“New Sincerity” in Fyodor Dostoevsky and David Foster Wallace
Paper | Mirgorod, Vol. 23/24 (2025) | pp. 93–107
Mateusz WĄSOWSKI
Abstract: The text is devoted to the question of the influence of the Russian writer on David Foster Wallace and the concept of “New Sincerity” that he proposed. The main task I have set for myself is to re-read the works of Fyodor Dostoevsky and determine how the Russian writer (paradoxically) implemented the principles of “New Sincerity”. David Foster Wallace wondered whether we should be disheartened or encouraged by the fact that today’s young American writers resemble Fyodor Dostoevsky. Critics note that both writers created a certain type of character—full of contradictions, neurotic, and hyperaware of their functioning in society. Particularly noteworthy is the formal similarity between the works of both writers: Notes from Underground by Fyodor Dostoevsky and The Depressed Person by David Foster Wallace.
Keywords: David Foster Wallace / The Depressed Person / New Sincerity / Fyodor Dostoevsky / Notes from Underground
DOI: https://doi.org/10.32017/mirgorod-2025-23.24-4
Cite this paper: Wąsowski, M. (2025). «Новая искренность»
Федора Достоевского и Дэвида Фостера Уоллеса. Mirgorod: The Annual of the History and Epistemology of Contemporary Literary Studies, 23/24, pp. 93–107. DOI: https://doi.org/
10.32017/mirgorod-2025-23.24-4
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