David Foster Wallace: Syllabi as Resources for Creative Nonfiction and Literary Analysis
David Foster Wallace, a novelist renowned for his unique approach to writing, has significantly impacted the realm of creative nonfiction. His essays, whether about the Illinois State Fair, David Lynch, professional tennis, or a Caribbean cruise, showcase an unparalleled style. This article delves into the resources available through his syllabi, highlighting their value in understanding both creative nonfiction and literary analysis.
The Rise of Creative Nonfiction
The term "creative nonfiction" has gained considerable traction, becoming a broad category encompassing personal essays, memoirs, profiles, nature and travel writing, narrative essays, observational or descriptive essays, general-interest technical writing, argumentative or idea-based essays, general-interest criticism, and literary journalism. This popularity is partly due to Wallace's essays, which exemplify the genre's essence.
Creative nonfiction exists on a conceptual axis, connected to actual states of affairs and expected to be "true" to a reliable extent. Events must have occurred, and assertions must be supported by proof or argument. Simultaneously, the "creative" aspect indicates goals beyond mere truthfulness, motivating the writer and shaping the work.
Wallace's Syllabi as Creative Nonfiction
Wallace's syllabi, particularly from his courses at Illinois State University and Pomona College, serve as valuable resources for understanding his approach to writing and literary analysis. The syllabus of English 183D, a workshop Wallace taught at Pomona College in the spring of 2008, available in its entirety at Salon (reprinted from The David Foster Wallace Reader), exemplifies this. His ability to assemble a reading list was remarkable. In some ways, Wallace's syllabi themselves count as pieces of creative nonfiction. What other professor ever had the prose chops to make you actually want to read anything under the “Class Rules & Procedures” heading?
These syllabi highlight the importance of improving as a writer through both writing and critiquing others' work. In the grown-up world, creative nonfiction is not expressive writing but rather communicative writing.
Read also: Letterman Scholarship Requirements
The Art of Syllabussing
Creating a perfect syllabus requires precision planning, stellar formatting, copy-editing skills, and an understanding of the college-student psyche. The syllabus must clearly explain what students can expect from the class and what the class expects from them, without sounding dry or pedantic. It should function as both an FAQ and a contract, providing information on paper formatting and due dates.
Wallace's syllabi exemplify the fine art of syllabussing. His careful and meticulous approach to writing is evident in these documents.
English 102: Literary Analysis - Prose Fiction
The University of Texas at Austin’s Harry Ransom Center offers scans of Wallace’s syllabus for his introductory course “English 102-Literary Analysis: Prose Fiction,” along with other course documents. Wallace's choice of texts is of interest as well-surprising for a writer most detractors call “pretentious.” For his class, Wallace prescribed airport-bookstore standards-what he calls “popular or commercial fiction”-such as Jackie Collins’ Rock Star, Stephen King’s Carrie, Thomas Harris’s The Silence of the Lambs, and James Elroy’s The Big Nowhere.
The UT Austin site also has scans of some well-worn paperback teacher’s copies, with the red-ink marginal notes, discussion questions, and underlines one finds behind every podium. In the image above, Wallace has underlined a line of dialogue in Carrie, annotating it with the word “victim” in all-caps. Don’t let any potential lightweightish-looking qualities of the texts delude you into thinking that this will be a blow-off-type class. These “popular” texts will end up being harder than more conventionally “literary” works to unpack and read critically. Something about that “probably” at the end grabs me (again: the precision… the college-student psyche).
This brave approach challenges conventional notions of literary analysis. Some so-called literary fiction is formulaic in the extreme, all but containing checkboxes for the standard lit-crit categories.
Read also: From Education to Comedy Stardom: David Spade
Accessing Wallace's Resources
UT Austin’s Harry Ransom Center houses David Foster Wallace’s library and papers, but access to most of the archive requires a trip to Texas and academic credentials.
Further Resources
Several books and films offer insights into Wallace's life and work:
- Although of Course You End Up Becoming Yourself by David Lipsky (2010): A transcript of an interview between David Lipsky and David Foster Wallace in 1996.
- Every Love Story is a Ghost Story: A Life of David Foster Wallace by D.T. Max.
- Conversations with David Foster Wallace edited by Stephen J. Burn.
- David Foster Wallace’s Infinite Jest: A Reader’s Guide by Stephen J. Burn.
- The End of the Tour: A film based on Lipsky’s perspective of Wallace in 1996.
Audible and Downpour offer audiobooks of Infinite Jest and other works by Wallace. Public and academic libraries also provide access to his writings.
Read also: UCLA's David Walker and the science of aging
tags: #david #foster #wallace #syllabus #resources
