Many years ago, a student recommended a graduation address on YouTube delivered by David Foster Wallace. I listened to it, liked it, and decided I would road-test it for some students. They enjoyed it, too. It’s basically a meditation on Stoic philosophy. I started playing it for many of my classes. Just one problem.
I had read nothing by Wallace. I felt like a fraud. This had to be fixed. I went to a friend who is something of an authority on contemporary literature. I asked him, “What do I need to read by Wallace?” He replied, “The major work is Infinite Jest, but there are shorter works if you just want to enter the shallow end.”
I began (of course) looking into Infinite Jest. I found a bunch of articles on it. Seemingly every major periodical was doing a twentieth-anniversary review of the book. Why is that?, I wondered. Cripes, they’re all doing it! I began reading them, and I noticed something. A number of the people who penned these reviews made comments like “In 1996, your boyfriend bought this book, placed it on his coffee table to look smart, and the bookmark remained stuck at page 70.” But the reviews were soaring.
I thought to myself, “Ah, so it’s that kind of book—the big one nobody reads. Well, Wallace, looks like it’s you and me, buddy.”
I bought a first-edition hardcover and settled in. I hated it at first. The first fifty pages were nothing but postmodern bullshit. I’m not committing to over a thousand pages of this nonsense. I’ll read Sartre’s Being and Nothingness instead. Screw you, Wallace.
I did more poking around online. There are online glossaries and guides dedicated to the novel. There are entire conferences held. [sigh] I’ll read the goddamn thing.
So, I did. I will not provide here a summary of the book. I will say that Wallace downloaded his entire intellect—which was considerable; I’ve seen a number of interviews—into this book. It’s a masterpiece of modern fiction. When you finish reading it, you are now ready to read it properly. (I’ve only read it the one time.) It has over 200 pages of endnotes; some of the endnotes have footnotes. It’s a serious commitment.
There is a however: Wallace was cancelled for being a violent misogynist. Another great artist turns out to be a vile human being.
I know well what to do in these instances. I like Picasso, Heidegger, and even J. K. Rowling. Say what you want about David Foster Wallace—or Picasso or Rowling—but Heidegger was a Nazi. Card carrying. Should we still read Heidegger? Sure. Just remember you’re reading the work of a disgusting human being. It’s not hard.
Now, some people argue that we shouldn’t buy Harry Potter books. They want to hurt J. K. Rowling. They are not going to; she’s a billionaire. Furthermore, should that be the motive? Pitchforks and torches? I think discussing these issues would be far more constructive. Read the books and discuss their racial failings. Put them to use.
And who knows, you might get Rowling to realize what she has been saying about trans folk is hurtful and stupid. Wouldn’t that be better than her making a million fewer dollars this year?
If you’re looking for a major work of contemporary fiction, something to really sink your teeth into, I would recommend Infinite Jest. It’s brilliant. The structure alone is a wonder. And much of it is laugh-out-loud funny. And you can take solace that you’ll be embarrassing all those dopey erstwhile bohemian boyfriends.
https://www.theguardian.com/books/2026/feb/07/never-mind-the-lit-bros-infinite-jest-is-a-true-classic-at-30
