The Gospel according to David Foster Wallace : boredom and addiction in an age of distraction

Author / Creator

Miller, Adam S. author

Available as

Physical

Summary

In a series of short, topic-focused chapters, this book joins a selection of key scenes from Wallace's novels "Infinite Jest" and "The Pale King" with clear explanations of how they contribute to h...

In a series of short, topic-focused chapters, this book joins a selection of key scenes from Wallace's novels "Infinite Jest" and "The Pale King" with clear explanations of how they contribute to his overall account of what it means to be a human being in the 21st century. Adam S. miller explores how Wallace's work masterfully investigates the nature of first-world boredom and shows, in the process, how easy it is to get addicted to distraction (chemical, electronic, or otherwise). Implicitly critiquing, excising, and repurposing elements of AA's Twelve Step program, Wallace suggests that the practice of prayer (regardless of belief in God), the patient application of attention to things that seem ordinary and boring, and the internalization of clichés may be the antidote to much of what ails us in the 21st century.

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