E Unibus Pluram: Television and U.S. Fiction by David Foster Wallace

An article by David Foster Wallace from 1993, about American T.V. commercialism, advertising and American T.V. culture, highlighting the connection between American television and fiction.
An article that seems ahead of it's time, accurrately depicting and foreseeing American televisual culture. This article definitely still holds up.
Sections:
Act Natural - 00:09
The Finger - 15:11
Metawatching - 31:40
Guilty Fictions - 50:33
I Do Have a Thesis - 1:06:51
Image-Fiction - 1:08:07
Irony's Auro - 1:17:31
End of the End of the Line - 1:52:51
Link to the article: jsomers.net/DFW_TV.pdf
I'd be interested to hear what my listeners/subscribers like to read, or would be interested in hearing!
Like and subscribe if you’d like to hear more :)
The pace and delivery of this read picks up over time. I'm still working on minimizing the mouth noises, pops, clicks in my recordings.

[@Pallettown]

Thanks for listening! Let me know what you would like to hear next.

[@Tweston3ny]

Broom, please

[@staygolden77]

More DFW, or........... maybe: PKD, CAS, Ovid, Plato, Sarte/Camus, Schopenhauer, something Occult, Rudolf Steiner, St. Germain......Lovecraft?? The ''rarer'' the better. anyway Cheers, & many thanks!!

[@Pallettown]

@@staygolden77 thank you! I’ll keep those in mind.

[@pod9363]

I don't know if anyone else gets the same experience, but when I first read David Foster Wallace, I found that many of the conclusions he expanded upon and explains are all thoughts I've had, Like a little flashes of thoughts that was expanded completely match up with what he saying. Like all of the background thought I had observing modern society this guy just immediately calls out.

[@fritzstammen4535]

I've said something very similar to this about DFW before. It feels like he says ideas that are already in my head, but haven't been consciously recognized before

[@maxmeeks9910]

If you like this, you should check out, We Are The American Zombies. It dissects Americans in a humorous form.

[@Thurnishaley6969]

Absolutely

[@alexa.4273]

I can't find it 😮 ​@@maxmeeks9910

[@sandrajunghall9725]

He was incredibly prescient, eloquent and multi-dimensionally, incisively insightful. I wish he was still alive and writing.

[@redorchidee1372]

honestly, nothing has changed, it's just shifted mediums. you could argue that the patterns have become more potent and harder to get out of, as you can now engage with the images you see yourself, in real time, but they are pretty much the same. seeing without being seen, bringing more exciting and stimulating slices of reality into your perception whenever and whereever you want. feeling like you've spent time around people all day, whilst really just sitting by yourself in an empty room.

[@Pallettown]

I agree. With the implementation of algorithms it is now more personally tailored and possibly more difficult to detach. And overall just more accessibility to the mediums.

[@eleusis7778]

indeed

[@Wypipo]

I'm glad you read like Wallace without like impressionisting him. You're just doing the same well-paced, clear, just-enough intonation thing that he does. Good on ya.

[@Pallettown]

Thanks I appreciate that. It's not intentional, I just try to read as clearly as possible.

[@Retrostar619]

"they decline to bear the emotional costs with being around other humans" Well i feel seen.

[@bungalowlogic7676]

You've done a tremendously good job with this reading. DFW is my favorite. I was a student at Illinois State University at the same time he taught there. Wish I'd taken his course. Wish even more that he were still with us. This essay is spooky in how it applies to the progression of watching on the internet. Thanks for posting it. Cheers

[@Pallettown]

Thanks I appreciate that. It’s really spot on!

[@drumchanneltunnel5191]

dude you should keep doing this, better than most professional audiobooks.

[@Pallettown]

Thanks I really appreciate that. Ill keep working to get even better.

[@mbuch6873]

@@Pallettown I’m inclined to agree with the above, great clarity and lack of odd inflection or personalizing tone! One criticism I’d offer is checking on a handful of pronunciations. I noticed around 15-20 misc words mispronounced. Easy to do when narrating around 2 hours of written word! Just thought I’d mention! But thank you for this!

[@Pallettown]

@@mbuch6873 Thanks! I try to look up unfamiliar words when I have the time. Usually the ones that slip by are the ones I feel confident with and only afterwards realize I've been mispronouncing them for my whole life haha

[@bligaderski]

Amazing

[@TropicalPriest]

This doesn't just apply to television but explains even social media quite well. One of the personal questions I've been asking is how Gen Z can simultaneously have a fixation on individualism and personal expression while also viewing the entire world through stereotypes ie. This gf that bf, or all the people from a city are a certain way. This essay helped make sense of that strange phenomenon almost immediately since it's one founded in solipsistic, cynical irony.

[@Intestine_Ballin-ism]

As the reader went along, I started passively replacing any mention of TV with internet, phones or generic social media platform name. A lot of it has only gotten more intense than 1993, which hits pretty heavy considering how bad it was then

[@maudlinfaust]

@@Intestine_Ballin-ismoh gosh, I did exactly the same and once I noticed I was doing so, I actively started replacing it with social media and realised how great a video essay it would, updating this essay with those simple amendments

[@troydaum4728]

Thanks so much for doing this! One of my favorite essays by Wallace

[@AsIfInteractive]

Thank you for your readings. I miss DFW so much.

[@g0dis]

Thank you for narrating these writings.

[@itsdavidmora]

Thank you for this reading! The style really fits the author. Smashing good essay, too. The part that gives chills is when he starts to describe what would soon be Zoom visits to grandparents.

[@tehdii]

Yesterday I came across your reading of Tense Present and stayed glued to the headphones. Thank you for the great work.

[@Petch1]

Glad to see, or should i say hear, another one of these.

[@clandestine919]

this is amazing. thank you.

[@collinemcguigan]

Always an awesome job on your end

[@Pallettown]

Thank you

[@ohmalu]

Love your stuff! No hard recommendations except maybe more of his from Oblivion, I loved your Good Old Neon vid. I would love to have this accessible outside youtube though!

[@Pallettown]

Thanks! I’ve posted a couple of my own stories on Apple Podcasts, but haven’t posted much of my other stuff elsewhere.

[@Anthony-ed6ed]

Wallace would've really hated what happened with phones

[@socialand2920]

Muchas gracias voy a la mitad

[@staygolden77]

Excellent content, HIGHLY RELATABLE in this CLOWN WORLD. [reality]

[@Kelvinian]

I feel like the outcome we have--with our incredibly-online selves--is touched on with respect to Gilder's rosy vision of massively expanded choice, and how that choice, with no 'choosers manual', is just crippling. That is rather what it feels like to me anyway. I wish I had been exposed to this when I was younger, though; I spent so much time thinking about the aspects of postmodernism's self-reflexivity and skimmed-over references, and I knew instinctively that it needed to be eschewed somehow because it was in everything and often didn't seem to land on any fixed sentiment, but I couldn't quite enunciate how this was so for a long time. And it's totally true how reversion to conservative dogma is a complete non-option, and that while a lot of the literary illustrations of this feeling, while definitely impressive, are forgettable because of their seeming unwillingness to take up an unguardedly frank position. What DFW himself settled on seems like the only reasonable choice, which is what I perceive as 'the only way out is through', only to redound to a genuine sincerity. And still this is perceived as just another variation on postmodernist lit, only where the dominant elements end up upholding the moments of human connection rather than sneering at their apparent contrivance. I guess it's time to hold onto a robust framework and just get cringe.

[@pod9363]

You should be a writer.

[@irhsounds5715]

Honestly, you should be a writer. This is an amazing analysis and extremely insightful...

[@flyy1006]

Nah we need to return to conservative dogma we are doomed if we continue down this path of liberalism

[@kasim3990]

Thanks for this, if you don't mind my recommendation; DFW's part in fate time and language

[@Pallettown]

Unfortunately I don't own/have access to that one.

[@kasimal-najar9664]

@@Pallettown I'll happily purchase a copy and have it delivered to an address of your choice. In his short life, this man, made a peer recognised contribution to philosophical truth; within his thesis in the aforementioned book. Of course I understand if you don't want to give a stranger your personal address/details, however, I make the offer solely because of the positive affect your readings have had on me. So if you want a copy just reply to this message!

[@Pallettown]

@@kasimal-najar9664 Hey, I really appreciate that. If you want, you can send me an email (in my about section) and I can provide a PO box to ship to. Thank you,

[@btd9lord]

@@Pallettown --> ( ) : more content pls

[@PeterHHuis]

Thanks for the reading! The volume is very low for some reason though.

[@Pallettown]

My pleasure. Yes some of my previous recordings came out quite low, and I've started to boost the volume for my new recordings.

[@christianmcdepressed5899]

1:15:14 this is quoted in I’m thinking about ending things!

[@christianmcdepressed5899]

2:00:00 is legit so accurate it’s terrifying lmao

[@cuckmulligan]

*agressive snoring*

[@Johnconno]

No wonder he checked out.

[@I_can_do_20_push-ups]

I’m grateful you’ve recorded these, but you should probably Google how to pronounce less common words. For example, the “s” in “Gestalt” is pronounced like “sh”

[@robertpolasek8936]

I wonder what DFW's take on modern internet culture would be?

[@Pallettown]

I'd be especially interested to hear his thoughts on steaming services, with him writing about how people are contantly wondering what is on the other channel, it's like he almost foresaw this.

[@micahcraig5780]

@@Pallettown Crazy how tiktok/reels takes advantage of this.

[@KassiaK]

jesus, what would be say about internet consumption?¿

[@Pallettown]

I would have loved to hear his opinions in the era of Netflix.

[@KassiaK]

totally. and parasyticrelationships w twitch streamers and podcasters...

[@pod9363]

@@KassiaK oh fuck he would have had a field day with that

[@adrianwallenborg7396]

Could you please record some of his fictional work? Perhaps "The Soul is Not a Smithy", or like anything from Oblivion or Girls With Curiouis Hair?

[@Pallettown]

I'd be happy to. I've had a few requests for girl with Curious Hair so I'll try to work on that soon.

[@Pallettown]

Just posted "Girl with Curious Hair".

[@ZEROARTISTICVALUE]

1:17:30

[@estie_rose]

33:08

[@mathiasf.8749]

20:30

[@mauve9266]

1:40:58

[@staygolden77]

Simply AMAZING. DFW is [an] ultra relatable and based af old soul.....his works [SS/IJ] are additive, in the best possible way.....People can RELATE!! A man of deep thought, as he was told: ''too good for this world''/ highly intelligent/men of wisdom/''old souls'' are SUFFERING. It's just a game of numbers [as everything seems to be]-- The US population is likely: NPC's 90%+...people mimicking the corrupted/evil cult.ure....Atomized population + brainwashed/programmed + horrible will[power] + short attention spans = anybody who likes to [actually] think 2-5% at best. Clown World USA. David Foster Wallace saw what we are experiencing in 2024-- 40 years ago. A sensitive soul, lost in this reality......I think I can relate. RIP DFW. I know your essence still pervades us in hell [Western World/USA]

[@maxmeeks9910]

Without knowing about this author, I wrote a book pleading with Americans to Kill Their TV back in 2014. It's called, We Are The American Zombies.

[@maxmeeks9910]

However, compared to his writing, mine uses much plainer language in order to reach current American zombies at the average level of consciousness. There is sarcasm, satire, and entertaining material for all walks of life.

[@Frankybeanselevators]

Seems like the ramblings of an average American conservative, he would have felt at home with his critiques... but for him and his social circle being a conservative would be like voluntarily naming yourselves not just old fashioned but more as a child rapist.

[@notsocrates9529]

ok groomer

[@flyy1006]

u just described libs and the lgbt groomer cult perfectly, no surprise the vast majority of child abuse is committed by libs lmao

[@Thurnishaley6969]

Way to not internalize anything in this piece. Shit just went right over your head

[@alexcthe]

I'm shocked someone of such intellect could write such mindless drivel. If any Dude was in need of video games, I wager it was this Dude. He is definitively overanalysing TV and projecting a load of weird views onto it... he may be right about our 'inherent religiosity' but the more of this particular banal piece I hear, the more I can confirm that this 'inherent religiosity' is less a universal trait of man and more a specifically American problem. Makes sense when you consider the USA is chock full of religious zealots too extreme to be allowed to stay in their home countries. The 'almighty intellectual David Foster Wallace says TV is bad'; I counter with 'too much of ANYTHING is bad, David. Maybe don't drown yourself in water just so you can angrily rant about how dangerous water is, because don't forgwt that it also keeps us alive.'

[@Intestine_Ballin-ism]

I'm not sure about this so do correct me if I'm wrong- is it common convention to read "etc." as E. T. C.? I was a little confused at first when hearing it but then realized it's indeed et cetera

[@Pallettown]

I’m actually not sure, I’ve always just said it that way out of habit. I treat it like ‘i.e’. But I’ve never been taught one way or the other. Would be interested to know the proper usage.

[@Intestine_Ballin-ism]

@@Pallettown the thing is I don't know it either haha. Try out "et cetera" some other time and see if that gets any response

[@Pallettown]

@@Intestine_Ballin-ism haha will do! Thanks!