Reason.com
The Taxman As Literature
The
Pale King (Little, Brown), a posthumously published novel
that David Foster Wallace left unfinished before his 2008 suicide,
is set largely in the offices of a regional branch of the Internal
Revenue Service (IRS). Much of the book concerns a fictional 1985
reform designed to refocus IRS auditing procedures strictly on
revenue collection. Wallace depicts the resulting transformation of
the IRS into a profit-maximizing business as dehumanizing.
The book also serves as a powerful illustration of the tax code’s brutalizing complexity. Several chapters are structured around the code, with auditors unable to understand any aspect of their own lives without considering related tax code provisions. Wallace offers a compelling picture of a tax system so far-reaching that it reflects, and complicates, every choice an individual makes. —Peter Suderman
More Articles by Peter Suderman
- The Technocratic Mind, Peter Suderman, May 9, 2012
- Taft for President!, Peter Suderman, May 2, 2012
- Health Care Reform Isn’t Entitlement Reform, Peter Suderman, April 25, 2012
Related Articles (Staff Reviews)
- Men in Black III and Moonrise Kingdom, Kurt Loder, May 25, 2012
- The Samaritan and Lovely Molly, Kurt Loder, May 18, 2012
- The Dictator, Kurt Loder, May 15, 2012
- Dark Shadows, Kurt Loder, May 11, 2012
- The Avengers, Kurt Loder, May 4, 2012
Most Popular Stories
- St. Louis Cops Worry That In-Car Cameras 'Are Being Used Against Them' (5.23)
- Here Are the 15 Senators Who Voted to Stop Armed FDA Agents From Conducting Warrantless Raids on America's Farmers (Not One of Them is a Democrat) (5.24)
- Reason "Hero of Freedom" Larry Flynt's Latest Stunt? Photoshopping a Penis into Mouth of Conservative Pundit S.E. Cupp (5.24)
- When Government Privileges Trump the Rights of Citizens (5.25)
- Plastic Bag Ban Will Put Los Angeles In Landfill (5.23)
Reason RUPE: Public Opinion Survey
- Reason-Rupe: Wisconsinites Favor Increasing Public Union Retirement Contributions to Address Budget Deficit (5.25)
- Reason-Rupe Poll Finds Support for Public Union Reforms (5.25)
- New Poll: Obama Leads Romney In Wisconsin, But Gary Johnson Could Impact the Race (5.24)
- Wisconsin Recall: Walker Leads Barrett 50-42 Among Likely Voters (5.24)
- Reason-Rupe Poll: Walker Leads Barrett 50-42, Obama Leads Romney 46-36 (5.24)
advertisements
Get Reason E-mail Updates!
Manage your Reason e-mail list subscriptionsSite comments/questions:
Media Inquiries and Reprint Permissions:
(310) 367-6109
Editorial & Production Offices:
3415 S. Sepulveda Blvd.
Suite 400
Los Angeles, CA 90034
(310) 391-2245
Editor's Note: We invite comments and request that they be civil and on-topic. We do not moderate or assume any responsibility for comments, which are owned by the readers who post them. Comments do not represent the views of Reason.com or Reason Foundation. We reserve the right to delete any comment or disable your ability to comment for any reason at any time.
قبلة الوداع|8.17.11 @ 11:51PM|#
ThaNk U