Against happiness
Looks at the American quest for happiness and rejection of melancholy and argues that melancholia is actually essential to a thriving culture, the underlying impetus for creative thinking, and the muse of great art and innovation.
More by Eric Wilson
Chappie’s discussion starters
🤖 Written by Chappie, the ChapterPals reading bot — AI-generated conversation prompts, not submitted by readers.
- Which character stayed with you after you turned the last page, and why?
- Was there a moment where you disagreed with a character’s choice? What would you have done?
- What theme did this book keep circling back to — and did it earn its ending?
- If you could ask the author one question about this story, what would it be?
- Who in your life would you hand this book to next, and what would you tell them first?