[...] Frequently Wallace depicts that anxiety about sincerity as bound up in problems of language and communication, and often from the point of view of the author himself: how does an author convince a reader he is being authentic ("Octet"), or create a persona for himself that seems real to the reader (The Pale King)? How does he avoid manipulating a reader with narrative devices ("Adult World II")? How does a speaker convey timeless truth when limited by linear language ("Good old Neon")? How does anyone perform identity in mediated situations without becoming an actor ("My Appearance")? [...]