A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again
Review of the Late David Foster Wallace's Collection of Essays
Oct 28, 2008
The recent tragic loss of gifted writer David Foster Wallace has left a discernible void in the literary world. The author of two novels and three short story collections, Wallace also wrote numerous in-depth essays on a wide variety of subjects for publications like Harpers Magazine, and The Atlantic Monthly.
Eight of those essays are collected in A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again, a book which is now perhaps the closest thing to an autobiography readers will have to gain insight into the highly regarded writer's life.
Essay Collection Samples Wallace's Style & Thought Process
First published as a collection in 1997, A Supposedly Fun Thing's... essays provide not only an exemplary sampling of David Foster Wallace's quirky, postmodern writing style, but peeks into the complicated and often neurotic thought process of this troubled writer who committed suicide in September 2008. Seen in the light of his tragic death --Wallace struggled with depression for decades-- the often self-effacing asides in these essays take on new meaning, but they remain thoughtful and sometimes hilarious nonetheless.
Topically, the author covers much ground in this collection. From Tennis and Tornadoes (together), to Television and U.S. Fiction, from the movies of David Lynch to post-structural metacriticism, Wallace applies his twistingly logical arguments and lengthy footnotes (sometimes as long as the actual text) with an eye towards what these things mean in a late 20th century America.
The title essay, A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again, has gained nearly legendary status. In it, DFW (as fans have dubbed Wallace), funded by Harper's Magazine for the purpose, examines a 7-night Carribean cruise from an "outside-looking-in" perspective. While it could be argued that a writer is always in this position, Wallace takes it to whole new level, going to great lengths to distance himself from the "tourist" masses, hoping the cruiseship staff will respect his "differentness."
DFW's efforts ultimately backfire on him, as the ship's Hotel Manager --whom Wallace christens "Mr. Dermatitis"-- denies him access to the behind-the-scenes operations he plans to write about. Having stubbornly refused to bring along a requisite tuxedo, Wallace spends the final festive night in his tiny cabin watching movies he's already seen half a dozen times.
Undertone of Regret Runs Through Wallace's Essays
While there is an undertone of regret throughout the essay, it is simultaneously thought-provoking and hysterical. Wallace can go off on a tangent like no one else; in this case asides on the ship's "Ping-Pong Pro" and "Captain Video", or his musings on the bovineness of Americans en masse, or his fear of being sucked into the ships vacuum suction-powered toilet among many others are unforgettable.
Another lengthy essay, "Getting Away From Already Pretty Much Being Away From It All", is a similar look at the goofiness of America via Wallace's home state Illinois State Fair. With this and all of these essays, DFW brings his own special brand of logic to observing, for instance, the midway carnival workers: "You are in no way drawn to them. They all have the same hard blank eyes as people in bus terminal bathrooms. They want your money and to look up your skirt...next week they'll dismantle and pack and haul up to the Wisconsin State Fair, where they'll again never set foot off the Midway they pee on."
David Foster Wallace's prose are not always easy to digest, often leaving the reader with a bit of the despair the writer himself seemed to experience regularly. His writing is honest, sometimes to a fault, but always thought-provoking.
Wallace, David Foster. A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again 1997, Little,Brown&Co. 353 pgs.
(ISBN# 0-316-91989-6)
