About
Robert Burton was an English scholar and clergyman, best known for his monumental work *The Anatomy of Melancholy* (1621), published under the pseudonym Democritus Junior. Born in Leicestershire, he studied at Oxford, where he became a life fellow of Christ Church. He served as vicar in Oxford and as librarian of Christ Church. His magnum opus, encyclopedic in scope, explores melancholy from all angles, citing hundreds of authors. He also wrote a Latin comedy, *Philosophaster*. His personal library of about 1,700 volumes was bequeathed to the Bodleian Library and Christ Church.
* 1577-02-08 — † 1640-01-25
Major works
- The Anatomy of Melancholy (1621)treatise
- Philosophaster (1606)comedy
Key milestones
- 1599Elected life fellow of Christ Church, Oxford.
- 1616Appointed vicar of St Thomas the Martyr's Church, Oxford.
- 1624Appointed librarian of Christ Church Library.
Themes
MelancholyScholarshipSatireTheologyAncient knowledge
Sources: britannica.com · chch.ox.ac.uk · id.loc.gov