Sorry about posting another new topic but this one is really bugging me. Since DFW's passing, I've read a lot of analyses of his work that basically states something along the lines of "he was a talented fiction writer but his real talent was non-fiction/reportage/essays."
I think this is the right group to ask: Are those people on crack?
Seriously, are people just saying that because they haven't read IJ? Now I really like Consider the Lobster & Supposedly Fun Thing (although no one seems to talk about the American Usage essay, which is my fave by far) but I can't wrap my mind around someone honestly thinking those are better than IJ. If Infinite Summer makes people stop saying that the "cruise ship" essay or the "lobster" essay is Foster Wallace's masterwork, it will have provided a valuable service, IMO.
-D
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