Book · 2005 · Literary Collections
Consider the Lobster
And Other Essays
- mentions
- 10
- people
- 5
- podcasts
- 4
- episodes
- 7
- critical mentions
- 0
I'm reading um I'm you can explain I'm reading David Foster Wallace's non-fiction essay collection consider the lobster and I have to say I just I love it.
What they say about it
- Discussing essays and structure“his three tiers of questions”2
The best things said about it
What I think he's great at is shaping a microcosm.
With David Foster Wallace, I've dissected two of his essays according to questions. And what he actually has is a whole hierarchy, his three tiers of questions beneath his structures.
Who did his very famous essay on the lobster consider the lobster which became the title essay in a lader collection.
Where and when it comes up
Mentions per year
How it comes up
Most mentions, by podcast
5 people who brought it up
Why people recommend it
Consider the Lobster by David Foster Wallace is a critically acclaimed collection of essays that uses sharp journalistic observation and deep intellectual inquiry to explore disparate topics, ranging from the ethics of eating lobsters at a gourmet festival to the mechanics of language. Josh Clark mentioned the essay collection on Stuff You Should Know while discussing historical attitudes toward food. Michael Dean analyzed Wallace's writing style extensively on How I Write, praising how the author effectively builds a microcosm around a specific topic, shapes structural hierarchies, and handles complex design constraints. Pamela Paul discussed the collection on The Book Review, sharing her fondness for reading the non-fiction pieces for pure enjoyment and highlighting the famous title essay. Furthermore, Lex Fridman referenced the short story and its author while exploring themes of animal suffering and veganism, demonstrating the broad cultural footprint and intellectual weight of Wallace's essayistic work.
Every mention
Michael Dean So you have uh consider the lobster, David Foster Wallace, 2003, and then uh shooting an elephant by George… 4
“So you have uh consider the lobster, David Foster Wallace, 2003, and then uh shooting an elephant by George Orwell.”
“And so, um, what I think he's great at is is shaping a microcosm, right? And usually when people want to write about an idea, they'll pick a topic, right? So, this is considered the lobster.”
“So consider the lobster, you know, shows experience in one way, but in shooting an elephant, you can see that all of these cells are shaded, right?”
“And with David Foster Wallace, I've dissected two of his essays according to questions. And what he actually has is a whole hierarchy, his three tiers of questions beneath his structures.”
Pamela Paul who did his very famous essay on the lobster consider the lobster which became the title essay in a lader c… 2
“who did his very famous essay on the lobster consider the lobster which became the title essay in a lader collection”
“I'm reading um I'm you can explain I'm reading David Foster Wallace's non-fiction essay collection consider the lobster and I have to say I just I love it”
Cal Newport yeah like did you read the pale king it goes deep on boredom 1
“yeah like did you read the pale king it goes deep on boredom”
Josh Clark Have you ever read Consider the Lobster that um Wow, man. I I want to say David Lee Roth so bad, but I know… 1
“Have you ever read Consider the Lobster that um Wow, man. I I want to say David Lee Roth so bad, but I know that's not his name at all. Who wrote Consider the Lobster? I've never heard of that, but I I know about the lobster. Who was End of Tour about? That movie. Oh, David Foster Wallace.”
Sean Kelly and he writes these sort of incredibly moving letters when he's trying to write the pale king which is the… 1
“and he writes these sort of incredibly moving letters when he's trying to write the pale king which is the end of which is the unfinished novel that really sort of drove him to distraction”
Mentioned on the show without a named speaker1
“especially there's a there's a guy named david foster wallace he wrote a short story called consider the lobster”
