Existentialist Engagement in Wallace, Eggers and Foer

Allard den Dulk is Lecturer in Philosophy, Literature and Film at Amsterdam University College, The Netherlands.

• List of Abbreviations AcknowledgmentsForeword Introduction 1. Aims and Method 2. An ‘Aesthetic Sea-Change’ in American Literature 3. Outline of Primary Literary Works 4. Heuristic Perspectives 5. Outline of the Study PART IPROBLEMSChapter 1 – Hyperreflexivity Introduction 1. Factors of Heightened Contemporary Reflexivity 2. Sartre’s View of Consciousness and Self-Reflection 3. The Alienation of Self-Reflection Conclusion Chapter 2 – Endless Irony Introduction 1. Irony as an Attitude towards Existence2. Irony as Negative Independence3. Endless ‘Aesthetic’ Irony4. Meta-Irony Conclusion PROBLEMATIC FICTIONChapter 3 – Postmodernist Metafiction: John Barth Introduction 1. Metafiction 2. Deconstruction and Metafiction Conclusion Chapter 4 – Postmodernist Minimalism: Bret Easton Ellis Introduction 1. General Comparison2. Four Aspects of the Escalation of Ironic-Aesthetic Existence 3. A Continuation of Reflexive Irony Conclusion PART IIENGAGED FICTIONChapter 5 – Wittgenstein and Wallace: The Meaning of Fiction Introduction 1. Wittgenstein: The Temptation of Essences 2. Wittgenstein: The Irrelevance of Essences 3. The Virtues of the Late-Wittgensteinian Language View 4. A Late-Wittgensteinian View of FictionConclusion ENGAGEMENTChapter 6 – Sincerity Introduction 1. Sincerity vs. Authenticity 2. Sincerity: A Sartrean, Existentialist Ideal3. Cases of Sincerity: The Fiction of Wallace, Eggers and Foer Conclusion Chapter 7 – Reality-Commitment Introduction 1. The Realization of Choice: Freedom, Despair, Urgency2. The Reality of the Self as Gift and Task3. Reality as Repetition Conclusion Chapter 8 – Community Introduction 1. Absurdity and Rebellion: Two Main Themes of Camus’s Thought 2. The Role of the Other: Kierkegaard and Sartre vs. Camus 3. Discovering the Other: Wallace, Eggers and Foer 4. Towards a Dialogic Community of Meaning Conclusion Concluding Remarks 1. Literature and Philosophy 2. Existentialist Engagement 3. Love Me Till My Heart Stops? Works Cited

[Existentialist Engagement in Wallace, Eggers and Foer] has the merit of addressing both neophytes and professionals.... The newcomer can look here for a to-the-point analysis of the essence of what Wallace and New-Sincerity studies have set down in the last decade. The expert, on the other end, finds a precious contribution to the on-going discussion on the subject via an in-depth research into philosophy that hadn’t yet been undertaken in such an extensive and thorough manner. But most importantly, den Dulk’s work resonates of passion. This monograph constitutes, rightfully so, the author’s own existentialist engagement with his own field of study and with life in general… This is a very good book, probably the best I’ve read in Wallace studies.