Aging Well: A Literary History on Aging and Ageism

Recorded: Wednesday, November 29, 2023

Dr. Michael Nevins joins us for a literary review about how writers through the ages have viewed the process of aging and its consequences — for better or for worse.

“Wisdom belongs to the aged, and understanding to the old.” -Job 12:12
“If there were no old men, there would be no civilized states at all.” -Cicero, On Old Age
“Warm baths, good food, soft sleep, and generous wine. These are the rights of age, and should be thine.” -Homer, The Odyssey
“Grow old along with me! The best is yet to be.” -Robert Browning, Rabbi Ben Ezra
“It ain't over ’til it’s over.” -Yogi Berra

Everyone seems to have an opinion about old age and suggestions abound about how to maintain cognitive and physical health — in effect, how to age well. In this discussion, we will be reviewing the literary history of aging through the years.