this heart, it beats, beats for only you

Foster - How to Read Literature Like a Professor (Ch23-24)

"In literature there is no better, no more lyrical, no more perfectly metaphorical illness than heart disease." (pg: 208)

This statement rings true today, so I see no reason why it wouldn't have many years ago. Today, there are so many ballads on the radio or in the music scene dealing with heart disease, or heart break. A disease of the heart could mean many things, specifically something dealing with your emotions, since the heart seems to be the center of emotion. The book says some causes could be "bad love, loneliness, cruelty, pederasty, disloyalty, cowardice, lack of determination." But really, it can mean anything having to do with or affecting your core. A heart keeps you alive; it beats and pulses with you. One thing is for certain: heart disease is never something good. It is always an ailment of some sense. Also, heart disease is a microcosm for death on a larger scale. Disease is associated with death, and the death of your heart means that you, too, will die without it. As goes the saying, "where there is no love, there is no life." Those who are heartless have no purpose. So watch out if anyone ever writes about you, and make sure your heart is intact.