“Tense Present”– an essay by David Foster Wallace

After author David Foster Wallace’s untimely death earlier this year, Harper’s Magazine made all the essays he wrote for them available online.  This is a treasure trove of brilliant, lively writing that oozes DFW’s unique blend of genius, logic, and humanity.  You should read all of them! However, if you’re looking for one in particular, and if you’ve ever wondered “Why do we need grammar, anyway?” or, “Who decides what is correct usage?”, or “Why can’t we all just write like we speak?”, he has an answer (or 40) for you.

This is quite possibly the only explanation of good grammar and usage (and how to find it) that you’ll ever need: http://www.harpers.org/media/pdf/dfw/HarpersMagazine-2001-04-0070913.pdf

If you’d like to see all the essays, go here: http://www.harpers.org/archive/2008/09/hbc-90003557

If you’re really ambitious, try his novels (like Infinite Jest) or short stories on for size.  There is no writer like him, and unfortunately, what we have from his is all we’re going to get– too little for such an overflowing mind and talent, but so, so rich.

If you’d like to learn more about DFW himself, check out this New Yorker piece: http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2009/03/09/090309fa_fact_max

Enjoy.