A supposedly fun thing I'll never do again

353 pages

English language

Published Nov. 11, 1997 by Little, Brown and Co..

ISBN:: 978-0-316-91989-0
OCLC Number:: 35318437
Goodreads:: 6438

(1 review)

A collection of stories from David Foster Wallace is occasion to celebrate. These stories -- which have been prominently serialized in Harper's, Esquire, the Paris Review, and elsewhere -- explore intensely immediate states of mind, with the attention to voice and the extraordinary creative daring that have won Wallace his reputation as one of the most talented fiction writer of his generation.Among the stories are "The Depressed Person", a dazzling portrayal of a woman's mental state; "Adult World", which reveals a woman's agonized consideration of her confusing sexual relationship with her husband; and "Brief Interviews with Hideous Men", a dark, hilarious series of portraits of men whose fear of women renders them grotesque.

4 editions

The Weaver Reads reviewed A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again by David Foster Wallace

What It Means to Live on the Cusp of the 21st Century

5 stars

I should be upfront before I begin: this is my fourth work by DFW. I've been working through his entire oeuvre and have been amazed by it. Previous works I've read by him are Consider the Lobster, This is Water (which, I guess, is really a lecture), and Infinite Jest.

The essays included here are of differing quality--the least powerful of which was his review of Morte d'Author--but the best here ("A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again," Getting Away from Already Being Pretty Much Away from It All," and "David Lynch Keeps His Head") are really phenomenal.

The man's observational capabilities are apt and hilarious. While other essayists are informative and offer new insights on X or Y issue, DFW has the uncanny ability to write about specific experiences that mirror what it is actually like to live these experiences. I've been to state fairs …

I should be upfront before I begin: this is my fourth work by DFW. I've been working through his entire oeuvre and have been amazed by it. Previous works I've read by him are Consider the Lobster, This is Water (which, I guess, is really a lecture), and Infinite Jest.

The essays included here are of differing quality--the least powerful of which was his review of Morte d'Author--but the best here ("A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again," Getting Away from Already Being Pretty Much Away from It All," and "David Lynch Keeps His Head") are really phenomenal.

The man's observational capabilities are apt and hilarious. While other essayists are informative and offer new insights on X or Y issue, DFW has the uncanny ability to write about specific experiences that mirror what it is actually like to live these experiences. I've been to state fairs (in Indiana, not Illinois) and I've been on a cruise, and both experiences are described exactly as they actually are, from my stand point.

With that in mind, I'm not sure that DFW's style will resonate with everybody. He has this maximalist, neurotic style that resonates with me pretty heavily, but I'm not sure that it will for everyone. I hope it does. It would sure as hell make me feel less alone if it does, but I'm not sure that this is true. I'd love to hear anyone else's feedback on this as well.