The Legacy of David Foster Wallace

by Samuel Cohen (Editor), Lee Konstantinou (Editor)

“The Legacy of David Foster Wallace is a necessary book—it will find a place in virtually every university and college library across the land. Surely it will be among the first critical works consulted by any scholar or student venturing into the work of Wallace and will interest the more ordinary, if unusually ambitious, reader as well.”—Mark McGurl, author, The Program Era

“This is a collection whose character is faithful to the spirit of Wallace's work: considerate, intelligent, funny, even self-deprecating—an excellent addition to both the fan’s and the critic’s library.”—Lydia Millet, Pulitzer Prize finalist for Love in Infant Monkeys

Considered by many to be the greatest writer of his generation, David Foster Wallace was at the height of his creative powers when he committed suicide in 2008. In a sweeping portrait of Wallace’s writing and thought and as a measure of his importance in literary history, The Legacy of David Foster Wallace gathers cutting-edge, field-defining scholarship by critics alongside remembrances by many of his writer friends, who include some of the world’s most influential authors.

In this elegant volume, literary critics scrutinize the existing Wallace scholarship and at the same time pioneer new ways of understanding Wallace’s fiction and journalism. In critical essays exploring a variety of topics—including Wallace’s relationship to American literary history, his place in literary journalism, his complicated relationship to his postmodernist predecessors, the formal difficulties of his 1996 magnum opus Infinite Jest, his environmental imagination, and the “social life” of his fiction and nonfiction—contributors plumb sources as diverse as Amazon reader recommendations, professional book reviews, the 2009 Infinite Summer project, and the David Foster Wallace archive at the University of Texas’s Harry Ransom Center.

The creative writers—including Don DeLillo, Jonathan Franzen, George Saunders, Rick Moody, Dave Eggers, and David Lipsky—and Wallace’s Little, Brown editor, Michael Pietsch, reflect on the person behind the volumes of fiction and nonfiction created during the author’s too-short life.

All of the essays, critical and creative alike, are written in an accessible style that does not presume any background in Wallace criticism. Whether the reader is an expert in all things David Foster Wallace, a casual fan of his fiction and nonfiction, or completely new to Wallace, The Legacy of David Foster Wallace will reveal the power and innovation that defined his contribution to literary life and to self-understanding. This illuminating volume is destined to shape our understanding of Wallace, his writing, and his place in history.

Genres: Nonfiction, Essays, Literary Criticism, American, Writing, Literature

244 pages, Paperback

First published April 15, 2012

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name.

Reviews

[Left Coast Justin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Amazing what Dave Wallace accomplished in so short a time, and his was one of the few celebrity deaths that I felt a reaction to -- in my case, literally like taking a well-thrown punch to the heart. I had trouble breathing when I heard it. It's not just that he was a great writer, but -- poor guy -- he stood for so much more. Being serious in a world of irony, but also being pants-wettingly funny when he wished. Following your muse, explaining anything to anybody.

His legacy is in no danger -- I'm unaware of anybody who has come up through the ranks since his death that garners anything near the respect that Wallace earned. This book is mostly academics talking to other academics in a language that I don't understand very well. (People enjoy poking fun at academic writing, but I would feel equally lost listening to economists talking to each other, or oilfield engineers, or any other highly-technical specialty. It is not the failure of the various authors in this book that I don't know what an 'ontological structure' is; the fault is mine.) For most of the essays here, I gamely struggled through, but didn't gain much.

The contrast to the regular joes, when they showed up, was startling. (In one of the academic essays, the professor recounted a story in which a famous author was denied a spot on the faculty, with one of the panel asking, "If being a writer qualifies you to be an English professor, should they hire an elephant to be a professor in the Department of Zoology?" Never mind that Wallace was, by all accounts, an excellent teacher and mentor as well.) For some reason, writers I don't like -- Don DeLillo, Rick Moody, Dave Eggars -- all made contributions here, their own bad breath and wrinkles standing out in contrast to the titan they are memorializing. But the piece by George Saunders was quite nice.

Reading about Wallace is no substitute for reading the source material. Still, I enjoyed this, because it let me know that I'm not alone in my heartbreak, it reminded me of some of the things I love about his writing and gave me much to think about in interpreting his work.

In closing, years and years and years after reading everything he published, I guess the one single thing I would urge every single decent human being to go out and read is his essay The View from Mrs. Thompson's, in his book Consider the Lobster. In light, friendly language he has created a black hole, something of unimaginable density and decency and fun, to boot. It is as essential to English writing as Shakespeare.

[Joseph · Rating 5 out of 5]

A brilliant addendum to the works of DFW.

I especially appreciated the various personal stories, multiple insights and analyses of IJ, and flow charts in the submission by Ed Finn.

The Oxford comma on 226 is quite valuable.

I wonder what Wallace would say in regards to comparing metacognition to the subconscious through a literary format.

[Jonna Higgins-Freese · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an interesting collection of scholarly essays on Wallace, which were helpful to me in understanding his writing better. However, I sometimes felt they were forced, and I came away with a new impression that Wallace's project/goals had been a bit forced and overtly masculine, in a strange way. One of the most interesting essays was "Infinite Summer: Reading, Empathy, and the Social Network," in which Kathleen Fitzpatrick discusses the ways in which Wallace was interested in helping people feel "less alone inside." I often feel impatient, after a certain point, with ongoing talk about/by people who feel "so alone." Stop reading Foucault and obsessing about how alone you are, and go out and interact with other people. "But we can't" such people would argue, "because of the way corporate capitalism has saturated the social space with their commodified media images that mediate our space and capture our imaginations" (except in much more poststructuralist jargony speak that I can't even hope to imitate). To which I want to say, "bake a casserole and take it to someone who's sick." I guess I'm too Midwestern at heart to get into this kind of urban alienation-y angst. Though Wallace was Midwestern, too, decidedly so, and he certainly felt that kind of angst.

[Devin Wallace · Rating 4 out of 5]

A rather detailed and insightful overview of the life and work of David Foster Wallace, no doubt a genius who left the Earth far too early, although not early enough to prevent scholars from looking over the work. While the academic language may be off-putting to some, the longer pieces are broken up by a few pages of remembrances from his memorial service in October of 2008, by people like Don DeLillo and Jonathan Franzen.

Wallace is analyzed from all angles in three parts: History, in which Wallace is positioned within a literary and historical context, from his fiction to his non-fiction; Aesthetics, which focuses on the inner workings of his fiction; and Community, a series of essays exploring how Wallace is remembered and how his readers come together to derive a greater collective experience from his words.

[E. C. Koch · Rating 3 out of 5]

This wasn't as illuminating and insightful as I hoped it'd be, but inasmuch as this is a collection of scholarly articles with (very) short breaks (mostly the comments made by author friends at DFW's funeral service) I guess I should have seen this coming. There were a few interesting chapters/sections (an entire article dedicated to just footnotes is the sort or minutiae I get off to) but on the whole these articles were written in exactly the same academese that DFW said was the hallmark of the pretentious, afraid-of-being-seen-as-not-smart-enough brand of bad writing that so frustrated him, which seems unkindly ironic. I think my interest in the subject carried me through pages of what I would otherwise have put down.

[Bob · Rating 3 out of 5]

The editor's purpose was to get people to read more David Foster Wallace, and it worked for me. Personally interesting were Molly Schwartzburg's account of cataloging and using the DFW papers at UT's Ransom Center and Josh Roiland's survey of his journalistic pieces.

[Taylor Church · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not being one that usually reads prolix exegeses, I do enjoy some critical thinking as much as the next bear. And naturally, I'm going to read anything that concerns my favorite writer of words of all-time. And though some sections felt overly academic, almost as if to impress Wallace, the subject of the material, I still found it insightful and beautiful in many instances. The book is separated in different sections concerning history, aesthetics, and other scholarly delineators that expand the mind and twist your notions of what you've read in the past and remind you that their are many things about sentences and themes and syntax and love and linguistics and paragraph topography that you have never known or even considered in the past.

The yummiest little chapters within the book were personal remarks about David from his public memorial service, where writers and peers expressed their gratitude and admiration while also outlining the genius of their departed friend. Having already read every book by David Foster Wallace, it was a delight to get my hands on some additional material, and I now feel ready (which I haven't been for a while) to re-read/reexamine his works for the first time.

[Shane Ha · Rating 3 out of 5]

Infinite Jest is one of my top 3 books. It is a book that changed my life when I needed it most. I am currently on my third read (this time, audiobook for the main text and using a physical book for end notes). I appreciated these essays. They tackle his epic body of work from various perspectives and stay aware of academic jargon despite coming out of academia. My favorite essay was Josh Roland's "Getting Away From It All: The Literary Journalism of David Foster Wallace and Nietzsche's Concept of Oblivion." This was one of the essays where I had an "ah-ha" moment, not necessarily because I agree that DFW thought like that, but it was a possible angle of interpretation that I found new and inspiring. I enjoyed most of the other essays but found them superficial, skimming apparent ideas about his work without digging in too deeply on anyone. It is a solid read to think more about DFW's works, but I am sure there is the possibility for a better collection of essays about his works, and I will keep looking.

[Paul H. · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is simply unfortunate; DFW deserves better scholars. Virtually all of the articles read like particularly tedious grad student term papers ... the essay on DFW and Nietzsche's concept of oblivion was soul-crushingly terrible, so clearly a case of overreaching; similarly for the "literary" analysis of DFW's journalism. The DFW-isms in the editorial introduction are just cringe-worthy, and my general feeling while reading the book was "how did a bunch of DFW fanboy grad students in their late 20s manage to actually get this book published?", before I remembered that publication requirements for tenure have led to thousands upon thousands of terrible books that no one really reads. At least the included Delillo and Saunders eulogies (from DFW memorial services) were good, I guess.

If you want to read actual scholarship on DFW, check out Boswell's book, which is amazingly impressive.

[Tom Quinn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Y'know, just because DFW used footnotes doesn't mean everybody writing in homage to him should.

3 stars out of 5. A good reflection on what Wallace's works, at their best, mean to readers.

[GONZA · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a great book, a big insight in DFW life and writing. I hope to read everything he has written even if so far I didn't accomplish this mission, but still he is absolutely one of my favorite writers of all the times, and in this book I even got the reason why he is so universally loved and appreciated even if he's not easy at all. Memorials by Franzen and De Lillo, introduction to the 10th edition of Infinite Jest by Eggers, all stuff I wouldn't have read here in Italy....
THANKS SOO MUCH TO NETGALLEY AND UNIVERSITY OF IOWA PRESS FOR THE PREVIEW

Se non fosse stato per Netgalley non avrei mai potuto leggere questa raccolta di articoli, memoriali e interviste fatte da ed a DFW. Come sua grande fans, anche se non ho ancora letto tutto, questa è stata una specie di lettura miracolosa, un po' com'è stato andare al concerto dei Police a Torino dopo 20 anni che si erano sciolti. Purtroppo lui non tornerà più, ma almeno ci ha lasciato le sue opere e le parole dei suoi amici e delle persone che l'hanno conosciuto e che fortunatamente sono state raccolte per i posteri che non hanno avuto l'onore di conoscerlo.

THANKS SOO MUCH TO NETGALLEY AND UNIVERSITY OF IOWA PRESS FOR THE PREVIEW

[Alex Daniel · Rating 3 out of 5]

NOTE TO FUTURE SELF: Maybe you'll want to pick this one up again later? After mainlining 4-5 books straight from DFW, you're a bit overloaded with Wallace's style and subject matter. With that said, THE LEGACY OF DAVID FOSTER WALLACE is pretty engaging, as far as "academic" writing goes. In fact, Samuel Cohen et al seem to borrow Wallace's style for their own writing, which is pretty neat considering this type of material (i.e., academic writing) is usually pretty dry, bland, and stuffy. The foreword is probably the best example of this.

But ok, so here goes: THE LEGACY OF DAVID FOSTER WALLACE isn't a hardcore literary study. There are a few essays, but the bulk of this content is either interviews or correspondences. There are a few authors' informal remarks taken from Wallace's funeral service, and these (from J. Franzen, D. Delillo, G. Saunders) are interesting on a biographical level. Maybe there's something voyeuristic about it? But it's not all that informative as far as literature goes.

I'd recommend this for fans of David Foster Wallace as a supplement to DT Max's biography, for those that didn't quite get enough from EVERY LOVE STORY IS A GHOST STORY.

[Deyth Banger · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book for the curious people is well made, like "What happen in the background?"... or "What happen backstage?" or many other questions like this in this book will be answered. Here is hidden the truth about one promise, about one author who died from self-doubt and depression. But who knows is he real or fake?
This book gives chance to explore interesting stuff and get questions and answers. I still want to know what happen wih that character why he decided to suicide. A lot of people have done it.,without even knowing... for example the kid from Apt Pupil...!
He is dead and many other characters from Stephen King films are dead, but don't you ask yourself why?
David FOster Wallace was a writer died in 2008, so far said in the story and it's shown what's a friendship... look up to the end the reporter doesn't publish the story and he publishes the story in 2012...

(The Truth Behind the corners!)

[Andrew Bertaina · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a much better analysis of his writing than the earlier work, "Consider David Foster Wallace." The essays in here are chosen well, and sprinkled with remembrances from some of his friends, Saunders, DeLillo, Moody, Franzen from his memorial service, which serve a nice function of breaking up the text. The essays largely concern "Infinite Jest" as is appropriate given its status as the most interesting piece of uniquely American fiction written since Gravity's Rainbow. They range from reader's vs. critics understandings of Wallace within the canon hint: critics: post-modern novels (Naked Lunch, V, Robert Coover) vs. readers: (Ulysses, Hamlet, Moby Dick), to his use of foot and end notes. If you're familiar with his work it's well worth a read. If you aren't, stop being lazy and read him.

[Josh · Rating 3 out of 5]

Actually the content is maybe nearer a 4 but the more academic essays included kinda dry things up. I can empathize with the academics too though: writing papers on Wallace that rely on endnotes is an unfair task to begin with.

That said, I sincerely support the dedication to canonizing Wallace. The formal submissions all had something interesting to contribute and the writers' reminiscences of Wallace were uniformly moving. I wouldn't recommend this to anyone other than serious DFW fans but I'm glad I own this book.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first literary criticism I've ever read outside a school assignment. I enjoyed most of it quite a bit, but feel somewhat abashed at joining the ranks of the "fans" of someone so uncomfortable with being a celebrity. Foster's writing style is such that you end up feeling like you know him even more so than with most authors, so it was very interesting to read about him and his work from so many who actually did. Even more than after reading IJ, I am left with a deep sadness about what might have been, and gratitude for the opportunity to encounter him at all.

[Konrad · Rating 4 out of 5]

Placing eulogy & interview with literary criticism to cover many things David Foster Wallace. Though probably not essential for even the most devoted & voracious DFW fans (most of the arguments in the crit. lit. articles are obvious enough, assume you know your Dave & his concerns), the collection is good reading. Notables: Josh Roiland's "Getting Away From It All", Lee Konstantinou's "No Bull", & Kathleen Fitzpatrick's "Infinite Summer". Included eulogies by Saunders, DeLillo, Franzen & Moody are the real deal, though I only cried a smidgen.

[Patricia L. · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a book that you might read if you were taking a course in English Literature. It is not the David Foster Wallace's essence that I delight in. Sure I love the way he uses footnotes but it does not celebrate, it comments from a distant perspective. Perhaps this is what objectivity is all about, but it is not what DFW's legacy is.

[Ian Cattanach · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall a good collection of essays. Really shed some light for me on David, and some of the struggles he went through in his life. Some sections you should straight skip, and scanning others is recommended. Nothing that crazy in here, but a bunch of deep themes I missed really got some light shed on them in this book.
Mahalo!

[Heidi Noonan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bearing in mind that I'm +10 years past my last reading of literary criticism I nonetheless found this collection mostly interesting and not super tedious. I even looked forward to reading it most nights!

[Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yes, I co-edited and contributed to the book, but it's actually pretty good.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

there are some excellent contributions here, most notably Lee Konstantinou's chapter.

[Zach · Rating 3 out of 5]

Anecdotes and interviews are worth the price of admission. Scholarly works remind me why I was glad to be done with scholarly writing after finishing my MA.