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I wonder how the critical reception to The Pale King will evolve over time. In my opinion it's been a bit over-esteemed by fans of DFWs work. It really does fee
by briga 9y ago
I wonder how the critical reception to The Pale King will evolve over time. In my opinion it's been a bit over-esteemed by fans of DFWs work. It really does feel incomplete, and not just in a Brothers Karamazov sort of way. It lacks a center of gravity, and I never really felt a strong connection with any of the characters. By the end of Infinite Jest the book had become something greater than the sum of its parts, and I didn't really feel the same thing happening with The Pale King.
The only part of the book that I feel comes close to the greatness of Infinite Jest is the 100-page 'As the world turns' chapter. But then, I don't think that chapter necessarily benefits from being a part of the book, and could just as easily have been published as a stand-alone piece.
- bbayles 9y agoI really enjoyed The Pale King, and felt that had it been finished it would have been one of my favorite books. The chapters with the David Wallace section in the IRS are _really_ funny.
- fullshark 9y agoI liked the Pale King but found it lacking. There's only really one idea there that i can recall: There's nobility in doing the boring / essential work required of you. That's a far cry from Infinite Jest which is overflowing with ideas about society and how an individual deals with it.
- erikpukinskis 9y agoIsn't that the nature of the thing though? If he could have completed it, you'd be reading a finished novel. You'd have to kind of squint and try to look through the trees to the set of places he might have been heading.