Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace

Good luck.

Dr.Gonzo said:

Anyone? Anyone...?

It's a slab of tree by David Foster Wallace. Over 1k pages, tiny print. See you all in a year or so.

When I get back, I'd like to see who of you have read it and what you all thought of it.

Wish me luck. I'm going in.

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It's brilliant. You're going to have a great time.

I have to try it again, because I couldn't get int the first time I read it. I saw a nine-part interview with DFW and fell in love just a little bit, so I very much want to love this book as well.

On my soon to do list. Excited about it, but worried I'll never make it through. I'll report back with progress.

I'll be honest, I read it recently and I didn't get the "brilliance." It's about 15 years old and it feels awfully dated. If it's a novel, and I don't think it is, than it's not a very good one. Maybe I would have enjoyed it more had I wore a corduroy jacket and made the point to give a removed sigh with the turn of every page.

I'm interested to see what ya'll think, though.

chickenrising said:

Maybe I would have enjoyed it more had I wore a corduroy jacket and made the point to give a removed sigh with the turn of every page.

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Ouch!

I spent the entire day yesterday in Barnes and Nobles, and almost bought Infinite Jest, since i've heard so much about it. There were so many other things I wanted to read though, I picked up his short-story collection called Oblivion instead. I do plan to get to Infinite Jest soon, though.

I didn't like DFW's short work in Oblivion, so there was really no chance I'd read IJ at the time I was looking at reading his stuff. Maybe one of these day's I'll change my mind.

I found the first 150-200 pages of IJ to be...well, painful, I guess, is the word I'm looking for. DFW really gives the reader there a lot of heavy lifting to do in terms of figuring out connections and paying attention to details, and flipping to the back for the footnotes gets really tiresome. The rest of the book flowed much better, and got downright enjoyable by the midpoint. I don't know if there's really a difference or if it just takes a while to get used to the universe of the book, but I've talked to other people who have had the same experience.

In short: if you can slog through the start, there are some characters and scenes that are certainly worth the journey.

I read it when it first came out. It was pretty much a full-time job for a month, and I forced myself to read 50 pages a night. If I read any more than that, I wouldn't absorb all of the details; any less, and I'd never finish.

The hardest part for me was the physical size of the book. I couldn't hold the hardcover one-handed, and thought I'd get RSI by spanning open the pages. I finally found a way to hold the book on the floor and lean over the edge of the bed without casting any eyesight-crippling shadows, and flew through the book. I've been meaning to re-read it on kindle, but that might take the fun out of it.

It's an intoxicating read if you keep with it. I still have minor flashbacks to the narrative, like when I see someone playing tennis or kicking a field goal.

I was fortunate enough to meet the man on the IJ book tour, got my copy signed. An old ex of mine designed his last few books and got to work with him. She was completely gutted when he passed away - very tragic.

I bought this some time ago (this past summer). Though I am generally a fast reader (I read Stephen King's newest in two days, stopping for actual, you know, paid work, heh), I'm still not done with this one. Not for a lack of trying or interest, though. The roaming herds of feral hamsters are worth the price of admission all by themselves. I just have to read it in spurts because it is work to read it. At least for me, anyway. But worth the effort -- the footnotes are almost the best part.

Cranky said:

I bought this some time ago (this past summer). Though I am generally a fast reader (I read Stephen King's newest in two days, stopping for actual, you know, paid work, heh), I'm still not done with this one. Not for a lack of trying or interest, though. The roaming herds of feral hamsters are worth the price of admission all by themselves. I just have to read it in spurts because it is work to read it. At least for me, anyway. But worth the effort -- the footnotes are almost the best part.

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I had a discussion with a friend on this. I have to do the same (compounded by the fact that I'm generally a slow reader).

I described his prose as very easy to read — it's not as if it's actually difficult to follow — but simply exhausting and breathless nonetheless.

kuwisdelu said:

I had a discussion with a friend on this. I have to do the same (compounded by the fact that I'm generally a slow reader).

I described his prose as very easy to read — it's not as if it's actually difficult to follow — but simply exhausting and breathless nonetheless.

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Yeah, just the physical heft of the book is something else. But I know what you mean. Never read anything quite like it.

Cranky said:

Yeah, just the physical heft of the book is something else. But I know what you mean. Never read anything quite like it.

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I admit to writing in a similar style where appropriate.

i loved brief interviews with hideous men...let me know how this one goes...

kuwisdelu said:

I admit to writing in a similar style where appropriate.

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Well, then you'd best get something published RIGHT NOW so I can read it. I'm not getting any younger you know.

Dandriod, I've heard of that one, too, and even spotted the movie on Netflix. Haven't yet checked it out. Consider the Lobster was pretty nifty,too.

Cranky said:

Well, then you'd best get something published RIGHT NOW so I can read it. I'm not getting any younger you know.

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Give me a few years. The PhD is being kind of a timesuck.

Started reading IJ today.

It's one of the funniest books I've ever read. And there are some passages I literally find myself nodding along, there's so much truth to it.

Literary masterpiece? [Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace]

That's what the following story on MSN, headlined "Literary masterpiece Infinite Jest visualized in Google Map" claims:

http://www.nbcnews.com/technology/t...e-infinite-jest-visualized-google-map-987854#

This novel, by the late David Foster Wallace, was published 16 years ago. I'm hard-pressed to think of many books published in my lifetime that achieved the status of "literary masterpiece" that quickly. Even such luminaries as Lord of the Flies, To Kill a Mockingbird, Catch-22, Rabbit, Run and Slaughterhouse-Five took longer to achieve a consensus on that status.

I haven't read the thing. So what do people who have think of it?

caw

I'm wondering if listing Infinite Jest as a literary masterpiece isn't somewhat similar to using that term for A Confederacy of Dunces by Toole. Hailed by a some, read by few, and where the author's death become a major part of the interest. I have a feeling neither one will be considered such masterpieces in 50 or 100 years from now.

I have not read Infinite Jest. I did read part of The Broom of the System.

Considering Disney Studios adds the tag "Our Newest Classic!" to each new release, I've become rather dubious of such terms as "classic" and "masterpiece" of late.

I am firmly in the 'masterpiece' camp. Highly recommended. Try his essays as well.