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draft page from Pale King
In DFW’s drafts, there are funny remarks scribbled in the margins, i.e., “Cheers wasn’t ON in 1977! When did Cheers! run?” as well as not so funny remarks—“I am so sad.” There are remarks where he is goading himself on—or chastising himself—“Just finish this.” The drafts of “Oblivion” (or, the “Snoring Story”) show him struggling in a very sad way. These parts were like looking at stolen pictures of a celebrity on getaway. They instantly satisfied that voyeuristic desire to delve into the private life of a celebrity, but also made me queasiest about showing them to other people. Would I ink out these sad parts? That, too, felt wrong.
