Customer Reviews

Understanding David Foster Wallace (Understanding Contemporary American Literature)

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Though priced for flush university libraries rather than for skint individuals, this is an intelligent critique of DFW's work to date. Following an introduction, there are separate chapters on each of the 4 fiction books (the essays are discussed only in passing), illuminating the philosophical and aesthetic concerns of each book in a clear style with minimal academic jargon. Even longtime Wallace fans will find the book enlightening, and first-time readers couldn't hope for a better introduction to one of the most important American writers of our time. Highly recommended.

I just recently read "The Broom of the System", and found Boswell's book to be a very clear and cogent description of Wallace's style and meaning. He very understandably explicates the metafictional foundations and philosophical background of Wallace's approach to literature, and he made alot of sense to me, grounding the work in the modernist and postmodernist literary traditions. I am about to read the chapter on "Infinite Jest", which I read a few years back, and I'm sure it will be very insightful. I learned a great deal from Boswell, not only about Wallace, but about reading, writing literature, and thinking in general. Thanks!