The Gospel According to David Foster Wallace is the first book to explore key religious themes - from boredom to addiction, and distraction – in the work of one of America's most celebrated contemporary novelists. In a series of short, topic-focussed chapters, the book joins a selection of key scenes from Wallace's novels Infinite Jest and The Pale King with clear explanations of how they contribute to his overall account of what it means to be a human being in the 21st century. Adam Miller explores how Wallace's work masterfully investigates the nature of first-world boredom and shows, in the process, how easy it is to get addicted to distraction (chemical, electronic, or otherwise). Implicitly critiquing, excising, and repurposing elements of AA's Twelve Step program, Wallace suggests that the practice of prayer (regardless of belief in God), the patient application of attention to things that seem ordinary and boring, and the internalization of clichés may be the antidote to much of what ails us in the 21st century. “Miller's Gospel is thorough ... [He presents] a close reading of the texts in light of his consistent thesis.” ― Review 31 “Adam S. Miller looks at some of the favored themes - despair, distraction, indifference, boredom - in Wallace's writing. I will confess that Mr. Miller's incantatory and gorgeous preface - a discussion of why disappointment is not an obstacle to transcendence, but rather, its aim - caused me to well with tears.” ―Henry Alford, The New York Times “Adam S. Miller has crafted a highly approachable, quasi-devotional, religious reading of David Foster Wallace's most popular fiction ... any student of the late-great post-ironist's work will understand the value of Miller's insights ... Miller's project, with its workmanlike organization, will be a great reference piece for anyone studying or writing about the religious themes in Wallace's most premier work; and, with its highly intimate and personal readings, a great devotional work for believers who are interested in the intersection between faith and literature.” ― Christianity and Literature The first book to explore key religious themes in the work of David Foster Wallace - including boredom, addiction, and distraction. Adam S. Miller is a professor of philosophy at Collin College in McKinney, Texas, USA. He is the founder of The Journal of Philosophy and Scripture and the author of a number of articles addressing the intersection of religion, ethics and politics. Emma Mason is Professor of English and Comparative Literary Studies at the University of Warwick, UK, and an editor of Bloombury's New Directions in Religion and Literature series. Mark Knight is Associate Professor in the Department of English at the University of Toronto, Canada. His books include Chesterton and Evil (2004), Biblical Religion and the Novel, 1700-2000 (co-edited with Thomas Woodman, 2006), Nineteenth-Century Religion and Literature: An Introduction (co-written with Emma Mason, OUP, 2006), An Introduction to Religion and Literature (2009) and Religion, Literature and the Imagination (co-edited with Louise Lee, 2009). Current projects include: a monograph entitled Good Words: Evangelicalism and the Victorian Novel ; a co-authored book (with Emma Mason) entitled Faithful Reading: Poetry and Christian Practice ; and a co-edited volume (with Jo Carruthers and Andrew Tate) entitled A Bible and Literature Reader . With Emma Mason, Mark Knight edits the book series New Directions in Religion and Literature for Bloomsbury Academic.