E Unibus Pluram: Television and U.S. Fiction
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E Unibus Pluram: Television and U.S. Fiction is David Foster Wallace’s influential essay examining how contemporary American fiction both shapes and is shaped by the pervasive presence and ironic sensibility of television in U.S. culture.
Statements (48)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
essay
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literary criticism essay ⓘ |
| argues |
contemporary fiction writers are influenced by television’s irony
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irony has become culturally dominant and politically impotent ⓘ television both reflects and shapes American culture ⓘ television encourages a pervasive ironic stance ⓘ |
| author | David Foster Wallace NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| authorNationality | American ⓘ |
| collectedIn | A Supposedly Fun Thing I’ll Never Do Again NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| countryOfOrigin |
United States of America
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surface form:
United States
|
| criticizes |
self-conscious irony in late‑20th‑century U.S. fiction
ⓘ
television’s exploitation of self-referentiality ⓘ |
| discusses |
audience complicity with television
ⓘ
commercialism in mass media ⓘ voyeurism and self-consciousness ⓘ |
| examines |
how writers internalize television’s gaze
ⓘ
the commodification of irony ⓘ the role of entertainment in American life ⓘ |
| firstPublishedIn | The Review of Contemporary Fiction NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| focusesOn |
effects of television on narrative techniques
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ironic sensibility in U.S. culture ⓘ relationship between television and fiction writing ⓘ |
| form | long-form essay ⓘ |
| genre | nonfiction ⓘ |
| hasPerspective |
cultural criticism
ⓘ
literary theory ⓘ media theory ⓘ |
| influenced |
critical discourse on television and literature
ⓘ
interpretations of David Foster Wallace’s own fiction ⓘ |
| language | English ⓘ |
| literaryMovementDiscussed | postmodern literature ⓘ |
| mediumDiscussed | broadcast television ⓘ |
| notableFor |
analysis of irony in U.S. television culture
ⓘ
influence on discussions of post-ironic or New Sincerity aesthetics ⓘ |
| proposes | need for a new kind of sincerity in fiction ⓘ |
| publicationYear | 1993 ⓘ |
| subject |
U.S. popular culture
ⓘ
authorship and audience ⓘ contemporary American fiction ⓘ irony in postmodern culture ⓘ mass media ⓘ postmodernism ⓘ sincerity versus irony ⓘ television ⓘ |
| targetAudience |
readers of literary criticism
ⓘ
students of contemporary American literature ⓘ |
| timePeriodDiscussed | late 20th century United States ⓘ |
| titleAlludesTo | E pluribus unum ⓘ |
Referenced by (1)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.
A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again
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containsEssay
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E Unibus Pluram: Television and U.S. Fiction
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