"Chained in a cage of the self" : narcissism in David Foster Wallace's Infinite jest

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dc.contributor.authorPiper, Adam
dc.contributor.supervisorBenzon, Kiki
dc.contributor.supervisorMcAdam, Ian
dc.date.accessioned2013-12-17T20:18:16Z
dc.date.available2013-12-17T20:18:16Z
dc.date.issued2012
dc.degree.levelMasters
dc.descriptioniv, 114 leaves ; 29 cmen_US
dc.description.abstractLoneliness, unhappiness, and discord pervade David Foster Wallace’s novel Infinite Jest. Parental neglect and abuse, drug and alcohol addiction, and obsession with entertainment all work to increase characters’ narcissism and self-absorption. This increased narcissism prevents characters from developing meaningful relationships, and this absence of meaningful relationships contributes to the feeling of sadness that plagues the Organization of North American Nations. Rather than confronting reality and working to overcome their sadness by attempting to form meaningful relationships, characters instead seek to escape this sadness through the various fantasies provided by drug-use and entertainment. These fantasies only work to exacerbate characters’ self-absorption and narcissism which consequently increases their unhappiness. Certain characters are able to break free of these narcissistic impulses by turning outwards to form meaningful relationships. As these characters break free of the “cage of the self” (777), they experience a sense of meaning and happiness that other characters are without.en_US
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/10133/3343
dc.language.isoen_CAen_US
dc.publisherLethbridge, Alta. : University of Lethbridge, Dept. of English, c2012en_US
dc.publisher.departmentDepartment of Englishen_US
dc.publisher.facultyArts and Scienceen_US
dc.relation.ispartofseriesThesis (University of Lethbridge. Faculty of Arts and Science)en_US
dc.subjectWallace, David Foster. Infinite jesten_US
dc.subjectWallace, David Foster -- Criticism and interpretationen_US
dc.subjectNarcissism in literatureen_US
dc.subjectDissertations, Academicen_US
dc.title"Chained in a cage of the self" : narcissism in David Foster Wallace's Infinite jesten_US
dc.typeThesisen_US
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