Brief obituaries for the literary discourses we lost this year.
MFA vs. Anything
After a long, long, long illness, the MFA vs. Anything Discourse died in its home on Twitter, surrounded by loved ones who attempted intermittently to revive it for several months. MFA vs. Anything is survived by MFAs, NYC, We’re Thinking Maybe Pittsburg or Possibly Like a Farm Upstate, But Somewhere Where Real Estate Prices Haven’t Gotten Too Crazy?, and Just Reading a Lot.
Sally Rooney
The Sally Rooney Discourse is survived by Sally Rooney and her enormous pile of money.
Should a Novel Teach Me to Be Moral?
The Should a Novel Teach Me to Be Moral? Discourse passed on angrily. The cause of death was blunt force trauma from the collective eye-roll of novelists everywhere.
Men Love Infinite Jest
The Men Love Infinite Jest Discourse is survived by its beloved partner, Men Don’t Have Bed Frames. In lieu of flowers, please send maybe some books by WOMEN, ever heard of them???
“Cat Person”
Born on December 4, 2017, the “Cat Person” Discourse has died after a prolonged illness from which it made several unexpected recoveries. Those close to the Discourse described it as “oh my God, still happening somehow?”
Writerly Life Theft, circa 2021
Born into a robust lineage of Writerly Life Theft Discourses, Writerly Life Theft, circa 2021 was best known for its roles in the Third Wave of “Cat Person” Discourse and the Post-Cringe Wave of Kidneygate. Writers of autofiction, thinly veiled autofiction, and pretty much every debut novel remember the Discourse as “completely overblown, not that I’ve ever done it” and “look over there, it’s a poet saying something unrelatable!” Services will be held in a room that looks almost exactly like your childhood kitchen, somehow?
