Maximalism in Contemporary American Literature This book begins a new and foundational discussion of maximalism by investigating how the treatment of detail in contemporary literature impels readers to navigate, tolerate, and enrich the cultural landscape of postin- dustrial America. It studies the maximalist novels of David Foster Wallace, Nicholson Baker, Thomas Pynchon, and others, considering how overly detailed writing serves the institutional, emotional, and intellectual needs of contemporary readers and writers. The book argues that maximalist novels not only exceed perceived limits of style, subject matter, and scope, but strive to remake the usefulness of books in contemporary culture, refreshing the act of reading. Levey shows that although these novels are preoccupied with detail and description, they are relatively unconcerned with the traditional goals of representation. Instead, they use detail to communicate particular values and fantasies of intelligence, enthusiasm, and ability attached to the management of complex and excessive information. Whether reinvigorating the banal and trivial in mainstream culture, or soothing anxieties of human insufficiency in the age of automation and the internet, these texts model significant abilities, rather than just objects of significance, and encourage readers to develop habits of reading that complement the demands of an increasingly detailed culture. Drawing upon a diverse range of theoretical schools and cultural texts, including Thing Theory, Marxism, New Formal- ism, playlists, blogs, and archival manuscripts, the book proposes a new understanding of maximalist writing and a new way of approaching the usefulness of literary objects in contemporary culture. Nick Levey teaches in the English Department at La Trobe University, Australia. He publishes on contemporary fiction and is currently writing about post-press literature and the rise of digital self-publishing. Routledge Studies in Contemporary Literature For a full list of titles in this series, please visit www.routledge.com. 9 Spatial Politics in Contemporary London Literature Writing Architecture and the Body Laura Colombino 10 Diseases and Disorders in Contemporary Fiction The Syndrome Syndrome Edited by T.J. Lustig and James Peacock 11 Identity and Form in Contemporary Literature Edited by Ana María Sánchez-Arce 12 The Vampire in Contemporary Popular Literature Lorna Piatti-Farnell 13 Religion in Cormac McCarthy’s Fiction Apocryphal Borderlands Manuel Broncano 14 The Ethics and Aesthetics of Vulnerability in Contemporary British Fiction Jean-Michel Ganteau 15 Genre Fiction in New India Post-Millennial Receptions of “Weird” Narratives E. Dawson Varughese 16 Rethinking Race and Identity in Contemporary British Fiction Sara Upstone 17 A Poetics of Trauma after 9/11 Representing Trauma in a Digitized Present Katharina Donn 18 The Cultural Politics of Chick Lit Popular Fiction, Postfeminism and Representation Heike Missler 19 Maximalism in Contemporary American Literature The Uses of Detail Nick Levey Maximalism in Contemporary American Literature The Uses of Detail Nick Levey First published 2017 by Routledge 711 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017 and by Routledge 2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business © 2017 Taylor & Francis The right of Nick Levey to be identified as author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers. Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks, and are used only for identification and explanation without intent to infringe. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data CIP data has been applied for. ISBN: 978-1-138-67226-0 (hbk) ISBN: 978-1-315-56265-0 (ebk) Typeset in Sabon by codeMantra This book is dedicated to the memory of my father, Peter Howard Levey. This page intentionally left blank Contents Acknowledgments ix Introduction 1 1 Giants and Junk: Power-Reading Thomas Pynchon’s Gravity’s Rainbow 37 2 On Flunking: Maximalist Description in David Foster Wallace’s Infinite Jest 55 3 Data-Sickle: Maximalism and White-Collar Aesthetics in David Foster Wallace’s The Pale King 76 4 Just Maximalist Things: Nicholson Baker’s The Mezzanine and Objects of Curiosity 97 5 Housebound: Domestic Excess in Nicholson Baker’s Room Temperature 116 6 Mindless Pleasures: Playlists, Unemployment, and Thomas Pynchon’s Inherent Vice 132 Conclusion: Overflow: The Margins of American Maximalism 149 Bibliography 165 Index 173 This page intentionally left blank Acknowledgments Writing a book tends to be a solitary exercise, so I’m grateful for the friends, family, and colleagues who’ve reminded me that there are, indeed, other people out there in the world. This project has been supported at all stages by the La Trobe University English department and the Disciplinary Research Program in English, Theatre, and Drama. My thanks go to Sofia Ahlberg for her enthusiasm, Alison Ravenscroft for her encouragement and support, Sue Thomas for steering me in the direc- tion of grants and other funding opportunities, Henry Veggian for feedback and advice, and to Liz Levine and the other editors at Routledge for helping turn these words into a book. Thanks to Anthony for chats about poetry and science, to Rachel for warmth, and to mum for patience. I want to give a special thanks to Chris Palmer for his extensive feedback, encouragement, and advice.