Nostalgia: A History of a Dangerous Emotion

By Agnes Arnold-Forster

Book Overview

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

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 152909139X
• ISBN13: 9781529091397
• Release Date: June 2025
• Publisher: Picador UK
• Length: 288 Pages
• Weight: 0.47 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 5.3" x 7.8"
• Age Range: 18 years and up