Possessed

In Possessed, Rebecca R. Falkoff explores how hoarding, once viewed through an economic lens, came to be classified as a mental illness, emphasizing the significance of the hoard as an aesthetic object shaped by differing perceptions of value. Drawing on literary and visual texts, she examines the cultural and material aspects of hoarding across modern history, illustrating how the figure of the hoarder reflects broader societal conditions. The book offers a thought-provoking analysis of the materialities of modernity and the evolving understanding of possessions.