Books Quote by David Foster Wallace
““To make someone an icon is to make him an abstraction, and abstractions are incapable of vital communication with living people.10 10 One has only to spend a term trying to teach college literature to realize that the quickest way to kill an author's vitality for potential readers is to present that author ahead of his time as "great" or "classic." Because then the author becomes for the students like medicine or vegetables, something the authorities have declared "good for them" that they "ought to like," at which point the students' nictitating membranes come down, and everyone just goes through the requisite motions of criticism and paper-writing without feeling one real or relevant thing. It's like removing all oxygen from the room before trying to start a fire.””
About This Quote
Source Essay: Infinite Jest, 1996
Treating authors as icons abstracts them, disconnecting readers from genuine engagement and reducing literature to a sterile exercise.
In simple terms: Iconizing writers creates distance and kills vitality.
Key Takeaway
Avoid turning creators into untouchable symbols.
Themes
literature
engagement
education
authenticity
Mood
reflective
critical
Type
philosophical
educational
When to use this quote
- college literature classes
- reading groups
- author studies
- creative writing workshops
Key Concepts
iconography
vitality
critical thinking
Questions to Reflect On
- How can we preserve an author's humanity in teaching?
- What practices make literature feel alive?
A Different Perspective
Students may still feel alienated if curricula remain rigid.
