A gargantuan, mindaltering comedy about the pursuit of happiness in america set in an addicts halfway house and a tennis academy, and featuring the most endearingly screwedup family to come along in recent fiction, infinite jest explores essential questions about what entertainment is and why it has come to so dominate our lives. Infinite jest generally gets hate because theres entire subs devoted to it. Equal parts philosophical quest and screwball comedy, infinite jest bends every rule of fiction, features a huge cast and multilevel narrative, and questions essential elements of american culture our entertainments, our addictions, our relationships, our. There is stuff that happens in the opening pages that explains events at the end of the book, albeit over pages and hundreds of footnotes away. The 16 actual best books for men to read the frisky. Infinite jest, david foster walaces massive 1,079page tome, is one of the most beloved books of this millennium, but it is also one that through sheer dint of its size has taken on almost religious reverence. A brick of a tome of a journey of a boy and his harried growth in spurts of tennisfueled tragedy. Infinite jest is a novel written by david foster wallace. Find all the books, read about the author, and more. At the top of a hill is the enfield tennis academy, and at the base of the hill is the ennet house. As it turns out, all physical edition of infinite jest have 981 pages. I took infinite jest on a kayaking trip in colorado. Inappropriate the group contains hate speech or sexual roleplay activity, or facilitates illegal activity. It has been categorized as an encyclopedic novel and made time magazines list of the 100 best englishlanguage novels published between.
The novel is a interconnected sequence of events, told out of timeline order, that focuses on addiction in all its forms. The truth is it might be the worst novel ever written, or at least published, but given the fact that wallace has stiff competition from the burgeoning spawn of pc elitist writers, not to mention his own pomo kith, such as rick moody, dave eggers, and that. The novel is widely noted for its unconventional narrative structure and its experimental use of endnotes there are 388 endnotes, some with footnotes of their own. Infinite jest 1996 is a novel written by david foster wallace. The new movie the end of the tour recreates the authors tour for that book. I hadnt realized how much the internet had affected my ability to just sit down and read a book, and looking back the first half of ij was all that tougher because. The answer depends on whether you define the end as the last chronological event of the story, chronological events near the end of the text, or whats happening on the actual last page of text not counting footnotes. This is my experience with the book and things i think could help you either finish the book or allowing yourself to just not start it.
When people do tackle it, they often give up within the first 200. The fresh air interview in 1996, wallaces novel infinite jest was a critical and popular success. But if you are seeking something other, then this book will not disappoint. Whether its drugs, sex, or fame, the novels primary goal is to examine the need for these addictions and show that it is possible to addicted to addiction itself. Infinite jest is a american pale wheat ale style beer brewed by notch brewing in salem, ma. The novel is widely noted for its unconventional narrative structure and its experimental use of endnotes there are a total of 388 endnotes, some with footnotes of their own. Perhaps through a sort of literary stockholm syndrome, people that read infinite jest tend to worship it afterwards. A big thank you to the men and women in the publishing industry who were kind andor lazy enough to keep things consistent. I remember it but couldnt tell you hals dads dogs name, it was obvious to me that the whole point of the book from dfws perspective, was to create the entertainment in real life, or, something close to it. Youre flat wrong about david foster wallace and infinite jest, by the way. Infinite jest by david foster wallace i recognize that this book has become the exemplar of white male literature, but give it a shot before passing judgment. Jul 29, 2011 a casual observer of the bookclub scene could be fooled into thinking that this summer was a hard one for the nations leisure readers.
Unquestionably, infinite jest required great ambition and focus to write, and requires a bit of ambition and focus to read as well. First edition stated first printing 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 of late authors magnum opus. And while that classic is not a great book, its a damned sight better, as well as more narratively daring than this book. In 2006, little brown published a 10th anniversary edition of david foster wallaces infinite jest that featured a foreword by dave eggers. It has been categorized as an encyclopedic novel and made time magazines list of the 100 best. Infinite jest, by david foster wallace, is the worst science fiction novel ever written. Most people trashing it i can assure you havent actually read through the entire book. Beyond the ease with which one can lookup footnotes, consider the following. Aug 01, 2016 infinite jest might be the most polarizing novel ive ever read. Aldous huxley wrote an entrancing tale using fiction as a medium, describing a future bent on synthetic human farming, global indoctrination, and a plethora of. Eggerss introduction observed that infinite jest was 1,067 pages long and there is not one lazy sentence. This is the last of a fourpart roundtable discussion with the infinite summer guides infinite summer.
I mean, i can understand people who just cant or wont get into the book, for one reason or anotherif anything, the very personal nature of ones obsessions is a large part of the point of infinite jest. If you do this, you also need to tear the footnotes from the back half and tape them to front half. Wallace wrote to a friend that the fuckers cut by 600 pages from the first version. Infinite jest is an incredibly sincere work in a culture where irony is omnipresent, and is one of the best contemporary reflections upon masculinity that ive ever read. Why david foster wallace should not be worshipped as a. The book club with just one member the new york times. In fact, its take on the very nature of entertainment itself perhaps foresaw the age of vanity and social media, as seen through the prisms of tinder, facebook, twitter and instagram.
A casual observer of the book club scene could be fooled into thinking that this summer was a hard one for the nations leisure readers. One of the most classic books of alltime, one of the predecessors to george orwells 1984, brave new world is a symbol of foresight and a mans ability to analyze the future, based on the present. Its definitely got me reading books again, which is marvelous. Infinite jest, in that sense, is a very easy read, almost as light and gay as victor hugos les miserables, which is even longer.
When i got to the end of infinite jest i read it about 10 years ago and im not one of those people with great memories. Producing, promoting, and developing innovative comedy and spoken word entertainment in northern ireland. Book has light shelfedgecorner wear else bright and clean, tight and square with no markings or tears. Oct 09, 2015 the end of the tour is based on david lipskys book that records the week he spent with wallace in 1996 while he was publicising infinite jest, when dfws fame was at its previous apogee. I will need this book, and only this book, to study for the gres. Now, many people agree that infinite jest is a singular novel, sui generis, akin perhaps only to mobydick in its originality, but the qualities that earn the book that praise its grotesque. Some readers have found it useful to rip the book in half for easier reading on the subway or on the beach. Infinite jest by david foster wallace librarything. A multilayered postmodern saga of damnation and salvation. Infinite jest the kind of book that, when it is mentioned, creates a hushed silence of mingled awe and fear in the room. This woman has been slowly eating infinite jest for a year. Now, many people agree that infinite jest is a singular novel, sui generis, akin perhaps only to mobydick in its originality, but the qualities that earn the.
Jan 27, 2017 just over twenty years ago, david foster wallace published his bestknown and most frustrating novel, infinite jest. The book is now growing mold on its pages, dark black clouds that keep expanding. You start the book having no clue when it is happening and who the various characters are. Its a big very big, bold, complex book that divided critics yet nevertheless landed with a thud on that list of novels everyone intends to read someday. Infinite jest is 1,079 pages if youre counting the often frustrating footnotes.
Plagiarized the groups content has been reproduced from another group. David foster wallace infinite jest abc the book club. The infinite atlas project is an independent research and art project seeking to identify, place and describe every possible location in david foster wallaces infinite jest. In a sprawling, wild, superhyped magnum opus, david foster wallace fulfills the promise of his precocious novel the broom of the system. The book is drumtight and relentlessly smart and, though it does not wear its heart on its sleeve, its deeply felt and incredibly moving. I have included books i love and books i hate, like infinite jest. Feb 26, 2016 12 if you think infinite jest at 1,100odd pages is a long book, be advised that it started longer.
The book is drumtight and relentlessly smart and, though it does not wear its heart on its. Infinite jest is both sad, depressed and funny and even 25 years after it was published in 1994 remains relevant to the modern age. With regard to the basic 14 plot line, the setting for the majority of the action is enfield, a fictional suburbia town outside of boston. A bakers dozen of my feelings about david foster wallace. David foster wallace infinite jest abc book club duration. I really havent seen like active hate for it though. Equal parts philosophical quest and screwball comedy, infinite jest bends every rule of fiction, features a huge cast and multilevel narrative, and questions essential elements of american culture our entertainments, our addictions, our. Wallaces particular conceit in infinite jest is that the events described are taking place in the indeterminate future, possibly. Infinite jest is a 1996 novel by american writer david foster wallace. I left it in my car, and when i reached for it afterward, i saw that onethird of the paperback was soaked in river water. Steven asin infinite jest is the perfect book for the kindle paperwhite. Now join endurance bibliophiles from around the web as we tackle and comment upon david foster wallaces masterwork, june 21st to september 22nd. Reading infinite jest after a year on the wagon paste.
The end of the tour is based on david lipskys book that records the week he spent with wallace in 1996 while he was publicising infinite jest. A casual observer of the bookclub scene could be fooled into thinking that this summer was a hard one for the nations leisure readers. A bakers dozen of my feelings about david foster wallaces. Infinite jest is the name of a movie said to be so entertaining that anyone who watches it loses all desire to do anything but watch it. May 19, 20 david foster wallace infinite jest abc the book club. Aug 21, 2018 infinite jest by david foster wallace i recognize that this book has become the exemplar of white male literature, but give it a shot before passing judgment. At the top of a hill is the enfield tennis academy, and at the base of the hill is the ennet hou. The lengthy and complex work takes place in a semiparodic future version of north america.
I felt compelled throughout to read it aloud, such was the almost poetic quality of it. Mar 20, 2009 the slate audio book club on infinite jest. I hadnt realized how much the internet had affected my ability to just sit down and read a book, and looking back the first half of ij was all that tougher because i was retraining my attention span. When people do tackle it, they often give up within the first 200 pages or soone of the most difficult. Infinite jest the definitely prepared to discuss book. Infinite jest, a friend of wallaces commented to me when i was researching every love story is a ghost story, the biography of wallace that i wrote, reads like a valentine to a. Infinite jest might be the most polarizing novel ive ever read. Just over twenty years ago, david foster wallace published his bestknown and most frustrating novel, infinite jest. It has been categorized as an encyclopedic novel and made time magazines list of the 100 best englishlanguage novels published between 1923 and 2005.
Infinite jest kindle edition by wallace, david foster. Infinite jest is actually a really important book and if you read it you would understand. David foster wallace infinite jest abc book club youtube. Adult content the group should be set to adultsonly due to its adult content. Feb 01, 1996 admittedly, infinite jest is a tough book. Not a great segment, but posted here for dfwmedia completists.
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