At the last Rose Cafe, GRF Sara Schlemm took the time to explain to me and the rest of the scholars about her work with studying the use of melancholy in literature and film. I had always thought that melancholy and sadness were somehow interchangeable, but after some discussion, we clarified that while “sadness” is more of a fleeting feeling of how you are in a particular moment, “melancholy” is more of a numbness and persisting feeling of despair. I found it fascinating that there was a perceived difference between the two, even so that people who have had melancholy in the past were often misdiagnosed as depressed, bipolar, or schizophrenic.

Sara referred to melancholy as “the black spleen,” refering back to the four humors of personality. The four humors often align themselves with a particular season; in melancholy’s case, it’s autumn. The experience of being melancholy is compared to autumn because of the cold and dry period, which can also explain why mostly people in their alte middle age are rumored to be more melancholy. Melancholy can also refer to the stereotype of the “tortured artistic genius.” This is often seen in literature and history as as well, if an artist is experiencing some form of melancholy, their art will become so much better becuase of the emotion they are pouring into their work.

One of the most interesting examples Sara showed us of melancholy on film was during Act I scene ii of Hamlet, as Hamlet is lamenting his father’s death and his family’s reaction is near nonexistent. Because his mother remarried his uncle so soon, no one took the time to mourn his father after he died, leaving Hamlet in a melancholy state.

My favorite part of the conversation we all had about melancholy was the addressing of how each person can deal with melancholy in their own unique way. Some people experiene melancholy for longer or for shorter periods of time, and while some can become the tortured artistic type, there can be others who have no motivation at all while they’re melancholy. If anything I learned from this talk, it’s that in its own strange way, melancholy in itself can be beautiful.