Table of Contents

Part I. Historical and Cultural Contexts: 1. Slacker redemption: Wallace and generation X Marshall Boswell; 2. Wallace and American literature Andrew Hoberek; 3. Wallace's 'bad influence' Lee Konstantinou; Part II. Early Works, Story Collections, and Non-Fiction: 4. Broom of the System and Girl with Curious Hair Matthew Luter; 5. Brief Interviews with Hideous Men Adam Kelly; 6. Oblivion David Hering; 7. Wallace's non-fiction Jeffrey Severs; Part III. The Major Novels: 8. Infinite Jest Mary Holland; 9. 'Palely loitering': on not finishing (in) The Pale King Clare Hayes-Brady; Part IV. Themes and Topics: 10. Wallace's aesthetic Robert L. McLaughlin; 11. Wallace and politics Andrew Warren; 12. Wallace, spirituality, and religion Matthew Mullins; 13. Wallace and race Lucas Thompson; 14. Wallace's geographic metafiction Jurrit Daalder; 15. David (Foster) Wallace and the (world) system Joseph Tabbi.

Promotional Information

A compelling, comprehensive, and substantive introduction to the work of David Foster Wallace.

About the Author

Ralph Clare is Associate Professor of English at Boise State University, Idaho and specializes in post-45 American literature. He is the author of Fictions Inc.: The Corporation in Postmodern Fiction, Film, and Popular Culture (2014) and is currently at work on a study of emotion and affect in contemporary fiction of the neoliberal era.