Citation

Thomas EA. Critique Stud. Contemp. Fiction 2013; 54(3): 276-291.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2013)

DOI

10.1080/00111619.2011.587476

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

This essay offers a close analysis of one particular character in David Foster Wallace's Infinite Jest: Kate Gompert, a suicidal marijuana addict afflicted with "psychotic depression." While the novel consistently posits a neuroscientific, material explanation for such an illness-i.e., the primacy of the body and the tyrannical oppression of brain chemistry-there also exists a spiritual-philosophical undercurrent that posits a construction of the Self defined by experience and choice. Copyright © 2013 Taylor and Francis Group, LLC.

Language: en

Keywords

suicide; depression; David Foster Wallace; Infinite Jest