In the seven years since David Foster Wallace’s death, the author’s legend has grown to immense proportions. Known for his dense, hyperactive essays and novels, Wallace has become an archetype of the tortured genius.

During a class discussion a few weeks ago about existentialist philosophy, my professor informed our class that in the 1950s, every college student in America was reading the works of Jean-Paul Sartre. His history lesson got me thinking about whether our generation has an equivalent scholar or shared intellectual experience—one that is not a formal course requirement, yet is still an essential part of our liberal arts education.