Description

A dazzling history of a dangerous emotion, by acclaimed historian Agnes Arnold-Forster.

‘Absorbing’ – The Guardian
‘Illuminating’ – Vogue
‘Fascinating’ – Pandora Sykes
‘Juicy’ – nb.

In Nostalgia, historian Agnes Arnold-Forster blends neuroscience and psychology with the history of medicine and emotions to explore the evolution of nostalgia from seventeenth-century Switzerland (when it was held to be an illness that could, quite literally, kill you) to the present day (when it is co-opted by advertising agencies and politicians alike to sell us goods and policies).

It is a fascinating, compelling story of a social and political emotion, vulnerable to misuse, and one that reflects the anxieties of the age. It is also a clear-eyed analysis of what we are doing now, how we feel about it and what we might want to change about the world we live in.

‘Beautifully compact, wide-ranging and enjoyable’ – TLS

Publisher Review

This absorbing exploration of nostalgia raises questions about its slippery nature, and shows how it has been chillingly deployed in politics, from the cold war to Trumpism * Guardian * Arnold-Forster is a shrewd critic and delightful guide. Her prose is fluent but not flashy . . . She carries weighty learning lightly – embracing everything relevant, from dubious neuroscience to cod sociology.’ * The Telegraph * Beautifully compact, wide-ranging and enjoyable * TLS * Illuminating * Vogue * With its juicy readability and historical wanderings, Nostalgia evidences the flaws of memory, and how it cherry picks the pleasant elements of the ‘good old days’ * nb. *