The Pale King – Section Guide

[Page numbers refer to the US edition hardcover, for page references in the US edition paperback, add two pages]

§1 – p. 3 – “Peoria” prose poem thing

§2 – p. 5 – Sylvanshine on the plane

§3 – p. 25 – short dialogue about masturbation and tits

§4 – p. 27 – newspaper article about dead guy found at his desk

§5 – p. 29 – perfect boy (Steyck)

§6 – p. 36 – Lane Dean contemplates abortion (“Good People”)

§7 – p. 44 – Sylvanshine in an ice cream truck

§8 – p. 53 – Toni Ware is poor

§9 – p. 66 – Author here; DFW character’s intro & background

§10 – p. 86 – Bureaucracy is not a closed system

§11 – p. 87 – internal memo re: examiners’ syndromes

§12 – p. 89 – Steyck as an adult being overly friendly

§13 – p. 91 – David Cusk sweating as a boy

§14 – p. 100 – IRS documentary video, 14 interviews

§15 – p. 118 – Sylvanshine, fact psychic

§16 – p. 122 – Lane Dean smoke break (“A New Examiner”)

§17 – p. 127 – IRS men as heroes monologue

§18 – p. 128 – desk names are back (on camera)

§19 – p. 130 – 1980s politics/civics lesson

§20 – p. 150 – Toni Ware’s dogs; “I’ll kill you”

§21 – p. 152 – Audit/fraud investigation

§22 – p. 154 – Chris Fogle, wastoid novella

§23 – p. 253 – dream: rows of faces & boredom

§24 – p. 256 – Author here, arrival in Peoria, Self-Storage Parkway, the mixup

§25 – p. 310 – everyone turns pages

§26 – p. 314 – examiners phantoms & ghosts

§27 – p. 317 – Rotes orientation; Cusk sweating it

§28 – p. 346 – 10 Laws of IRS Personnel

§29 – p. 347 – dog shit stories; Fat Marcus sits

§30 – p. 356 – internal espionage dialogue

§31 – p. 371 – Shinn on surveillance

§32 – p. 373 – The Exorcist on the speakerphone

§33 – p. 376 – Lane Dean, bored at work (“Wiggle Room”)

§34 – p. 386 – jargon about the Alternative Minimum Tax

§35 – p. 387 – Manshardt’s fierce infant (“The Compliance Branch”)

§36 – p. 394 – The boy kissing his own body (“Backbone”)

§37 – p. 408 – awkward conversation at restaurant (Rand?)

§38 – p. 410 – Author here; technical explanation of identity mixup

§39 – p. 415 – Band-saw accident

§40 – p. 423 – Cusk’s fears, at the psychiatrist

§41 – p. 425 – Cardwell is demented, a loon

§42 – p. 426 – Rescue Rangers meth binge in college

§43 – p. 431 – possible terrorist event; Glendenning’s management style

§44 – p. 437 – The key to bureaucracy is dealing with boredom

§45 – p. 439 – Toni Ware’s mom; catatonia

§46 – p. 444 – Meredith Rand’s story (with Drinion the levitator)

§47 – p. 510 – Toni Ware incident at the convenience store

§48 – p. 517 – Someone dosed the iced tea (or knives?) at the picnic

§49 – p. 527 – Fogle is debriefed by Sylvanshine and Reynolds

§50 – p. 537 – You become aware of the body; it is nothing like sleeping