There are a lot of people sharing things about depression right now. Some good, some—well—not so good. William Styron’s 1990 memoir Darkness Visible: A Memoir of Madness remains one of the best first person accounts of living with depression and a version is available free from the Internet Archive as text, PDF, ebook, etc.

WORK

A phenomenon that a number of people have noted while in deep depression is the sense of being accompanied by a second self—a wraithlike observer who, not sharing the dementia of his double, is able to watch with dispassionate curiosity as his companion struggles against the oncoming disaster, or decides to embrace it.

There is a theatrical quality about all this, and during the next several days, as I went about stolidly preparing for extinction, I couldn’t shake off a sense of melodrama—a melodrama in which I, the victim-to-be of self-murder, was both the solitary actor and lone member of the audience. I had not as yet chosen the mode of my departure, but I knew that that step would come next, and soon, as inescapable as nightfall.

—William Styron
—from Darkness Visible

WORD(S)

anhedonia. noun. The inability to feel pleasure. From French anhédonie. Coined in 1896 as an opposite to analgesia.

“This euphoria, if that’s what it was, was very far from my body, and therefore compatible with my anhedonia; it was as if I were suspended in a warm bath outside of myself.” (Ben Lerner)

“…when a sudden infusion of patent-receipts left him feeling post-carrot anhedonic and existentially unmoored, and Himself took an entire year off to drink Wild Turkey and watch broadcast-television tycoon-operas…” (David Foster Wallace)

“Daniel Craig plays the first Bond who seems uncomfortable with his own Bond-ness. Where the previous incarnations were life-loving, skirt-chasing bon vivants, he’s a study in glum anhedonia.” (Dana Stevens)

“The playwright transforms his despair into whimsical comedy. His anhedonic characters are always coming up with new ways to express their misery.” (New York Times)

WEB

1. How Not To Write Your First Novel. Smart talk from Lev Grossman on writing, genius, creativity and the whole shebang.

2. You know how movies have those scenes set in airports and planes while they can’t possibly all actually be filmed in real planes and at real airports? Welcome to Air Hollywood. The cross-sectional planes and sets are surreal.

3. Maude White’s cut paper art is beyond complex. See also: White’s portfolio.

4. ▶ Summer Reading Recap with Nick Offerman. It’s from 2013, but new to me.

5. “And about this time I had a vision–and I saw white spirits and black spirits engaged in battle, and the sun was darkened–the thunder rolled in the Heavens, and blood flowed in streams–and I heard a voice…” So, supposedly, confessed Nat Turner, who on this day in 1831 saw a solar eclipse he believed to be a sign from God prompting him to lead his famous rebellion. William Styron would later use Turner’s confessions (whose accuracy and authorship are disputed) as the basis for his Pulitzer Prize-winning novel The Confessions of Nat Turner.

REPRISES/RESPONSES/REJOINDERS/RIPOSTES

Reader F. noticed the connection between the subject line and content of yesterday’s newsletter: “This puts another wonderful foxy idea to the reading of that elegant book The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery. If your readers haven’t found this book, send them to it asap.”

Done! Look for some excerpts to make an appearance here someday in the near future…

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Reader T. asks, “…do you mind if I tell people to sign up for this [Katexic]? It’s really great, and I assume it’s a good thing to have more subscribers, but I didn’t know if you were trying to keep the riff raff out.”

Please do tell people about /katexic clippings/! Riffraff and Hoi Aristoi alike are welcome. Next to hearing from readers, gaining subscribers is the best way I can be sure my efforts here are worthwhile!

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Reader B. observes that “Kenspeckle is the name of a character in a YA fantasy/horror series G. and I like very much.”

My Google-sense tells me this must be: Kenspeckle Grouse of the Skulduggery Pleasant series.

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Reader B. also says: “Agreed about Dead Poet’s. It hit me like a comet back then.”

I’m glad I’m not the only one! Many academics get their knickers in a twist about the movie being “anti-academic.” I don’t see it that way.

I welcome comments, suggestions, thoughts, feedback and all manner of what-have-you. Just press ‘Reply’ or email to: clippings@katexic.com.

And please feel free to share anything here as far and wide as you want! If you want to give a shout-out, please link to: http://katexic.com/clippings/.