition 2, Section 2, Member 5 9:23 Read by MorganScorpion
16 - Partition 2, Section 2, Member 6, Subsection 1 21:45 Read by MorganScorpion
17 - Partition 2, Section 2, Member 6, Subsections 2-3 31:12 Read by MorganScorpion
18 - Partition 2, Section 2, Member 6, Subsection 4 21:14 Read by MorganScorpion
19 - Partition 2, Section 3, Member 1 22:23 Read by MorganScorpion
20 - Partition 2, Section 3, Member 2, Part 1 10:58 Read by hefyd
21 - Partition 2, Section 3, Member 2, Part 2 27:25 Read by hefyd
22 - Partition 2, Section 3, Member 3, Part 1 36:33 Read by MorganScorpion
23 - Partition 2, Section 3, Member 3, Part 2 28:33 Read by MorganScorpion
24 - Partition 2, Section 3, Member 3, Part 3 17:41 Read by MorganScorpion
25 - Partition 2, Section 3, Member 4 9:06 Read by MorganScorpion
26 - Partition 2, Section 3 , Member 5 28:43 Read by MorganScorpion
27 - Partition 2, Section 3 , Member 6 9:41 Read by MorganScorpion
28 - Partition 2, Section 3 , Member 7 46:52 Read by MorganScorpion
29 - Partition 2, Section 3 , Member 8 6:21 Read by Kristine Bekere
30 - Partition 2, Section 4 , Member 1, Subsection 1 14:19 Read by laurencetrask
31 - Partition 2, Section 4 , Member 1, Subsections 2 & 3 17:16 Read by MorganScorpion
32 - Partition 2, Section 4, Member 1, Subsections 4 & 5 23:19 Read by MorganScorpion
33 - Partition 2, Section 4, Member 2 26:01 Read by MorganScorpion
34 - Partition 2, Section 4, Member 3 3:22 Read by Anna Simon
35 - Partition 2, Section 5, Member 1, Subsections 1 to 4 20:35 Read by Sean Michael Hogan
36 - Partition 2, Section 5, Member 1, Subsection 5 19:57 Read by Sean Michael Hogan
37 - Partition 2, Section 5, Member 1, Subsection 6 9:47 Read by Sean Michael Hogan
38 - Partition 2, Section 5, Member 2 2:56 Read by Sean Michael Hogan
39 - Partition 2, Section 5, Member 3 14:52 Read by Sean Michael Hogan