Thursday, April 2, 4:30-4:45, Old Hort 255
THE MELANCHOLY OF WAR: AN INNER LIFE OF CATASTROPHE
A talk by Dr. Thomas Dodman (Boston College)
In the eighteen and early nineteenth century, people could die of nostalgia. This term designated a severe psychological breakdown, similar to what we call posttraumatic stress disorder. Physicians of the Napoleonic Era were the first to try and grasp the devastating effects of warfare on the human psyche. Dr. Dodman’s talk explores the inner life of catastrophic violence among soldiers in the Napoleonic armies. The talk draws on his forthcoming book about the history of fatal nostalgia.
