DFW - The Broom of the System (group read) discussion

General discussion for Week 2's readings.

Here's the reading schedule:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/c...

Spoiler line for this forum is page 93 (end of Chapter 6).

This is off topic, but in general related. The Awl (awl.com) has a good intervoew. amd great comment posts, with Jonathan Frazen - he alleges that DFW nonfiction contains fictionalized dialogue, noting the cruise ship article, "A Fun Thing. . ." One of the comments says "why doesn't Franzen stop arguing with a dead person?" Worth reading.

Off-topic, but to Kathleen relative to Franzen: why doesn't he stop trying to hype himself w/relationship to negative comments on DFW? Really pretty sick to be jealous of a dead "friend"? I myself am on a Franzen boycott after seeing him on Bill Maher show sneering at the Occupy Wall Street protesters.

Oh, Norman Bombardini! And the analysis of Weight Watchers is incredibly astute. I doubt if Project Total Yang will work but I adore the philosophy.

If I didn't have Friday to read for my RL book group, I'd burn through this book in a day!

I'm a little fed on Franzen's comments vis-a-vis Wallace as well. I haven't read him, though The Corrections and How to Be Alone have been on my list for a while now. I downloaded the sample of Freedom but didn't care for it enough to even finish the sample. So that's where I'm at with Franzen.

I'll have to check out the Bill Maher episode. But I doubt that's going to make me like him any better.

I do like most of what I've read of Franzen, which is everything he's published except Strong Motion. I really enjoyed Freedom, minus a few grotesquely awkward sentences. But his reactions to DFW have me puzzled. He seems to be really jealous over the posthumous adulation of DFW; that it isn't himself who is viewed as the "leader" of modern literature.

You can download the Real Time With Bill Maher podcast for free on iTunes, it is Episode #227 (Originally Aired 10/7/11)

As for T.B.O.T.S., the Norman Bombardini parts make me uncontrollably laugh every time I read them.

I quite enjoyed the juxtaposition of the back to back chapters introducing Bombardini: one from his perspective and one from Lenore and Rick.

I found it to be a really nice way to introduce a character.