Against Happiness: In Praise of Melancholy is a nonfiction book by Eric G. Wilson that examines the benefits of being sad.^[1] The author denotes in the book that diagnosable conditions should be treated accordingly, and is in no way saying it is "normal" or "good" to be depressed. Rather, he seeks to point out that melancholy, or as he dubs it "generative melancholy" can be a powerfully creative force that has motivated the likes of Virginia Woolf, John Keats, Vincent van Gogh, and Ludwig van Beethoven to produce some of the greatest artistic masterpieces of their respective genres. Further, he expresses concern that America's aggressive diagnosis of any negative mood, however slight, as bad, abnormal, or dangerous will lead to an eradication of one of the most powerfully inspirational and motivational forces and its potential products.

Against Happiness: In Praise of Melancholy

Author	Eric G. Wilson
Country	United States
Language	English
Subject	Pro-melancholy
Publisher	Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Publication date	January 22, 2008
Media type	Hardback
Pages	176
ISBN	978-0-374-24066-0
OCLC	156818826
Dewey Decimal	152.4 22
LC Class	BF575.M44 W55 2008