Postironic sensibility in My Appearance by David Foster Wallace
Postironic sensibility in My Appearance by David Foster Wallace

Summary/Abstract: This paper aims to show how David Foster Wallace uses the story My Appearance to convey his ideas on postmodernism and irony. I argue that two sensibilities, ironic and post-ironic, are represented by the main characters David Letterman and Edilyn, respectively. I briefly outline the ways in which irony is problematic. Then I focus on how the battle between the ironic and the post-ironic is played out during an interview that the above mentioned characters participate in. I also write about the tension inherent in the notion of sincerity. I draw on the works of Adam Kelly and Lukas Hoffmann on postirony as well as a body of literature devoted to irony.

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