A probably unnecessary post about David Foster Wallace
by Steve
On the anniversary of David Foster Wallace’s death I expect there will be a glut of people sharing that This is Water video. It is a lovely piece of writing, but an odd one as it seems to have become this whole new creature, half self-help guide, half unintentional self-eulogy.
I was rather late to the DFW party, reading him for the first time a week after his death, and coincidentally reading the This is Water speech. As such I feel like I’m not that qualified to talk at length about DFW and the impact of his death; I feel a bit like one of those Doors/Joy Division/Nirvana fans who became fans after the bands were no more, or an ambulance chaser or something.
In fact it appears that I am probably a small part of the strange post-death industry around him, where he is quoted, converted into videos and sometimes even read, often by people who weren’t even aware of the guy while he was alive. I’m more of a fan of his non-fiction than his fiction, and would love the impossible scenario of DFW writing about how his place in popular and literary culture has changed over the past five years. It is a trite idea, and this is probably a trite post.
Yet this feels like a good opportunity to not only plug the This is Water speech as a gateway to DFW for anyone unfamiliar with his work (albeit not a great indicator of what to expect from his other work), to link to these 30 free essays available on the web, and to in particular link to one of his finest essays E unibus pluram: television and U.S. fiction. The essay is now 20 years old but still resonates and still feels important. I would love to read an update on the piece tackling how the internet has shaped our habits further. These days there are a lot of writers who ape DFW’s style, but not so many that offer his insight on the world, not so many who can balance clear-headed analysis with genuine humanity and empathy.
“I want to convince you that irony, poker-faced silence, and fear of ridicule are distinctive of those features of contemporary U.S. culture (of which cutting-edge fiction is a part) that enjoy any significant relation to the television whose weird pretty hand has my generation by the throat. I’m going to argue that irony and ridicule are entertaining and effective, and that at the same time they are agents of a great despair and stasis in U.S. culture, and that for aspiring fictionists they pose terrifically vexing problems.”
I think this is still probably the case.
We have a lecture series on DFW in town next month. I’m debating whether to go. I’m not sure if it’s going to contribute any new insights into his writing, or if it’s going to end up being more of a grieving session for a roomful of GenX readers.
LikeLike
You should go! If only for the opportunity to open out the debate beyond said grieving session. I think it would make a great subject for a blog post.
LikeLike
I was tempted, but I don’t know if I have anything more to say about DFW. He’s a great writer who seemed like a great guy, and who got into my head and changed the way I think. And then he killed himself, which was heartbreaking because he really did seem like a great guy and someone to look up to, and it forced me to rethink the way I think.
So it would be mostly therapy for me, I’m afraid.
LikeLike
That’s fair enough. I think what might be interesting about such an event is not so much what it might say about DFW but more what the experience says about the growing DFW industry.
LikeLike
You’re selling me…here is the info. Cryptic…
Also, total sidebar but speaking of cryptic, I had a dream about your blog last night. It involved candy oranges. I think the candied oranges were pleasant. That’s all I can tell you because that’s all I remember. I’m not necessarily a believer in the psychic power of dreams, but sometimes they feel prophetic enough. So be on the lookout for candy oranges, or whatever Jungian archetype they might represent.
LikeLike
Freshly Pressed logo is orange. Close enough?
LikeLike
I think that might be it! You appear to have psychic powers. Any information around lottery numbers would be most welcome.
LikeLike
Probably not even, unless one watch that CBS normal soap ie The Bold additionally, the Beautiful.
LikeLike