Have I mentioned here yet that Powell'sBlog is my new favorite Web site? Well, it is.
Today brings a great posting, inspired (if not actually about) a David Foster Wallace essay. This paragraph in particular really hits the nail on the head when it comes to DFW:
"Many talented authors instill in their readership a particular brand of I-could-have-written-that confidence. Nick Hornby comes to mind. He makes writing look effortless. David Foster Wallace also makes the job seem easy, but unless you scored 800 on both your SATs, cruised through med school, and now spend nights pining for the time when Mensa membership really counted for something, you never get the feeling that you would have known to use quite the same words or to put them in as effective an order. No, if reading Wallace stirs any reaction among prospective writers, it's more likely despair. Why bother? The shaggy fellow on the book flap is clearly so much better at this, and better informed, than you could ever hope to be."
The full post is here.
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