The Existential Drinker

EARNSHAW, Steven (2018). The Existential Drinker. Other. Manchester, Manchester University Press.

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Abstract

Drinking to excess has been a striking problem for industrial and post-industrial societies - who is responsible when an individual opts for a slow suicide? The causes of such drinking have often been blamed on genes, moral weakness, 'disease' (addiction), hedonism, and Romantic illusion. Yet there is another reason: the drinker may act with sincere philosophical intent, exploring the edges of self, consciousness, will, ethics, authenticity and finitude. Beginning with Jack London's John Barleycorn: alcoholic memoirs, the book goes on to cover novels such as Jean Rhys's Good morning, midnight, Malcolm Lowry's Under the volcano, Charles Jackson's The lost weekend and John O'Brien's Leaving Las Vegas, and less familiar works such as Frederick Exley's A fan's notes, Venedikt Yerofeev's Moscow-Petushki, and A. L. Kennedy's Paradise.

Item Type:	Monograph (Other)
Research Institute, Centre or Group - Does NOT include content added after October 2018:	Humanities Research Centre
Departments - Does NOT include content added after October 2018:	Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities > Department of Humanities
Depositing User:	Steve Earnshaw
Date Deposited:	19 Oct 2018 14:38
Last Modified:	12 May 2021 19:13
URI:	https://shura.shu.ac.uk/id/eprint/21681

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