A Companion to David Foster Wallace Studies American Literature Readings in the TwentyFirst Century

Criticism Of The Work Of David Foster Wallace Has Tended To Be Atomistic, Focusing On A Single Aspect Of Individual Works A Companion To The Work Of David Foster Wallace Is Designed As A Professional Study Of All Of Wallace's Creative Work. With Essays Written By Both Top Scholars In The Field And Exciting Newcomers, The Volume Is Anchored By A Set Of Essays That Provide Detailed Readings Of Each Of His Major Works Of Fiction, Including Three Novels And Three Story Collections. Interwoven Through These Half-dozen Single-text Studies Are Thematic-based Essays That Address Larger Segments Of Wallace's Achievement Via An Eclectic Range Of Critical Environments, Including Mathematics, The Spatial Turn In Contemporary Criticism, Gender Theory, The Legacy Of American Pragmatism, And The Emergent Field Of Post-postmodern Literary Studies. Preface / Stephen J. Burn And Marshall Boswell -- Almost A Novel: The Broom Of The System / Patrick O'donnell -- A Fiction Of Response: Girl With Curious Hair In Context / Kasia Boddy -- David Foster Wallace And The Mathematics Of Infinity / Roberto Natalini -- Webs Of Nerves Pulsing And Firing: Infinite Jest And The Science Of Mind / Stephen J. Burn -- Location's Location: Placing David Foster Wallace / Paul Quinn -- Mediated Immediacy In Brief Interviews With Hideous Men / Mary K. Holland -- Language, Gender, And Modes Of Power In The Work Of David Foster Wallace / Clare Hayes-brady -- The Constant Monologue Inside Your Head: Oblivion And The Nightmare Of Consciousness / Marshall Boswell -- The Chains Of Not Choosing: Free Will And Faith In William James And David Foster Wallace / David H. Evans -- The Pale King, Or, The White Visitation / Brian Mchale -- The Novel After David Foster Wallace / Andrew Hoberek. Edited By Marshall Boswell And Stephen J. Burn. Includes Bibliographical References. Cover......Page 1 Title......Page 4 Copyright......Page 5 Contents......Page 6 List of Abbreviations......Page 8 Preface......Page 10 1 Almost a Novel: The Broom of the System......Page 14 2 A Fiction of Response: Girl with Curious Hair in Context......Page 36 3 David Foster Wallace and the Mathematics of Infinity......Page 56 4 “Webs of Nerves Pulsing and Firing”: Infinite Jest and the Science of Mind......Page 72 5 “Location’s Location”: Placing David Foster Wallace......Page 100 6 Mediated Immediacy in Brief Interviews with Hideous Men......Page 120 7 “ . . . ”: Language, Gender, and Modes of Power in the Work of David Foster Wallace......Page 144 8 “The Constant Monologue Inside Your Head”: Oblivion and the Nightmare of Consciousness......Page 164 9 “The Chains of Not Choosing”: Free Will and Faith in William James and David Foster Wallace......Page 184 10 The Pale King , Or, The White Visitation......Page 204 11 The Novel after David Foster Wallace......Page 224 Works Cited......Page 242 Notes on Contributors......Page 254 Index......Page 258 Criticism of the work of David Foster Wallace has tended to be atomistic, focusing on a single aspect of individual works. A Companion to the Work of David Foster Wa ll ace is designed as a professional study of all of Wallace's creative work. This volume includes both thematic essays and focused examinations of each of his major works of fiction.