 First edition hardcover | |
| Author | David Foster Wallace |
|---|---|
| Cover artist | Elizabeth Van Itallie |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Non-fiction |
| Publisher | Little, Brown and Co. |
Publication date | 1 February 1997 |
| Publication place | United States |
| Media type | Print (hardback, paperback) |
| Pages | 353 pp |
| ISBN | 0-316-91989-6 |
| OCLC | 35318437 |
A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again: Essays and Arguments is a 1997 collection of nonfiction writing by David Foster Wallace.
In the title essay, originally published in Harper's as "Shipping Out", Wallace describes the excesses of his one-week trip in the Caribbean aboard the cruise ship MV Zenith, which he rechristens the Nadir. He is uncomfortable with the professional hospitality industry and the "fun" he should be having, and explains how the indulgences of the cruise cause introspection, leading to overwhelming internal despair. Wallace uses footnotes extensively for various asides.
Another essay in the same volume takes up the vulgarities and excesses of the Illinois State Fair. This collection also includes Wallace's influential essay "E Unibus Pluram" on television's impact on contemporary literature and the use of irony in American culture. In 2019, the collection was ranked in Slate as one of the 50 greatest nonfiction works of the past 25 years.[1]
- ^ Miller, Dan Kois, Laura (2019-11-18). "The 50 Best Nonfiction Books of the Past 25 Years". Slate Magazine. Retrieved 2020-12-03.
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