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Not all literary hoaxes get the same kind of exposure as James Frey's brutal whooping at the hands of Oprah Winfrey. Some sneak right by, especially the subtle ones like Jay Murray Siskind's review of David Foster Wallace's "Oblivion" in a 2004 issue of Modernism/Modernity. In the five subsequent years, the review has been treated as legitimate, even being cited as peer-reviewed research. The problem being that Jay Murray Siskind is a character from the books "Amazons" and "White Noise" by Don DeLillo. In simple terms this is like Frodo Baggins reviewing "Harry Potter."
Some scholars became aware of the review at the time of its appearance but, as with many small, curious concerns, most simply assumed everyone else also noticed it and that someone else would fix it.
The review itself, littered with tangents and in-jokes for anyone familiar with the book "White Noise," has been attributed to no one in particular and remains something of a mystery. Whether the hoax was perpetrated by Wallace, DeLillo or maybe just a bored fan of the genre with a bit of spare time, it has since become apparent that nobody really cared.
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Thursday 23 July
By Juju
I could barely care enough to read the whole article. Some people are truly in danger of disappearing up their own behinds; dont you think?. Put down the Emily Dickinson and Robert Frost! Take a walk! Experience life for yourself instead of having this vicarious existance. Life; be in it!
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Wednesday 22 July
By ray
Or better yet, take a walk and bring the Emily Dickinson and Robert Frost WITH you! :)
Wednesday 22 July
By Shannon
It's obvious that you cared more than "barely enough" to read the article, and then to make a snide comment...so, possibly, you ought to take your own advice, and BE in YOUR life.
Thursday 23 July
By rio
Juju... i have no knowledge of the current article's subject: the "hoax"... But, in reference to *living* vs learning from the experience of others, or what you call "this vicarious existence"...: The 2 experiences, your own and those of others, are NOT mutually exclusive... One can experience life oneself, AND appreciate/learn from the experience of others... There are, in recounted experiences, the nuances, the creative differences, the special insights some can bring from a different perspective or vantage point. Such experience is essential to us all as part of a needed social value - ie, the respect for diversity... In that sense, the poetry of Frost (such as "The Mending Wall"), the poetry of Rene Char, of Lorca, of Neruda, and many others, is invaluable ...Peace
Wednesday 22 July
By john
What was this article about again ???And these people are called writers ?
Reply
Wednesday 22 July
By Charles McGee
The subjects are called 'scholars.' What they know is co-signing and joining the Harvard/Stanford cabal.
Wednesday 22 July
By August
John, you aren't very smart are you; or are you too smart?
Wednesday 22 July
By jtfee
If only Emily Dickinson had gone there...
Reply
Wednesday 22 July
By Kathleen
I'm feeling a little dense but, what is the point of this "article?" It's very short on detail. Another hoax, perhaps?
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Wednesday 22 July
By AC
If you're feeling a bit dense it's because you are. What a bunch of imbeciles. Read a real book now and then.
Wednesday 22 July
By BK
I've never read either of the books this character "Siskind" comes from, but I knew exactly what this article was about after those few short paragraphs. It's not that tough really.
Wednesday 22 July
By Joe from windy city
Who the "F" knows what you're talking about?
Reply
Wednesday 22 July
By revhappyjack
Read the BIBLE it will scare the HELL right out of ya.!
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Wednesday 22 July
By k. brown
Do you read your contemporary version of the "holy" scriptures? Read, by comparison, a bible dating back to the 1800's. Notice the difference? So, because of the dramatic comparisons, which one is truest? Don't believe me? Don't just take someone elses word for it. I dare you... read both, yourself.
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Wednesday 22 July
By Charlz
Which of the 500,000 versions are you talking about?
Wednesday 22 July
By Mel
All I've read here are insults and disagreements.
You must understand that why people don't always with the thoughts and ways of others is because their individual life up to this point is not like anyone elses.
Relax,folks,and let others think whatever they think.Don't jump on them. Your opinion is yours and theirs is theirs so accept it and Smile.
Mel
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Wednesday 22 July
By Karen
I agree with you Mel. I think your comment was better than the article itself. My hats off to you & Thank you for you words of truth
Wednesday 22 July
By matt
never heard of any of these so yeah i agree people just dont care
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Wednesday 22 July
By Fran
This reminds me a bit of the brouhaha back in the late '70s over the sci-fi novel "Venus on the Half-Shell," written by Philip José Farmer under the nom de plume of Kilgore Trout. The problem was that "Kilgore Trout" was a fictional sci-fi writer who had appeared in several of Kurt Vonnegut's novels, so many readers naturally misattributed "Venus" to Vonnegut's authorship.
Actually, as long as there's no real attempt at plagiarism or piracy, I think it's sort of fun when somebody pulls an intellectual fakeout like this - even if most of us don't get the joke!
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Wednesday 22 July
By demi22
I agree it's harmless fun... I would love to be a writer who has someone do a review like that. I bet they get a kick out of it....