''A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again: Essays and Arguments'' is a 1997 collection of nonfiction writing by

David Foster Wallace David Foster Wallace (February 21, 1962 – September 12, 2008) was an American writer and professor who published novels, short stories, and essays. He is best known for his 1996 novel ''Infinite Jest'', which ''Time (magazine), Time'' magazine ...

. In the title essay, originally published in ''

Harper's ''Harper's Magazine'' is a monthly magazine of literature, politics, culture, finance, and the arts. Launched in New York City in June 1850, it is the oldest continuously published monthly magazine in the United States. ''Harper's Magazine'' has ...

'' as "Shipping Out", Wallace describes the excesses of his one-week trip in the

Caribbean The Caribbean ( , ; ; ; ) is a region in the middle of the Americas centered around the Caribbean Sea in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, mostly overlapping with the West Indies. Bordered by North America to the north, Central America ...

aboard the

cruise ship Cruise ships are large passenger ships used mainly for vacationing. Unlike ocean liners, which are used for transport, cruise ships typically embark on round-trip voyages to various ports of call, where passengers may go on Tourism, tours k ...

, which he rechristens the ''

Nadir The nadir is the direction pointing directly ''below'' a particular location; that is, it is one of two vertical directions at a specified location, orthogonal to a horizontal flat surface. The direction opposite of the nadir is the zenith. Et ...

''. He is uncomfortable with the professional hospitality industry and the "fun" he should be having; Wallace also explains how the indulgences of the cruise cause introspection, leading to overwhelming internal despair. Wallace uses footnotes extensively for various asides. Another essay in the same volume takes up the vulgarities and excesses of the Illinois State Fair. This collection also includes Wallace's influential essay "E Unibus Pluram" on

television Television (TV) is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. Additionally, the term can refer to a physical television set rather than the medium of transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertising, ...

's impact on contemporary literature and the use of

irony Irony, in its broadest sense, is the juxtaposition of what, on the surface, appears to be the case with what is actually or expected to be the case. Originally a rhetorical device and literary technique, in modernity, modern times irony has a ...

in American culture. In 2019, the collection was ranked in ''Slate'' as one of the 50 greatest nonfiction works of the past 25 years.

Essays

Essays collected in the book: *"Derivative Sport in

Tornado Alley Tornado Alley, also known as Tornado Valley, is a loosely defined location of the central United States and, in the 21st century, Canada where tornadoes are most frequent. The term was first used in 1952 as the title of a research project to st ...

" (''

'', December 1991, under the title "Tennis, Trigonometry, Tornadoes"): An autobiographical essay about Wallace's youth in the Midwest, his involvement in competitive tennis, and his interest in mathematics. *"E Unibus Pluram: Television and U.S. Fiction" (''The Review of Contemporary Fiction'', 1993) *"Getting Away from Already Being Pretty Much Away from It All" (''Harper's'', 1994, under the title "Ticket to the Fair"): Wallace's experiences and opinions on the 1993 Illinois State Fair, ranging from a report on competitive baton twirling to speculation on how the Illinois State Fair is representative of Midwestern culture and its subsets. *"Greatly Exaggerated" (''Harvard Book Review'', 1992): A review of ''Morte d'Author: An Autopsy'' by H. L. Hix, including Wallace's personal opinions on the role of the author in literary critical theory. *"

David Lynch David Keith Lynch (January 20, 1946 – January 16, 2025) was an American filmmaker, visual artist, musician, and actor. Widely considered one of the greatest filmmakers of all time, Lynch was often called a "visionary" and received acclaim f ...

Keeps His Head" (''

Premiere A premiere, also spelled première, (from , ) is the debut (first public presentation) of a work, i.e. play, film, dance, musical composition, or even a performer in that work. History Raymond F. Betts attributes the introduction of the ...

'', 1996): Wallace's experiences and opinions from visiting the set for '' Lost Highway'' and his thoughts about Lynch's oeuvre. *"Tennis Player Michael Joyce's Professional Artistry as a Paradigm of Certain Stuff about Choice, Freedom, Discipline, Joy, Grotesquerie, and Human Completeness" (''

Esquire Esquire (, ; abbreviated Esq.) is usually a courtesy title. In the United Kingdom, ''esquire'' historically was a title of respect accorded to men of higher social rank, particularly members of the landed gentry above the rank of gentleman ...

'', 1996, under the title "The String Theory"): Wallace's reporting of the qualifying rounds for 1995 Canadian Open and the Open itself, with the author's thoughts on the nature of tennis and professional athletics. *"A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again" (''Harper's'', 1996, under the title "Shipping Out"): Wallace's experiences and opinions on a seven-night luxury Caribbean cruise.

In popular culture

In his 2011 book '' That Is All'',

John Hodgman John Kellogg Hodgman (born June 3, 1971) is an American author, actor, and humorist. In addition to his published written works, such as his satirical trilogy '' The Areas of My Expertise'', '' More Information Than You Require'', and '' That Is ...

titles a chapter about taking a cruise "A Totally Fun Thing I Would Do Again as Soon as Possible". The title of the 2012 '' Simpsons'' episode "

A Totally Fun Thing That Bart Will Never Do Again "A Totally Fun Thing Bart Will Never Do Again" is the nineteenth episode of the twenty-third season of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons''. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on April 29, 2012. In ...

" also references the title essay. Tina Fey's 2011 memoir ''

Bossypants ''Bossypants'' is an autobiographical comedy book written by the American comedian Tina Fey. The book topped ''The New York Times'' Best Seller list, and stayed there for five weeks upon its release. As of November 2014, the book has sold over 2. ...

'' includes a chapter on her own cruise experience, titled "My Honeymoon: Or, A Supposedly Fun Thing That I'll Never Do Again Either," in which she jokingly suggests that those who've heard of Wallace's book should consider themselves members of the "cultural elite." In

Charlie Kaufman Charles Stuart Kaufman (; born November 19, 1958) is an American screenwriter, film director, and novelist. Having first come to prominence for writing ''Being John Malkovich'' (1999), ''Adaptation (film), Adaptation'' (2002), and ''Eternal Sun ...

's 2020 film ''

I'm Thinking of Ending Things ''I'm Thinking of Ending Things'' (stylized as i'm thinking ''of'' ending things) is a 2020 American surrealist psychological thriller film written and directed by Charlie Kaufman. It is an adaptation of the 2016 novel of the same name by Ia ...

,'' the character Jake mentions the book, refers to "E Unibus Pluram," then recites a portion of the essay from the section "Image-Fiction" verbatim.

References

* Wallace, D. F. (1997). ''A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again''. Little, Brown. * Wallace, D. F. (1996). "Shipping Out", ''Harper's Magazine'', January 1996 (292:1748)

External links

"Shipping Out: On the (nearly lethal) comforts of a luxury cruise"
Harpers Magazine. Also known as "A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again".
"Ticket to the Fair"
Harper's Magazine. Also known as "Getting Away from Already Being Pretty Much Away from It All".
"The String Theory"
Esquire. Also known as "Tennis Player Michael Joyce's Professional Artistry as a Paradigm of Certain Stuff about Choice, Freedom, Discipline, Joy, Grotesquerie, and Human Completeness".

Premiere, 1996

Harper's Magazine. Originally under the title "Tennis, Trigonometry, Tornadoes" {{DEFAULTSORT:Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again, A Books by David Foster Wallace American essay collections 1997 non-fiction books Little, Brown and Company books Illinois State Fair