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Harvard is teaching a course on this man's books this semester. They are reading five of them, although I am unsure of which.
What are your thoughts on a class devoted to Wallace? Is this an example of a meme bleeding into academia? Do you think Wallace is deserving of this due to the skill and complexity he shows us in his works? Does he have discernible talent?
Personally I love Wallace. I read Infinite Jest two summers ago based on how popular it was around /lit/ and I loved it. The Pale King is my favorite work of Wallace's and, if it were completed, I firmly believe it would have been far superior to Infinite Jest. It's hard to compare the two because TPK is so unfinished, but I believe what Wallace shows us in TPK is the peak of his writing.
I have also read Oblivion and loved half of it, and liked but did not love the other half. The Soul is Not A Smithy, Good Old Neon, and The Suffering Channel are my favorites.
I read some of Girl With Curious Hair. I enjoyed the title story and Small Expressionless Animals (somewhat) but found it to be very grating due to how insistent Dave was on telling the reader he's clever.
I haven't read any of his essays, but have a copy of A Supposedly Fun Thing.
It would be great to take a class on Wallace, in my opinion. He will still be talked about in many years, I think.
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>>8615791
>Is this an example of a meme bleeding into academia?
of course not. it was a meme in academia and that's where it bled out from
>Do you think Wallace is deserving of this due to the skill and complexity he shows us in his works?
complexity doesn't warrant a class and his skill is debatable. if there is a reason for teaching him, and I'm not saying there is a good one, it isn't this
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>>8615791
>I firmly believe it would have been far superior to Infinite Jest
It probably would've been Nobel Prize-tier if you know what I mean :^)
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Why wouldn't it warrant academic examination? Widely regarded as the greatest american novel of the last 40 years and a very extensive examination of american culture.
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>>8615791
>Personally I love Wallace. I read Infinite Jest two summers ago based on how popular it was around /lit/ and I loved it. The Pale King is my favorite work of Wallace's and, if it were completed, I firmly believe it would have been far superior to Infinite Jest. It's hard to compare the two because TPK is so unfinished, but I believe what Wallace shows us in TPK is the peak of his writing.
I have also read Oblivion and loved half of it, and liked but did not love the other half. The Soul is Not A Smithy, Good Old Neon, and The Suffering Channel are my favorites.
I read some of Girl With Curious Hair. I enjoyed the title story and Small Expressionless Animals (somewhat) but found it to be very grating due to how insistent Dave was on telling the reader he's clever.
You almost summarized all of /lit/s vapid meme opinions on DFW
>The Pale King would have been a masterpiece if completed
>IJ is good but not great
>Oblivion and his other short story collections are so-so but Brief Interviews is great
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>>8616249
David Foster Wallace is NOT a novel.
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>>8615791
>two summers ago
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>>8616266
I didn't even mention Brief Interviews. He also only has three story collections, clown boy. IJ is great.
Suck my dick
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What's your DFW coursework, /lit/?
I'd do a discussion-based seminar on IJ-- a 2 credits, once-a-week type deal. Kind of like a shittier version of the 'Ulysses class'. IJ would be read in conjunction with texts relating to the specific topic of the week. Definitely talk about Westward, Host/Up, Simba, and Soul is Not a Smithy-- emphasize Wallace's biography, suicide in IJ andpatterns in Wallace's portrayal of women.
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