Loneliness as a Way of Life by Thomas Dumm

Product Details

Synopsis

“What does it mean to be lonely?” Thomas Dumm asks. His inquiry, documented in this book, takes us beyond social circumstances and into the deeper forces that shape our very existence as modern individuals. The modern individual, Dumm suggests, is fundamentally a lonely self. Through reflections on philosophy, political theory, literature, and tragic drama, he proceeds to illuminate a hidden dimension of the human condition. His book shows how loneliness shapes the contemporary division between public and private, our inability to live with each other honestly and in comity, the estranged forms that our intimate relationships assume, and the weakness of our common bonds.

A reading of the relationship between Cordelia and her father in Shakespeare’s King Lear points to the most basic dynamic of modern loneliness—how it is a response to the problem of the “missing mother.” Dumm goes on to explore the most important dimensions of lonely experience—Being, Having, Loving, and Grieving. As the book unfolds, he juxtaposes new interpretations of iconic cultural texts—Moby-Dick, Death of a Salesman, the film Paris, Texas, Emerson’s “Experience,” to name a few—with his own experiences of loneliness, as a son, as a father, and as a grieving husband and widower.

Written with deceptive simplicity, Loneliness as a Way of Life is something rare—an intellectual study that is passionately personal. It challenges us, not to overcome our loneliness, but to learn how to re-inhabit it in a better way. To fail to do so, this book reveals, will only intensify thepower that it holds over us.

Scott Duimstra - Library Journal

Dumm (political science, Amherst Coll.; A Politics of the Ordinary) sets out to examine the emotional state of loneliness and its relationship to the modern world. He explains that the topic of loneliness cannot be studied by using solely analytic tools because of its "isolating qualities." This barrier forces Dumm to take a unique approach in examining the relationship between our everyday existence and loneliness. He uses the works of past writers and philosophers such as Shakespeare, Thoreau, and Foucault, along with personal reflections on his feelings after the death of his wife, to explain the multifaceted nature of loneliness. Dumm concludes that loneliness isn't something that we overcome, but it is part of our psychological, political, and social lives. We all share these common areas of loneliness, and only through reflecting on them can we gain a better understanding of how to live with our loneliness. Dumm's straightforward writing style and ability to combine scholarly analysis with personal reflections will make his book appealing to both scholars and general readers. Highly recommended for public and academic libraries.

Biography

Thomas Dumm is Professor of Political Science at Amherst College. His most recent book is A Politics of the Ordinary.