A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again: Essays and Arguments

A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again

Essays and Arguments

1996 • 368 pages

Ratings82

Average rating4.2

15

This is kind of Infinite Jest Lite, which is to say it is definitely DFW (for better or for worse), and while you might rightfully expect a collection of essays to be a bit more palatable than IJ in its entirety... well, don't expect easily-digestible, bite-sized, sit-back-and-enjoy-it kind of Entertainment, because you won't find it here.

Similar to IJ, this collection mixes the mindblowing (on TV/media/irony or David Lynch, which contained bits I was reading/sharing with anyone who would listen), the impenetrably academic (on postmodern literature), the humorous (the titular essay), and the incredibly-dull-and-superhumanly-detailed-but-still-inexplicably-captivating (on tennis competitions or a rural state fair).

If you want to find out whether you will love or hate IJ, this is probably a good litmus test. I do personally think he was, if not a genius, an absolutely incredible intellect and one of the most brilliant writers in recent history.

November 17, 2016