Reading David Foster Wallace Between Philosophy and Literature

Reading David Foster Wallace between philosophy and literature explores Wallace's unique way of being a writer and shows that this uniqueness resides in how his work functions in between philosophy and literature. Philosophy is not a mere supplement to or decoration of his writing, nor does he use literature to illustrate preestablished philosophical truths. Rather, as this collection aims to demonstrate, for Wallace philosophy and literature are co-originating ways of apprehending and articulating the world. The readings of Wallace presented here follow an investigative approach rather than a fixed methodology or homogenous theoretical slant. Sixteen prominent and promising Wallace scholars present their individual takes on Wallace's in-betweenness, which are clustered around three themes: general aspects of Wallace's oeuvre - such as his aesthetics, form and engagement with performance - 'consciousness, self and others', and 'embodiment, gender and sexuality'. Readers will find fresh insights on key issues in Wallace's work - from solipsism and narcissism to the problem of other minds and role of the imagination - together with investigations of gender, performativity and race, and Wallace's engagement with writers such as Joyce, Dostoevsky, Hegel and Lasch.