Eddie Jessup, the ambitious, monomaniacal scientist of Chayefsky's [Altered States, seeks] … consciousness of the "original self," but in the form of "a real, mensurate, quantifiable thing, tangible and incarnate."
During his postgraduate research in physiology, Jessup accidentally stumbles upon the convergent phenomena of mind-altering experiences, as manifested through hallucinogenic drugs, sensory deprivation, Zen meditation, and schizophrenia. Readers conversant with … authorities in the vanguard of consciousness research, will recognize the territory and will acknowledge Chayefsky's impressive synthesis of information from depth psychology, quantum mechanics, neuroanatomy, molecular biology, archaeology, and several other disciplines. (The scientific terminology occasionally intrudes.)…
This is a free excerpt of 97 words. There are 243 words (approx.
1 page at 300 words per page) in the full critical essay.
Read the rest of this Criticism with our Chayefsky, Paddy 1923–1981: Critical Essay by Roberta Rubenstein Access Pass.
