I might be an exception to the rule here, in fairness. I really nerd out about where words have come from, and I've read or listened to maybe 10 books on the origins of language (or various specific languages).
Perhaps that might be an exception in general. In the subset of people who read these essays, however, that exception is probably overrepresented. More than one person has told me something similar, so hearing it again is useful. I will certainly write more about it in the future.
I think the the degree of “algia” in nostalgia is a function of distance — geographical, chronological, historical. For emigres & exiles, probably most famously Nabokov, the impossibility of return to place is central but even if he could have gotten to St. Petersburg, say, the pre-1917 world he was born in was gone.
But time itself can do some of that too. I’m approaching 60 & working on a memoir, so I’m brought up short sometimes when I’m writing about my childhood. Not because of my toys or tv shows or whatever, but by the aunts & uncles, friends & neighbors who are gone now, & so are many of the places they lived & worked too. It can produce a very weird sensation, as if I’m looking at a vanished civilization.
The 'world he was born in was gone' and, for your own experience, looking at 'a vanished civilization' are very good points. Thank you for the comment, KA.
For what it's worth, etymology lessons are always appreciated.
Thank you, Andrew. In general, I try to connect any etymology points to essays, but that's very good to know.
I might be an exception to the rule here, in fairness. I really nerd out about where words have come from, and I've read or listened to maybe 10 books on the origins of language (or various specific languages).
Perhaps that might be an exception in general. In the subset of people who read these essays, however, that exception is probably overrepresented. More than one person has told me something similar, so hearing it again is useful. I will certainly write more about it in the future.
I think the the degree of “algia” in nostalgia is a function of distance — geographical, chronological, historical. For emigres & exiles, probably most famously Nabokov, the impossibility of return to place is central but even if he could have gotten to St. Petersburg, say, the pre-1917 world he was born in was gone.
But time itself can do some of that too. I’m approaching 60 & working on a memoir, so I’m brought up short sometimes when I’m writing about my childhood. Not because of my toys or tv shows or whatever, but by the aunts & uncles, friends & neighbors who are gone now, & so are many of the places they lived & worked too. It can produce a very weird sensation, as if I’m looking at a vanished civilization.
The 'world he was born in was gone' and, for your own experience, looking at 'a vanished civilization' are very good points. Thank you for the comment, KA.