Eowyn Ivey's 'The Snow Child'. An Example of Melancholy in Modern Literature

Studienarbeit aus dem Jahr 2014 im Fachbereich Anglistik - Literatur, Note: 1,0, Technische Universität Darmstadt (Institut für Sprach- und Literaturwissenschaften), Veranstaltung: Melancholy, Sprache: Deutsch, Abstract: In a review for the Washington Post, Ron Charles describes Eowyn Ivey's first novel 'The Snow Child' as 'a captivating mix of melancholy and whimsy' (Charles), but what exactly qualifies it as a representative of melancholic literature? To answer this question I will start by looking at what melancholy has been defined as throughout the centuries, which means looking at the different theories of its causes, the symptoms and also, possible cures. After having done so, I will examine Ivey's text in close comparison to these results and identify the commonalities along with the differences. In the process, I will go into detail by analyzing the different characters of the novel and their individual state of mind, as well as the symbolism of the text in order to clarify how 'The Snow Child' as a whole can be seen as a prime example of modern melancholy in literature.