“Observacion of these Articles”: surveillance and the 1970s in David Foster Wallace’s The Pale King

West, M. (2018) “Observacion of these Articles”: surveillance and the 1970s in David Foster Wallace’s The Pale King. Critique: Studies in Contemporary Fiction, 59(2), pp. 223-234. (doi: 10.1080/00111619.2017.1360833)

Abstract

This essay argues that critics have overlooked the importance of the 1970s in David Foster Wallace’s The Pale King. Critical focus on the novel’s depiction of 1980s neoliberalism downplays the way it asks readers to consider that decade’s changes to be dependent on the transformation of civic ideals in the 1970s. This can be seen most clearly in Chris Fogle’s narrative, which this essay argues is an emblematic 1970s story, incorporating the decade’s tropes of malaise, uncertainty, self-examination, and surveillance. While Fogle’s conversion from selfish student to IRS worker may be seen to run counter to the growth of individualism and suspicion of institutions in the 1970s, this essay argues that Wallace uses it to revive and ventriloquize arguments about civic-mindedness that took place in the 1970s, ultimately offering a definition of civic-mindedness that echoes the work of writers such as Christopher Lasch and Robert N. Bellah.

• Item Type: Articles
• Keywords: Literature and literary theory.
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: West, Mr Mark
• Authors: West, M.
• College/School: College of Arts & Humanities > School of Critical Studies > English Literature
• Journal Name: Critique: Studies in Contemporary Fiction
• Publisher: Taylor and Francis
• ISSN: 0011-1619
• ISSN (Online): 1939-9138
• Published Online: 08 September 2017