David Foster Wallace and the Question of Scepticism

Matt Prout

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Hardback

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English

Edinburgh University Press
09 April 2025

Literary studies: from c 1900 -; Literary studies: fiction, novelists & prose writers; Philosophy: epistemology & theory of knowledge

Series: Modern American Literature and the New Twentieth Century

David Foster Wallace and the Question of Scepticism examines the role of scepticism and doubt in Wallace's work, showing that they are of fundamental importance to his writing in its form and its themes. Wallace's work articulates a deep ambivalence about the value of scepticism, on the one hand presenting practical and moral arguments for the value of conviction and belief, while on the other hand being committed to a sceptical project of opposing certainty and dogma. On a formal level, Wallace's writing both solicits the reader's trust and provokes the reader's scepticism. This dynamic is responsible for the polarised responses of absolute trust and dissenting scepticism that characterise the work's reception. By putting these responses into dialogue with the work's internal treatment of the question of scepticism, this book illuminates the core philosophical investments that drive the work, and the dynamics that have so far governed its reception.

By: Matt Prout
Imprint: Edinburgh University Press
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 216mm, Width: 138mm,
ISBN: 9781399527224
ISBN 10: 1399527223
Series: Modern American Literature and the New Twentieth Century
Pages: 256
Publication Date: 09 April 2025
Audience: College/higher education , Further / Higher Education
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active

Matt Prout is an Irish Research Council Postdoctoral Fellow at University College Dublin.

Reviews for David Foster Wallace and the Question of Scepticism

Matt Prout has written a profound consideration of Wallace's work that doubles as an original investigation into the relationship between literature and philosophy more broadly. David Foster Wallace and the Question of Scepticism is a joy to read: stylish and engaging, patient but not pedantic, equal parts amusing and analytically precise.--Adam Kelly, University College Dublin