John Phipps

Why is Robert Burton’s masterpiece Anatomy of Melancholy being sold as self-help?

This Radio 4 series is a frustrating reminder of how cultural broadcasting, which aims to be both stimulating and informative, often ends up being neither

Detail from the frontispiece of Robert Burton's 'The Anatomy of Melancholy', initially published in 1621. Image: Universal History Archive / Universal Images Group / Getty Images 
issue 27 June 2020

The BBC has been having a good pandemic. Stuck at home, a generation raised on podcasts and YouTube has discovered the comfort of a radio that babbles quietly in the corner. The concerts from the empty Wigmore Hall, streamed live on YouTube once a day, have been the first classical concerts of my life that could honestly be described as cultural events.

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