After the End

In considering the relationship between time and melancholy, this chapter offers a fascinating account of the temporal constitution of melancholia across a diverse variety of works, including by Albrecht Du?rer, Anselm Kiefer, and Hans Op de Beeck. Arguing for a positive understanding of the melancholic as a figure outside of time, it shows how the particular intensity of melancholia hinges on its capacity to bridge finitude and infinitude, with specific reference to motifs of suspension. The argument draws upon writings by Walter Benjamin, Jacques Derrida, and Georgio Agamben, providing key insights into melancholia as a form of radical temporal ambivalence.