Writing Early Modern Loneliness (2024)

This interdisciplinary collection of ten essays is the first to redefine historical conceptions of "loneliness" in the Western world by exploring its manifestation in early modern textual sources. Contrary to current scholarly consensus that loneliness in Britain was understood as an emotion from the late eighteenth century, only beginning to emerge in its literary form in the writings of the Romantic poets, the contributors in this volume argue that early modern people were capable of complex and conflicting feelings of social and emotional isolation which were expressed in a wide range of writings. Moreover, these products of loneliness continue to resonate poignantly with humanity today.