Falling in and out of place: The Errant status of Solitude in Early Modern Europe

Besides attempting a fresh look at famous debates on philosophical solitude seen through the lens of cultural labelling strategies, the tradition of retirement poetry, and the travel-inspired writings of two minor Enlightenment figures, this chapter offers some reflections on the ambivalence with which early modern European intellectuals conceptualized and experienced solitude: as an empty vacuum on the verge of a divine filling; as a pathology; as a stage of civilization; as temporary respite from the cares of life; or as the prelude to penetrating social critique. In so doing, solitude was something that they at once yearned for and suffered from, prescribed and condemned, celebrated and feared.