You will become way less concerned with what other people think of you when you realize how seldom they do.
David Foster WallaceRead
Great short stories and great jokes have a lot in common. Both depend on what communication-theorists sometimes called "exformation," which is a certain quantity of vital information removed from but evoked by a communication in such a way as to cause a kind of explosion of associative connections within the recipient.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Great storytelling and humor rely on the omission of information to elicit deeper connections in the audience.
In this quote, David Foster Wallace highlights the similarities between great short stories and great jokes, emphasizing that both forms of communication utilize 'exformation.' This concept involves strategically leaving out certain pieces of information in order to evoke a more profound response and create a richer tapestry of associations in the minds of the audience, leading to a greater emotional or cognitive impact.
Themes
StorytellingHumorCommunicationExformationConnections
In practice
Example use cases
An author discussing the craft of writing in a workshop.
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