Burton earned a new generation of enthusiasts in the 20th and 21st centuries. As journalist Nick Lezard observed in 2000, though not often reprinted, "Robert Burton's Anatomy of Melancholy survives among the cognoscenti". Samuel Beckett drew influence from Burton's Anatomy, both in the misogynistic depiction of women in his early fiction, and the Latin quotations (via Burton) found throughout in his work. The eminent literary critic Northrop Frye was an admirer of the Anatomy; he characterized it as "an enormous survey of human life" which "ranks with Chaucer and Dickens, except the characters are books rather than people". Psychiatrist and historian of ideas Jacques Barzun held up Burton as "the first systematic psychiatrist", praising him for the collection of "widely scattered case histories" of melancholia for his Anatomy, and treating the mentally ill with a "tender sympathy" uncharacteristic of subsequent psychiatrists. American writer Alexander Theroux has named Burton as one of his influences, and sometimes imitates his style.See Burton entry in the index to Steven Moore, Alexander Theroux: A Fan's Notes (Zerogram Press, 2020). English novelist Philip Pullman praised the work in a 2005 article for The Telegraph as a "glorious and intoxicating and endlessly refreshing reward for reading". For Pullman, it is "one of the indispensable books; for my money, it is the best of all." Australian singer/songwriter Nick Cave listed Burton's Anatomy as one of his favourite books.
Burton earned a new generation of enthusiasts in the 20th and 21st centuries As journalist Nick Lezard observed in 2000 though not often reprinted "Robert Burton's Anatomy of Melancholy survives among the cognoscenti" Samuel Beckett drew influence from Burton's Anatomy both in the misogynistic depiction of women in his early fiction and the Latin quotations (via Burton) found throughout in his work The eminent literary critic Northrop Frye was an admirer of the Anatomy; he characterized it as "an enormous survey of human life" which "ranks with Chaucer and Dickens except the characters are books rather than people" Psychiatrist and historian of ideas Jacques Barzun held up Burton as "the first systematic psychiatrist" praising him for the collection of "widely scattered case histories" of melancholia for his Anatomy and treating the mentally ill with a "tender sympathy" uncharacteristic of subsequent psychiatrists American writer Alexander Theroux has named Burton as one of his influences and sometimes imitates his styleSee Burton entry in the index to Steven Moore Alexander Theroux A Fan's Notes (Zerogram Press 2020) English novelist Philip Pullman praised the work in a 2005 article for The Telegraph as a "glorious and intoxicating and endlessly refreshing reward for reading" For Pullman it is "one of the indispensable books; for my money it is the best of all" Australian singer/songwriter Nick Cave listed Burton's Anatomy as one of his favourite books