DFW's Top Ten List
Talk Infinite Jesters
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1artturnerjr
Hey all. Apologies if this has already been addressed here.
I'm reading this book called The Top Ten: Writers Pick Their Favorite Books, in which 125 writers are asked to provide a list of what they feel are the ten greatest works of literature of all time. David Foster Wallace was one of the writers polled; his list is as follows:
1) The Screwtape Letters
2) The Stand
3) Red Dragon
4) The Thin Red Line
5) Fear of Flying
6) The Silence of the Lambs
7) Stranger in a Strange Land
8) Fuzz
9) Alligator
10) The Sum of All Fears
Hey? I have not read any of Mr. Wallace's work, but I have read enough about him to know that he's supposed to be some sort of postmodern literary genius and that he was also an English professor. This list seems to be rather... atypical of the sort of thing I would associate with the tastes of either of these. To paraphrase Bob Dylan's famous query, is this some kind of joke? Or did Wallace merely have an incongruous affection for popular literature?
Thanks in advance for any input you have on this matter.
I'm reading this book called The Top Ten: Writers Pick Their Favorite Books, in which 125 writers are asked to provide a list of what they feel are the ten greatest works of literature of all time. David Foster Wallace was one of the writers polled; his list is as follows:
1) The Screwtape Letters
2) The Stand
3) Red Dragon
4) The Thin Red Line
5) Fear of Flying
6) The Silence of the Lambs
7) Stranger in a Strange Land
8) Fuzz
9) Alligator
10) The Sum of All Fears
Hey? I have not read any of Mr. Wallace's work, but I have read enough about him to know that he's supposed to be some sort of postmodern literary genius and that he was also an English professor. This list seems to be rather... atypical of the sort of thing I would associate with the tastes of either of these. To paraphrase Bob Dylan's famous query, is this some kind of joke? Or did Wallace merely have an incongruous affection for popular literature?
Thanks in advance for any input you have on this matter.
2Crypto-Willobie
I suspect that in part he was being contrary, playing with people's expectations -- they'd be looking for influences (Sterne, Joyce, Barth, Pynchon, Firesign Theater, etc), and he hands them this. But these might be his favorite books - the ones he enjoyed most, at least on a certain level. I think I could compile my own list of ten favoritish down-market books too - they wouldn't be my choices for the Greatest books or most Important, or most Influential, just ones I Enjoyed excessively.
3Jesse_wiedinmyer
postmodern literary genius
It may help to bear in mind that postmodernism doesn't recognise the distinction between "high" and "low" culture in the same way others do.
It may help to bear in mind that postmodernism doesn't recognise the distinction between "high" and "low" culture in the same way others do.
4artturnerjr
>3 Jesse_wiedinmyer:
That's correct. It's also very postmodern/deconstructionist to challenge traditional value hierarchies, such as the notion of a "literary canon"; this list obviously does that as well.
That's correct. It's also very postmodern/deconstructionist to challenge traditional value hierarchies, such as the notion of a "literary canon"; this list obviously does that as well.
5khldbrnd
I have not read any of his work, however, the name jumped out at me. A speech of his was just plagiarized by a local high school principal.
http://lancasteronline.com/news/local/garden-spot-principal-admits-to-borrowing-...
For this "mistake" he received a 10 day suspension. Thought this might be of interest to the readers here.
http://lancasteronline.com/news/local/garden-spot-principal-admits-to-borrowing-...
For this "mistake" he received a 10 day suspension. Thought this might be of interest to the readers here.
