Thanks! I feel like his talk cracked open a can of worms. On one hand, such provocation is what I love about our Forums; on the other, I realize folk are clamoring for at least a few answers and "actionable" ideas. I'm sure you'll have lots to offer as we attempt to stuff a few slimy creatures back in the can.
Hoo boy, I guess we shall see! I struggle with the idea of needing "answers" or "actionable" items from a piece of literature and feel very passionate about that-- which means I'll very likely get flustered and say nothing but have LOTS of feelings 😆
There is no doubt that, while important, Infinite Jest does not need to be on most nightstands--and that's ok. Much more appropriate to have a guide take us through the highs and lows, ins and outs.
An alternative volume that explores some of the same themes as IJ, and that would be more accessible for more people, is Love in the Ruins by Walker Percy. Set in a zany, addiction-riddled, post-American landscape, Percy suggests that a way through the mess is in a fidelity to relationships, an openness to faith, and rootedness to a particular place.
I loved this talk and would love to hear more from this speaker on DFW and IJ (and wanted to email him to get the slides but wasn't sure how). Many books that are considered classics have themes and ideas that are provocative and, due to human nature, ugly. Everything I have read by DFW has struck me as prophetic (in some sense of the word) and I think if we take a look at Ezekiel, we have to admit that the Christian scriptures contain so pretty graphic and ugly prophetic messages. So while I don't claim that his works are “must read” for anyone, I don’t think that Christians should avoid him in particular because of distasteful content. He isn’t gratuitous with his ugliness, he’s showing us something true and holding up a mirror can be unsettling, especially in a culture so used to “filtered” images of ourselves.
Yes, to all of this! I especially love your last point-- so well made. I've slowly been working through a book called "With All Its Teeth: Sex, Violence, Profanity, and the Death of Christian Art" by Joshua Porter and it's been giving me lots to chew on in regards to this topic.
I listened to Bruce's talk a few days ago and am looking forward to a debriefing! There is so much to take from DFW's work.
Thanks! I feel like his talk cracked open a can of worms. On one hand, such provocation is what I love about our Forums; on the other, I realize folk are clamoring for at least a few answers and "actionable" ideas. I'm sure you'll have lots to offer as we attempt to stuff a few slimy creatures back in the can.
Hoo boy, I guess we shall see! I struggle with the idea of needing "answers" or "actionable" items from a piece of literature and feel very passionate about that-- which means I'll very likely get flustered and say nothing but have LOTS of feelings 😆
There is no doubt that, while important, Infinite Jest does not need to be on most nightstands--and that's ok. Much more appropriate to have a guide take us through the highs and lows, ins and outs.
An alternative volume that explores some of the same themes as IJ, and that would be more accessible for more people, is Love in the Ruins by Walker Percy. Set in a zany, addiction-riddled, post-American landscape, Percy suggests that a way through the mess is in a fidelity to relationships, an openness to faith, and rootedness to a particular place.
Thanks, Josh, for the pointer to Percy. And thanks for coming out last week. Cheers!
I loved this talk and would love to hear more from this speaker on DFW and IJ (and wanted to email him to get the slides but wasn't sure how). Many books that are considered classics have themes and ideas that are provocative and, due to human nature, ugly. Everything I have read by DFW has struck me as prophetic (in some sense of the word) and I think if we take a look at Ezekiel, we have to admit that the Christian scriptures contain so pretty graphic and ugly prophetic messages. So while I don't claim that his works are “must read” for anyone, I don’t think that Christians should avoid him in particular because of distasteful content. He isn’t gratuitous with his ugliness, he’s showing us something true and holding up a mirror can be unsettling, especially in a culture so used to “filtered” images of ourselves.
Yes, to all of this! I especially love your last point-- so well made. I've slowly been working through a book called "With All Its Teeth: Sex, Violence, Profanity, and the Death of Christian Art" by Joshua Porter and it's been giving me lots to chew on in regards to this topic.