Making sense of form in "Host"
I was wondering what people think of "Host" in terms of how form affects theme.
I started reading it in the book form, and immediately tapped out. This is a visual nightmare. I went to read the version published by The Atlantic, which has much less friction when reading. However, I noticed that the Atlantic version is missing many, many of the footnotes, and I was probably missing at least half of the essay. So I switched back. Although it was interesting to learn about the process behind editing it, and that the magazine has recently updated it with more sophisticated web design.
Why do you think "Host" was written and formatted this way? I feel like it still would have been possible to keep the formatting of excessive footnotes the same in the rest of Consider the Lobster.
I haven't read any of DFW's fiction yet, but I get the sense that he wants the reader to work for it. However, I am sure that there is a more literary reason for the formatting in this particular essay. What does the unique footnote style add to the essay that wasn't necessary in the rest of the collection?
I'd love to hear your thoughts!