The Pale King - David Foster Wallace

Somewhere in here is a great novel, amid these half-formed, half-written sections. It's about the IRS and boredom and how ordinary people doing ordinary things (processing tax forms) can achieve a level of heroism, a level of cool that mostly goes unrecognized. 

The Pale King can't really be called a novel, more of a journal, and will be remembered more for what it could have been rather than what it is. It's a greatest hit album - if you like David Foster Wallace than you'll like this, but if you don't, this won't change your mind.

The First Real David Foster Wallace Documentary

If you consider yourself a serious reader of literary fiction, then you have to have an opinion on David Foster Wallace. You need not have read Infinite Jest, though I suggest you do. Or at least try. I'm toying with the idea of re-reading it this year - stretch it out over the year, read it in sections, come back to it.

At any rate, there's a documentary out on DFW:

From Flavorwire:

If you’re a reader, a writer or even just a member of the television saturation generation, it’s worth a listen, and if you’re a fan of Wallace, the program may tug at your heartstrings, suggesting what might have been, but celebrating the man as he was. As Don DeLillo tells Ward, “I can’t think of anyone quite like him, at all… Wallace stands alone.” Click through to hear the documentary in its entirety.


Endnotes: David Foster Wallace from georgelazenby on Vimeo.

The Philosophy of David F Wallace

What The Broom of The System has to do with Wittgenstein. Apparently, everything.

Philosophical Sweep - Slate

All the philosophy courses I took in uni all went in chronological order, and all went over, so Wittgenstein was always shoved to the final two weeks before exams, so it was usually rushed. I have the suspicion that most of my professors didn't quite understand what he was all about anyway, so just assigned him for reading and threw the arbitrary question on the exam.

In other DFW news, I'm thinking of re-reading Infinite Jest this year. I almost re-read it two summers ago, as part of the Infinite Summer project, but decided to read 15 other books instead. The first time I read it was in my 3rd year of university, during winter exams. (Yeah, I was that kind of guy when I was 22) I attempted a re-read in 2000, but gave up about half-way, unable to concentrate on it.  It's been sitting on bookshelf ever since, taunting me.  I've dipped into it now and again (especially after DFW's suicide) and now I'm considering a full re-read.