The Depressed Person by David Foster Wallace 

"There's a lot of narcissism in self-hatred"

Wow. This is my new favorite short story!

This story by Wallace is tragic beyond the obvious reasons on the surface. Wallace made it clear multiple times he disliked the main character of this story. He said that her constant reminders and assurances that it would be totally okay for her friends to be bored or unwilling to listen to her added an extra layer of narcissism to her character. I think the exact quote was "There is a lot of narcissism in self hatred." Of course, Wallace ended up taking his own life, and as a reader of his, I can't help but suspect that his 'hatred' of the depressed person emalgamated into, or always has been, at some level, a sort of self hatred. And I hate to psychoanalyze the man himself, but the rare occurrence of a female narrator in his fiction may have been an attempt to distance himself.

This is so powerful. It hurts. Incredible writing gets inside you. Like a waking dream state. Thank you.

This story really gets across how unpleasant depressed people are to be around, and how self-awareness of their unpleasantness feeds back into their depression in an endless loop. I think readers who dislike the main character see themselves in her (I know I do, haha...) If you're looking for suggestions, you should read Octet or Church Not Made With Hands. The latter especially would be wild to hear out loud :)

Nice. You're the best narrator for DFW. The past few weeks have been informed for me by him because of you. Looking forward to hearing this, thanks for being my in.

I think the girls biggest problem in the story is that she needs to feel furious anger at the situation she was put in with her parents. But all this bullshit about not judging is just putting it all back on her.

I literally just read the story a few days ago. Guess I’m gonna listen to it again!

I had to stop listening after 10 minutes. It's too painful.

This is insane. It pointed out exactly how deeply farcical my, and his, and a handful of depressed people I know of, situation and behavior is. It feels scathing but from a place of first hand experience. I needed to hear something like this.

This is incredible. Thank you.

You read David Foster Wallace's work with erudition and a level of emotion that I believe is comparable to what was his own nature. Many thanks for narrating so much of his work. I listen to it everyday.

awesome, thanks!

DFW speaks/spoke TRUTH. One of the BEST/most relatable semi-modern thinker/writer....The thoughtful/introspective people are ''Depressed'' b/c modern times in the West is Hell! Atomized, lonely population full of faux dreams [illusion]. Although real-ity modern really does BITE.....it's always better to live in reality, no matter how awful it is.......... cheers for the content, RIP DFW

'Oboe lessons...'

So glad to see you're still doing these. I struggle to get through large articles/essays so without you, I'd not get to experience all these amazing DFW pieces :)

It,s about Elixabeth Wurtzel

В интервью 2003 года Дэвид сказал об этой героине следующее: "Мне она очень не нравилась. В ненависти к себе много нарциссизма". Но может, нарциссизм - это тоже следствие депрессии? И если бы не болезнь, она бы нарциссизмом не страдала? Может, это один из немногих анестетиков, которые использовала её психика, чтобы не свихнуться окончательно и не выйти в окно? Как мы можем определить, что в её поведении было продиктовано болезнью, а что её собственными личностными качествами, которые к болезни никакого отношения не имеют? Где провести водораздел? Потому что если те негативные черты, за которые автор не любит героиню, - это на самом деле типичные для депрессивного человека симптомы, то с тем же успехом он мог написать язвительный памфлет о человеке с синдромом Туретта за то что он, видите ли, постоянно матерится и показывает непристойные жесты. Как неприятно. И потом в том же интервью Дэвид делает кое-что хитрое: в противовес приводит пример со своей знакомой, которая пережила объективно очень трудные времена, потеряла многих близких людей, но при этом никогда не жаловалась. Два замечания по этому поводу. 1. Неизвестно ещё, сколько ей стоило не жаловаться. Может, в глубине души ей очень хотелось это сделать, но она не делала этого именно потому, что не хотела быть похожей на героиню обсуждаемого рассказа. И вообще не факт, что ей это пошло на пользу. 2. Есть просто колоссальная разница между депрессией, вызванной объективно очень жёсткими и трагичными жизненными событиями, и так называемой клинической депрессией - когда у человека в жизни вроде бы ничего плохого не происходит, но при этом биохимия мозга устраивает полный трындец, и начинает ехать крыша. Мы как читатели просто не знаем, к какому из этих типов относится героиня рассказа (автор этого ведь просто не уточняет), поэтому контраргумент "а вот смотрите, в моём окружении бывают и нормальные люди, которые даже в депрессии ведут себя достойно", мягко говоря, очень слабый. Это очень жестокий рассказ в отношении героини. Потому что автор над ней прямо-таки издевается. Он словно бы говорит "Если человеку плохо, но это выглядит забавно, над этим можно посмеяться".

I'm planning to release Book 1 of The Odyssey next.

Loads of adverts for therapists punting around this story. 😂

i've been watching your videos for quite a while but just realized how eerily simlar to DFW your reading voice sounds. Are you trying to match DFW or is this your natural cadence?

Huh... I'm reading along and my copy is essentially the same though right after the first paragraph there are some omissions and just changing of placement of certain phrases between what you're reading and I'm reading... weird. Are you reading verbatim from your copy? I have the first paperback edition from Back Bay books. It's got stills from the Krasinski movie on the back... Listened to a lot of these already and they're great. Appreciate it. Not being critical at all, just a statement of curious fact... Started bugging out for a second lol

They tried to make him the best version of himself in order to fit their social gauge mold, not even thinking about him and his rights in even second thought. He got stucked between compromise of Sisyphus' job to get done job right in accordance to sick depraved society from emotion and to reinvent himself to fight for what matters to him and necessities that naturally belongs to him. So that tormented soul snapped and made alternative personality even in his fictional side of mind to make it an abstract aspect of it in order to process it the most efficuently that is allowed to his mental capacity and abilities, with to the last drop of blood enthusiasm and life existencial urgency dead line. So you wonder why he killed him self he was dead man walking left on his own in society that does not gives a squat about you, in which in order to fit in as sick, polluted and deranged it is is no measure of health but simply an courageous step to survive. Words are not devised for such a strung out human and not enough to simpify suchlike complex situation in order to be left at rest from hypocrisy of outside world, peeking eyes and intruders also haters and hidden agenda adversaries just around the each wall and every corner. They were preparing to massacrate him emotionally, mentally and later physically if he make step of resistance toward crushing walls of reality upon yor head, and it is so innocently stated as something as making steps toward better version of yourself. It is mind bending and cunning way of blackmailing viciousness at its prime an stealth execution. He was way too smart to literally go throughout that passageway and bring upon himself much more humiliation than Christ on cross but twothousand years later people areally top noch depraved from their ancestors. That is why everybody is embracing hypocritical stand when confronted with brutality of this sic life. We should ask ourselves how much more we want to be monstrous than what we currently are and have become and should we become even worse or should this insanity stop and give free space and free breath and free expresion to members that does not put themselves on pedestal in selfie cult society, that does nit take advantage of anybody and anyone that approaches to them and try to reach them paving then path to suffering of hell with best intentions on their minds. Are opportunities worthy to drive some person in certain direction of unclarities to kill himself herself itself unable to grasp pace beyond personal limits. This can not return him back nor make apology to character invented created and engraved in subconscious mind that he drag upon depletion of its dependancy to figure out truth and set himself free neither prevent pain of bereavement for lost of inner soul. He could not transcend his humaname nature and natural order of stuff, he could not be rebuilt witjlh another identity and.change sexual impulses to be modified transexual, instead his poor ingenious mind has found shortcut and invented simmilar apstract personalit in safety of his thoughts paterns he could observe and concentrate on the issues insurmountable for many. Unfortunately vile human condition surrounding him does nit left him enough chances, so he made hardest thing ever lifting judgemental hand upon himself. It is not sign of weakness but dedication to the core for preservation of self, God as always smiling at our plans we are making and let devil finish us in its own manner. Forgive noble soul find rest whee you could not, find peace where you can not find, find grace where you can not find for our desperate mistreatment of you while you were here.

А вообще, учитывая, что свободы воли не существует (это очень убедительно доказал нейробиолог Роберт Сапольски), винить кого-то в чём-то (тем более в нарциссизме, вызванном депрессией) нет никакого смысла. Это просто жестоко.

This might seem glib but capitalism and its values have a lot to answer for here, vis-a-vis depression.