Winter Dreams - by Barbara H Rosenwein (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

A life-affirming exploration of the rich emotional lives of the elderly across thousands of years of human history.

Winter Dreams is an evocative history of the ways the old have thought, felt, and expressed themselves over two millennia, tracking the experience of aging through artistic, literary, and historical records. While old age is often depicted as "sans teeth, sans eyes, sans everything," Barbara H. Rosenwein shows that the elderly have always retained their emotional depth and desires. She explores how these have changed over time, as societies' views of the elderly and a "good" old age have changed. Through careful critique of these texts, she allows the elderly, so often absent from the historical record, to speak to us.

We live in a rapidly aging society, yet ageism is rampant and death and dying are taboo subjects. Rosenwein's book is a finely wrought testimony to the value of aging and the richness of our "winter dreams."

Review Quotes

"A book on winter dreams, but for readers of all seasons, who will find here an awesome panorama with an underlying message that is finally positive and hopeful, but not in any naïve sense. Rosenwein does not dissimulate how individuals, groups, communities, and whole societies struggle with aging and old age, but she also highlights the manifold answers given to what should not only be seen as a cruel and finally unbearable issue."-- "Leonardo"

"A deep dive into the feelings humanity has held towards older adults over the last two millennia--as seen through a literary lens. Rosenwein explores ancient texts--plays, poems, philosophical essays, and infamous epics--dissecting the attitudes various cultures (primarily western cultures) have had surrounding aging. . . . Rosenwein is a pioneering historian whose books explore the many ways in which human groups have experienced, valued, and expressed emotions over time. Winter Dreams: A Historical Guide to Old Age is an interesting and educational glimpse into a typically overlooked group."-- "Third Coast Review"

"Four stars. . . . In Winter Dreams [Rosenwein] hurtles through two millennia to chronicle how society feels about the aged--and how they feel about themselves. . . . Winter Dreams is a satisfying meal of a book and I learnt a great deal."-- "Daily Telegraph"

"This is a great idea for a book: an exploration of how people and thought and felt about old age across two thousand years of recorded history. It's a rich and profound subject, and Rosenwein--a historian of emotions--surely has a vast range of material to call upon across both literary and historical records and writings."--Mathew Lyons "The Broken Compass"

"There is great comfort to be had in knowing that our dreams of old age bear the history of our ancestor's dreams as well as the new possibilities of the modern age. Rosenwein's brilliant survey teaches us that we are not alone in how we might imagine life in its closing chapters."--Thomas Laqueur

"An extraordinarily rich book for historians and all those interested in understanding the dreams (and nightmares) of old age."--Javier Moscoso, author of "The Arc of Feeling"

"This book draws upon an impressive range of sources to show that, contrary to a common belief, people have grown old in every known society and, challenging the stereotype of old age uniformity, that their lives have always been highly diverse. A valuable deepening of our knowledge of an important, fast-growing demographic group."--Pat Thane, Birkbeck College London

About the Author

Barbara H. Rosenwein is a pioneering historian whose books explore the many ways in which different groups have experienced, valued, and expressed emotions over time. She is professor emerita at Loyola University Chicago.