“ It has been often said that there is a fine line between genius and insanity. I believe that is indeed true. But I also believe that there is an equally fine line between real genius and just plain weirdness. In my experience, Wallace had very little of the former, so he exaggerated the latter. In fact, his only real genius may have been his ability to understand that if the right people want to think that you are a genius, they will give you the benefit of the doubt when deciding on which side of that line you fall. It is therefore far better to be weird and thought, at worst, to be “too smart for the room,” than to play it straight and be revealed as a “one hit wonder” or even a total fraud.
-John Ziegler, via Dave Weigel in his broader critique of David Foster Wallace’s Infinite Jest (and his long-form fiction in general). Is it possible that Wallace didn’t have that much to say? (via conservativeradical)
I don’t feel particularly compelled to argue against this point. Everyone responds to DFW differently, and those opinions are valid, despite how vehemently I disagree.
