ESP Biography

There is something intrinsically beautiful about sadness. Sadness, in a sense that isn’t synonymous with tragedy or despair, but with a mutual appreciation for the fact that we, as humans, are woven together by imperfection and an incessant yearning for greater meaning. This course aims to instill a profound appreciation for the complexity of human sadness through the works of classical and modern literary texts and introspection. We will look closely at a broad range of works from the poetry of Edgar Allan Poe, William Blake, Sylvia Plath and Emily Dickinson to the plays of Chekhov and Shakespeare. Throughout the course, we will delve deeper into the minds of both the creators and the creations to better understand the root of their sadness and how they morphed this abstract emotion into masterpieces of tremendous emotive, aesthetic and intellectual value. Students who have enrolled in Appreciating Sadness: Aesthetic Perspectives are encouraged to enroll in this course as well, although it is not a prerequisite in any way.

There is something intrinsically beautiful about sadness. Sadness, in a sense that isn’t synonymous with tragedy or despair, but with a mutual appreciation for the fact that we, as humans, are woven together by imperfection and an incessant yearning for greater meaning. This course aims to instill a profound appreciation for the complexity of human sadness through the works of classical and modern art and introspection. We will look closely at a broad range of works from the art of Van Gogh, Leyden, Munch, Legrenée and Picasso to the music of Shostakovich, Verdi, Schubert and modern artists such as Edith Piaf, Lana del Rey and Aurora. We will also examine the film adaptation of Chekov's The Seagull. Throughout the course, we will delve deeper into the minds of both the creators and the creations to better understand the root of their sadness and how they morphed this abstract emotion into masterpieces of tremendous emotive, aesthetic and intellectual value. Students who have enrolled in Appreciating Sadness: Literary Perspectives are encouraged to enroll in this course as well, although it is not a prerequisite in any way.