The Gospel According to David Foster Wallace: Boredom and Addiction in an Age of Distraction, Adam S. Miller

The Gospel According to David Foster Wallace is the first book to explore key religious themes - from boredom to addiction, and distraction - in the work of one of Americas most celebrated contemporary novelists.

In a series of short, topic-focused chapters, the book joins a selection of key scenes from Wallaces novels Infinite Jest and The Pale King with clear explanations of how they contribute to his overall account of what it means to be a human being in the 21st century. Adam Miller explores how Wallaces work masterfully investigates the nature of first-world boredom and shows, in the process, how easy it is to get addicted to distraction (chemical, electronic, or otherwise). Implicitly critiquing, excising, and repurposing elements of AAs Twelve Step program, Wallace suggests that the practice of prayer (regardless of belief in God), the patient application of attention to things that seem ordinary and boring, and the internalization of clich s may be the antidote to much of what ails us in the 21st century.