It has recently come to my understanding that Elliott was heavily inspired by Danish existentialist Soren Kierkegaard. Upon hearing this, I was reminded of this excerpt from the aesthetic 'Either' portion of Kierkegaard's famous Either/Or:
"Besides my other numerous circle of aquaintances I have one more intimate confidant -- my melancholy. In the midst of my joy, in the midst of my work, he waves to me, calls me to one side, even though I physically stay put. My melancholy is the most faithful mistress I have known; what wonder, then, that I love her in return."
When coupled with that aphorism I view Elliott's Miss Misery as an attempt to find some form of consistency in one's life, even if it's rooted in depression. The end result sparks both regret and gratitude, and all attempts to break the relationship apart end in complete failure due to the reliance one has built for oneself on the paradoxical mode of living.
It has recently come to my understanding that Elliott was heavily inspired by Danish existentialist Soren Kierkegaard. Upon hearing this, I was reminded of this excerpt from the aesthetic 'Either' portion of Kierkegaard's famous Either/Or:
"Besides my other numerous circle of aquaintances I have one more intimate confidant -- my melancholy. In the midst of my joy, in the midst of my work, he waves to me, calls me to one side, even though I physically stay put. My melancholy is the most faithful mistress I have known; what wonder, then, that I love her in return."
When coupled with that aphorism I view Elliott's Miss Misery as an attempt to find some form of consistency in one's life, even if it's rooted in depression. The end result sparks both regret and gratitude, and all attempts to break the relationship apart end in complete failure due to the reliance one has built for oneself on the paradoxical mode of living.