Federer Both Flesh and Not

on the unparalleled kinetic beauty of Roger Federer. well-written even if I personally don't really care for tennis

Fictional Futures and the Conspicuously Young

Published 1998, written late 1987. On the recent spate of "Conspicuously Young" writers (aka the Brat Pack): Bret Easton Ellis's Less Than Zero, David Leavitt's Family Dancing, Jay McInerney's Bright Lights, Big City. How they were initially lauded by the media, then derided by it for being empty, trashy, etc. DFW explores the temporal reasons their writing has a tendency to be this way and why it's important to overcome it

The Empty Plenum: David Markson's Wittgenstein's Mistress

written in 1990. an adulatory review of David Markson's Wittgenstein's Mistress that briefly discusses Wittgenstein's theories. lovely to read.

Mr. Cogito

a one-page review of the English translation of Zbigniew Herbert's Mr. Cogito (Polish book of poems). DFW considers him one of the best living poets, and definitely the best of the postmodern poets

Democracy and Commerce at the U.S. Open

an investigative journalism piece on the 1996 U.S. Open. some funny moments but nothing special

Back in New Fire

short but interesting, though it felt weird without the context. about AIDS, and how the erotic will really only exists because of impediments (the knight's desire for the maiden in the castle is heightened by the presence of the dragon, etc)

The (As It Were) Seminal Importance of Terminator 2

from 1998. about the release of Terminator 2. no real takeaways

The Nature of the Fun

short but great (and very relevant) one about writing! starts off with a metaphor from Don DeLillo's Mao II (writing a book is like having a hideous infant following you around).

Overlooked: Five direly underappreciated U.S. novels >1960

• Omensetter's Luck by William H. Gass
• Steps by Jerzy Kosinski
• Angels by Denis Johnson
• Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy
• Wittgenstein's Mistress by David Markson

Rhetoric and the Math Melodrama

about how math has found its way into popular culture and entertainment (see: Good Will Hunting, A Beautiful Mind, etc). reviews two math genre books: The Wild Numbers by Philibert Schogt (apparently awful) and Uncles Petros & Goldbach's Conjecture by Apostolos Doxiadis (apparently less awful). both, however, have a problem with defining their audience (i.e., it's unclear for whom the books are written: people who love math? people who know nothing about math?). mostly just DFW showing off how much he knows about math, but not terrible.

The Best of the Prose Poem

a fairly silly book review where he makes a bulleted list of things he wants to say about The Best of The Prose Poem in order to get in under the word limit. mostly just him belittling the idea of a prose poem and the contributors to the volume (possibly deserved, idk) while praising a few of them (Jon Davis, David Ignatow, and some others)

Twenty-Four Word Notes

• Utilize: don't use it
• If vs whether
• Pulchritude: stupid word
• Toward (US) vs towards (UK)
• That vs which / that vs whom
• Effete's connotations
• Dialogue is not a verb
• Privilege as a verb: only in academic environments (the sort DFW doesn't like)
• Myriad: may or may not be followed by an of (people disagree)
• Dysphesia: appropriate for GWB
• Unique is an incomparable
• Beg the question: only in the case of petitio principii
• "To criticize" over "to critique" despite its present negative connotations
• Focus: not sure what his point is here
• Impossibly: an adverb that can only modify adjectives
• Individual: not a synonym for person unless you're a bureaucracy
• Fervent: synonymous with ardent; weaker than fervid (and perfervid)
• Loan: not a verb (lend)
• Feckless: instead of effete
• All of: usually unnecessary (note 510)
• Bland: historically different meaning
• Noma: icky
• Hairy: enumerating the many words used to describe hair (I zoned out)

Borges on the Couch

a book review of Borges: A Life by Edwin Williamson, but really an excuse to talk about the genius of Jorge Luis Borges and how it's silly to try and relate everything in his work to his life story (as Williamson does in the biography)

Deciderization 2007--A Special Report

intro to The Best American Essays 2007. explaining the general process of choosing essays and also describing how the current political sentiment has influenced his choices

Just Asking

very short. about 9/11 and whether the lives lost are "sacrifices on the altar of freedom" (Lincoln's words) the same way car accidents are an acceptable trade-off for the convenience of cars. i basically agree with everything he says here