A Companion to David Foster Wallace Studies [Hardcover]

Criticism of the work of David Foster Wallace has tended to be atomistic, focusing on a single aspect of individual works. A Companion to the Work of David Foster Wa ll ace is designed as a professional study of all of Wallace's creative work. This volume includes both thematic essays and focused examinations of each of his major works of fiction.Preface 1. Almost a Novel: The Broom of the System ; Patrick O'Donnell 2. A Fiction of Response: Girl with Curious Hair in Context; Kasia Boddy 3. David Foster Wallace and the Mathematics of Infinity; Roberto Natalini 4. Webs of Nerves Pulsing and Firing': Infinite Jest and the Science of Mind; Stephen J. Burn 5. Location's Location: Placing David Foster Wallace; Paul Quinn 6. Mediated Immediacy in Brief Interviews with Hideous Men ; Mary K. Holland 7. '&': Language, Gender, and Modes of Power in the Work of David Foster Wallace; Claire Hayes-Brady 8. 'The Constant Monologue Inside Your Head': Oblivion and the Nightmare of Consciousness; Marshal Boswell 9. 'The Chains of Not Choosing': Free Will and Faith in William James and David Foster Wallace; David H. Evans 10. The Pale King , or, The White Visitation; Brian McHale 11. The Novel After David Foster Wallace; Andrew Hoberek

A Companion to David Foster Wallace Studies' academic rigour is a welcome contribution to the study of this most influential of contemporary U.S. writers. - 49th Parallel

A major collection on the work of David Foster Wallace, with essential contributions on his place in American literary history. Boswell and Burn present a stellar line-up of Wallace specialists, some of whom finally tackle issues such as gender and the importance of the Midwest. - Luc Herman, Professor of Literature, University of Antwerp, Belgium

Incisive and wide-ranging, this volume assembles some of the best critics at work today for a fascinating analysis of David Foster Wallace's writing. Alternating between fresh readings of indlI