Re-politicizing Mental Illness: Reflections on Boredom and Depression in American Post-postmodern Fiction

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5007/2175-8026.2021.e74087

Abstract

Figurations of psychological problems, mental illness, boredom, depression, addiction and medication abound in post-postmodern fiction. David Foster Wallace's Infinite Jest and The Pale King and Jonathan Franzen's The Corrections are cases in point. Apparently, what these works share in common are the material and psycho-biological explanations that they hint at or provide for the various mental problems and disorders experienced by the characters. These pertain to the specific socio-economic and cultural mode characterizing the contemporary scene. Drawing on the insights provided by Franco Berardi the present article tries to shed light on the significance of such figurations.

 

Keywords: Davis Foster Wallace; Jonathan Franzen; Franco Berardi; boredom; depression.

Author Biographies

Hossein Pirnajmuddin, The University of Isfahan

Department of English Language and Literature

The University of Isfahan

Associate Professor

Kaveh Khodambashi, The University of Isfahan

Department of English Language and Literature

PhD Candidate

Pyeaam Abbasi, The University of Isfahan

Department of English Language and Literature

Associate Professor

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Published

2021-01-28

Issue

Section

Literary contexts: gender, identity and resistance