A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again: Essays and Arguments by David Foster Wallace (4 stars)
This was a very, very funny book of essays. The section on the baton twirling competition at the state fair is one of the funniest things I've ever read. Wallace just has a dark, ironic way of seeing things that resonates with me. I didn't actually read all the essays; I skipped the ones about David Lynch movies, postmodern lit crit, and tv (written in 1991) because I just wasn't that interested. But the essays on his experience at the state fair, about a professional tennis player, and on the Caribbean cruise were exceptionally good. He perfects a certain sarcastic, witty, slightly snobby yet self-depreciating style of writing that I love. It is, of course, also very sad to read, knowing as we do now how genuine the despair and "otherness" he conveys in his writing was, as he committed suicide several years ago. While it is true that there is much to loathe, or mock, or find very strange indeed at a state fair or on a cruise... it is (apparently unbearably) sad to not ever feel part of the fun, either.
The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
This was a tough book to read. Not the story, which was easy, but to just know from the start things were not going to work out for these people. They were going to be crushed. I think it very effectively demonstrated the cost of a coldly capitalist system with no safety net. It may be true in the end it is more efficient, etc. But in the meantime living, breathing people are crushed.
After reading this I read a few reviews, discussions, etc about it online. One interesting point was that the appalling migrant worker conditions in California dramatized in the book had been going on for several decades before the book was written. However, the workers mostly consisted of non-whites and immigrants and no one seemed to be overly concerned. It wasn't until the Okies showed up - white native born Americans - that the outrage at the exploitation and injustice began. But their whiteness did not save them from the dehumanizing conditions, mind you.
The writing was, I thought, wonderful. The characters were sympathetic and likable, and we were mostly spared from moralizing dialogue. Overall just a very moving, sad story. And unfortunately still very relevant.
2 comments:
I've been meaning to try some David Foster Wallace, but he hasn't appealed much to me. Essays sound fun so maybe I'll give this book a try.
I'll admit that Grapes of Wrath isn't really my favorite Steinbeck. I prefer East of Eden by a long shot. But, I will never dispute the reasons why it's a classic. We need more writers like Steinbeck and Upton Sinclair around these days.
And I really didn't like East of Eden much at all, Jessie. It seemed to me sort of self-important. I think that's why it's taken me so long to finally get around to reading Grapes of Wrath, which I liked a whole lot.
Yes, there is a lot of pressure to like DFW, isn't there? I felt like I had a minor crush on him before even reading anything by him. His aura is just so uber-cool. I was relieved that I actually did like his writing :)
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