The Howling Fantods

David Foster Wallace News and Resources Since March 97

  • Increase font size
  • Default font size
  • Decrease font size
Home News by Category Critical Analysis 'Litchat' and David Foster Wallace

'Litchat' and David Foster Wallace

There's a pretty interesting article by Laura Miller (@magiciansbook also the 1996 DFW Interview) over at The New Yorker today, David Foster Wallace and the Perils of “Litchat”.

I think Miller makes some interesting observations about the role of 'Litchat' in defining the reception of an author. But I also reacted negatively to the representation (stereotype?) of Wallace fans/enthusiasts etc, but then again, I am a 40 year old white male. Hmmm...

[...]
This stuff—let’s call it litchat—may be ephemeral, but it absolutely shapes the formal reception of a writer’s work. If everyone in your M.F.A. workshop or the last book party you went to mentions an established author’s name with reverence, you’ll be that much more likely to lay it on thick should you ever be asked to review her new book. Or, conversely, if you decide to prove your independence of mind and go contrarian on her, you’ll be aware of the inertia of all that acclaim and feel the imperative to push back with corresponding force. Reviewers don’t like to admit that they’re influenced by such factors, but unless they live cut off from other readers, writers, and critics entirely, they can’t really help it.
[...]

Continue reading David Foster Wallace and the Perils of “Litchat” here.

Share
Last Updated on Thursday, 10 September 2015 08:12  

The Howling Fantods