David Foster Wallace Alert!

[Andrew Dinn]

RICHARD ROMEO writes:

> Has anyone actually read _Broom of the System_?  I'm afraid it'll be like 
> L'Emp's Dictionary, lots of competency but not alot of originality 
> (though I am looking forward to Pope's Rhino),  and seem to come up with 
> the excuse not to read it.  IJ was its own man as we say here IMHO.

Read it and IJ and Lemp's Dic and am half way through the Pope's Rhino
and your take is probably pretty much correct except that Broom of the
System was very funny in places but overall a bit stale and plodding
whereas Lemp's Dic was quite a wild ride. I would recommend you read
DFW's short stories rather than Broom of the System as the writing is
much better, and there is more variety.

As for The Pope's Rhino I stopped reading it to finish Lemp's Dic,
ended up browsing the real Lempriere's Dictionary and was side-tracked
into rereading Robert Graves Greek Myths - a complete start to finish
job which has almost reached the end of volume one. What I read of The
Pope's Rhino was very impressive with less of the jumble and cliche
which mars Lemp's Dic and with some spectacular prose to leaven the
pleasantly grainy greyscale of the bulk of the narrative. Left off
just as it took a bizarre turn, though, so I still don't know what to
make of it.


Andrew Dinn
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And though Earthliness forget you,
To the stilled Earth say:  I flow.
To the rushing water speak:  I am.