Books › A supposedly fun thing I'll never do again
A supposedly fun thing I'll never do again
First published 1997 · 368 pages
A hyper-articulate, deeply neurotic plunge into the surreal and exhausting landscape of American leisure.
What it feels like
Reading this collection feels like being cornered at a party by the smartest, most anxious person in the room, only to realize you never want the conversation to end. The pace is deliberately meandering, pulling you through labyrinthine sentences and sprawling footnotes that are just as vital as the main text. It is a dizzying, darkly comic experience that immerses you in the sheer absurdity of American consumerism, from the forced fun of a luxury cruise to the surreal spectacle of a state fair. Yet beneath the sardonic wit and maximalist prose lies a profound, aching vulnerability. It delights readers who love to overthink, offering a brilliant, exhausting, and ultimately unforgettable lens through which to view modern life's empty entertainments.
- Mood
- anxious
- absurd
- intellectually dizzying
- darkly comic
- Tone
- neurotic
- hyper-observant
- sardonic
- self-deprecating
- earnest
- Pace
- meandering
- Themes
- alienation of consumerism · absurdity of American leisure · hyper-consciousness · existential dread · high art versus low culture
- The writing
- Maximalist, recursive, and heavily footnoted, blending high-academic vocabulary with conversational slang.
- The arc
- Begins with sharp, ironic detachment and slowly spirals into a vulnerable, overwhelming confrontation with the emptiness of modern entertainment.
- Who it's for
- Overthinkers and lovers of cultural critique who delight in linguistic acrobatics and do not mind getting lost in a page-long footnote.
Content notes
- depression
- anxiety
- existential dread
About the book
A collection of stories from David Foster Wallace is occasion to celebrate. These stories -- which have been prominently serialized in Harper's, Esquire, the Paris Review, and elsewhere -- explore intensely immediate states of mind, with the attention to voice and the extraordinary creative daring that have won Wallace his reputation as one of the most talented fiction writer of his generation.Among the stories are "The Depressed Person", a dazzling portrayal of a woman's mental state; "Adult World", which reveals a woman's agonized consideration of her confusing sexual relationship with her husband; and "Brief Interviews with Hideous Men", a dark, hilarious series of portraits of men whose fear of women renders them grotesque.
Description from Open Library.
Books like A supposedly fun thing I'll never do again
See why they match
Brief Interviews With Hideous MenDavid Foster WallaceA dizzying, darkly hilarious plunge into the neurotic, self-justifying minds of profoundly alienated people.
Consider the lobster, and other essaysDavid Foster WallaceA dizzying, hyper-articulate plunge into the absurdities and moral anxieties of modern American life.
PastoraliaGeorge SaundersA hilarious, heartbreaking funhouse mirror reflecting the soul-crushing absurdities of modern work and life.
Let's Explore Diabetes with OwlsDavid SedarisA globe-trotting masterclass in finding the hilarious, grotesque, and surprisingly tender details hidden in everyday life.
When You Are Engulfed in FlamesDavid SedarisA masterclass in turning everyday mortifications and neurotic spirals into sharp, surprisingly tender comedy.
No One Belongs Here More Than YouMiranda JulyA tender, delightfully weird exploration of lonely people fumbling toward connection in the most unexpected ways.