fascination with fallen civilisations: tintern abbey, Ozymandias, Manfred etc etc
melancholy is an embodied mind; a literalisation of a haunted mind
The phenomenon of melancholic reflection (a state of contemplation - associated with Kantian aestheticism); melancholy can be interpreted as an aesthetic emotion - a way to appreciate the beauty of the world
melancholy creates a sense of internal and external infinitude (both in the world and within the body); melancholic solitude becomes a greater understanding of infinitude and Beauty
melancholy can become a determinant of knowledge; in this state of mind, the individual is distanced from the world.
Solitude both causes and effects melancholy → the melancholic individual will seek solitude to indulge in the melancholy, prolong its mood; melancholy is not a purging, rather a delighting in fleeting pleasure.
solitude allows us to contemplate our own mortality; it is only when we are alone that we truly understand how small we are in relation to the universe
Nature provides the solitude that serves as a backdrop for our mood
