Jaded selves and body distance: a case study of Cotard’s syndrome in “Infinite Jest”

Ana Chapman

doi:10.18172/jes.3953

Authors

Ana Chapman University of Málaga

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.18172/jes.3953

Keywords:

Agency, embodiment, David Foster Wallace, self-awareness, addiction, cognitive literaturae, novel, contemporary literature.

Abstract

This article attempts to betoken the relevance of emotions and sensations arousing from the body for the reviving of the self in David Foster Wallace’s Infinite Jest. The novel discerns a world where the oversaturation of choices and the external stimuli from entertainment has established a tradition of ennui and addiction as part of the hedonistic search for pleasure. This is particularly important for the understanding of the effects it may have on the mapping of the self and on agency which can consequently be framed among mental disorders. Taking a neuroscientific approach, Wallace’s characters is discussed as having a possible connection to Cotard’s syndrome. This delusion helps to reveal how a lack of emotions disables correct self-awareness giving way to the belief that one may be dead or non-existent.

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Author Biography

Ana Chapman, University of Málaga

Ana Chapman, PhD, is a lecturer at the University of Málaga. She holds an MA in American Literature from the University of Sheffield and then completed her PhD on David Foster Wallace’s novel Infinite Jest at the University of Seville. She is a member of the research group “Discursos de la Postmodernidad” (HUM 399). Her main research interests are the representation of body and mind in contemporary English literature, neuroscience in literature, and the effects of the media and technology on society.

Ana Chapman. Departamento de Filología Inglesa, Francesa y Alemana. Facultad de Filosofía y Letras. Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Teatinos. 29071, Málaga, Spain. Tel.: +34 952131782

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