tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4050351198682046702.post8624540902295371817..comments2024-03-16T18:52:51.802-07:00Comments on Robert Anasi: David Foster Wallace's Cruise to NowhereRobot Boyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04330422829802845946noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4050351198682046702.post-58158222006908227652016-11-15T02:55:10.206-08:002016-11-15T02:55:10.206-08:00Thank you, Inort, for you blast of hot air complet...Thank you, Inort, for you blast of hot air completely unsupported by argument, example, or original thought. Trolls always welcome here! RAhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11212466455309077919noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4050351198682046702.post-19323169017520622272016-11-14T10:53:04.941-08:002016-11-14T10:53:04.941-08:00Nice move tying DFW into NPR! Another "libera...Nice move tying DFW into NPR! Another "liberal snob", right? Whoops, he's actually brilliant, hilarious and capable of articulating a web of contradiction that reveals his own flaws as fully as the delusional "reality" he assaults. I laughed out loud many times and am in awe of DFW's willingness to be a complete "case" while keenly observing our obsession with being treated as royalty.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11073064274161933245noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4050351198682046702.post-16231887405735833592015-11-21T03:13:46.375-08:002015-11-21T03:13:46.375-08:00Certainly Wallace responds to his misery with humo...Certainly Wallace responds to his misery with humor. Sadly, I think the piece is more effective as a look into his depression than it is as a work of literature. The fact that the NPR canonized someone who views the mass of Americans as gross but indistinguishable sheep is telling. Compare this to the great authors of literary journalism and their sympathy for 'the man on the street' - Liebling, Mitchell, even the snob Didion does a better job of making her subjects particular. RAhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11212466455309077919noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4050351198682046702.post-34129253234184434942015-11-05T20:26:31.183-08:002015-11-05T20:26:31.183-08:00To me, the humor in this essay seems to be simply ...To me, the humor in this essay seems to be simply the only way DFW can convey his feelings. There is a feeling of superiority over other people, he looks at the others on the ship, and notices their flaws, but then he notices his own. He tries to laugh them off, but still ends up revealing his true self. It essentially is just too depressing to write something like this without humor, however immature that humor may be.Walfalconhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17449176041898336013noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4050351198682046702.post-25462988755559444382011-05-18T09:59:55.955-07:002011-05-18T09:59:55.955-07:00"In most these cases it feels like you’re rea..."In most these cases it feels like you’re reading the effusions of very smart, extremely insecure children."<br />- This is why philosophers like DFW.<br /><br />Great essay, Robert. Makes me think twice about my puppy love for DFW. Nonetheless, the very flow of his writing is what really appeals to me. He really has a way with words. As for the content...lemme get back to you.a peculiarihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11693606628937515457noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4050351198682046702.post-45384683115884475032011-05-12T01:04:46.148-07:002011-05-12T01:04:46.148-07:00Amy, thanks for the really insightful response. I ...Amy, thanks for the really insightful response. I know what you mean about the 'brains on sticks' comment. Although to be fair, DFW was an excellent tennis player. For me the snobbery transcends the physical. DFW's smugness papering over crippling insecurity is quite sad. That said, he's not too smart for you; he's too smart for himself.Robot Boyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04330422829802845946noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4050351198682046702.post-78503200955181640642011-05-02T12:42:35.659-07:002011-05-02T12:42:35.659-07:00The tablemates: This is what repels me about SBC&#...The tablemates: This is what repels me about SBC's Borat character, despite the humor--a deception to set up the unwitting. <br /><br />A friend spoke of her contempt for her parents' taking of a cruise. It's all for them, she cried. So selfish.<br /><br />These parents had long before raised two disabled children, and were taking a vacation. Why the disdain for recreation, for some intellectuals? Why the preference for brains on sticks, as someone put it? We use our bodies in sport and play, and the rest of life becomes a little more manageable. DFW never found that out.<br /><br />I've never felt smart enough to follow his fiction. Maybe it's just too difficult for me to sit in his world.Amy Phillipshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08507991317076642201noreply@blogger.com