Episode 13: Discussing David Foster Wallace with Rob Short

In this episode we talk with Wallace scholar Rob Short. We discuss everything from AA & recovery to William James and summer camp. 

You can follow Rob on twitter and academia.edu here:

https://twitter.com/vismeainlabore

http://florida.academia.edu/RobShort

Show Notes

Urine trouble? You’re in luck! - 00:49

Rob’s academic background – 1:09

Wallace’s interview with SPEAK magazine – 3:15

Rob’s paper at the 2014 DFW Conference – 5:26

The idea of “worshipping” – 6:30

Readers at academic conferences – 8:42

The obtuseness of Derrida – 10:24

Glenn K. – 11:30

“To impress people when you are 24” – 12:19

Teaching Wallace - 15:18

DFW’s early publishing history & audience – 29:00

David Markson – 30:26

Wallace’s inter-novel period – 34:00

Rob’s dissertation’s structure – 37:27

William James – 41:26

The rhetoric of AA – 46:33

How Don Gately goes straight – 50:30

Zadie Smith on DFW – 52:29

Catholics by Brian Moore – 56:33

Personal religion stuff – 57:45

United Church of Canada and atheism– 1:01:21

Post-secular society – 1:03:36

A spectrum of salvation/hope - 1:05:47

Addicts are throwaway people – 1:08:15

“Use” and usefulness - 1:09:55

Rote discipline and routine – 1:12:35

Wallace at Le Conversazioni http://robshort.org/files/Le_Conversazioni_2006.mp4 - 1:15:48

Eternal thanks to Parquet Courts, David C. Jensen, and Robyn O’Neil … and You of course.