A review by anna_whitehead11
Solitude by Anthony Storr

informative medium-paced

3.5

This was a surprisingly quick and accessible read, much more of a modern self-help book sort of tone as opposed to an academic text. The references to key philosophers and classical thought are all provided in context and illuminate the main arguments of the chapters, which are also helpfully relatively short.

Each chapter examines a different aspect of the notion of ‘solitude’, covering quite a lot of material in the space of a short book, from the healing need of solitude after a bereavement (each person had individual relationships with the deceased), to the psychological distress caused by enforced solitude (as used as torture methods by oppressive regimes), and the importance of solitude especially for the creative mind.

I found it helpful to be reminded of, or indeed learn about, the periods of solitude many well-known artists, composers, and other such historical figures underwent, and how these might have influenced both their mind, creativity, and spirituality. Storr returns to the idea of ‘reculer pour mieux sauter’ (to draw back in order to make a better jump) throughout the book, e.g. 

St Catherine of Siena spent three years in seclusion in her little room in the Via Benincasa during which she underwent a series of mystical experiences before entering upon an active life of teaching and preaching. 

Storr highlights the importance of one’s capacity to be alone, and writes that it is critical that each person learns to develop their own interests and creative imagination, and sense of the coherence of one’s own life, which are not dependent on their relationships. Storr also makes an interesting point about life in monasteries (similar to those of academics in Oxbridge colleges) - places which succeed in fostering the intellect of the individual but in a communal setting, with impressive outcomes. 

One of the key arguments Storr explores is the idea that modern society has placed an overemphasis on the importance of personal relationships. As basic needs such as the need to find and sustain adequate housing, employment, and food, are more easily fulfilled, society has therefore turned more attention and placed greater value on our relationships with each other. As a result of this shift in mindset, those who do not form strong social connections and prefer to withdraw are often seen in a negative light, and there is perhaps an unnecessary added stress or pressure one feels when unable to thrive in such highly social environments, or when relationships inevitably falter or fail - as our modern sense of meaning has become conflated with the success of our personal relationships.

When from our better selves we have too long / Been parted by the hurrying world, and droop, / Sick of its business, of its pleasures tired, / How gracious, how benign, is Solitude. William Wordsworth