David foster wallace facts softschools david foster wallace was an american writer best known for. A reading of infinite jest by david foster wallace boston aa. In a sprawling, wild, superhyped magnum opus, david foster wallace fulfills the promise of his precocious novel the broom of the system. So many things remind me of infinite jest, because theres so much description packed in from the chinese ladies always carrying pink plastic bags, to the skippingaroundatrandom internal dialogs. Mar 20, 2009 the slate audio book club on infinite jest. Infinite jest david foster wallace 2 nbcfiresdonaldtrumpafterhecallsmexicansrapistsanddrug. I became curious because i wondered whether i could identify. And the bouncing backandforth is a feature, not a bug.
Infinite jest david foster wallace somewhere in the notsodistant future, the screwedup residents of ennet house, a boston halfway house for recovering addicts, and students at the enfield. David foster wallaces infinite jest, a favorite book of many, is the kind of genrebender that will thwart your mind with its convoluted narrative, plethora of allusions and cultural references. I havent read infinite jest, but heres some memes about it anyway. An ambitious and frequently brilliant fictional exploration of the pursuit of pleasure and its ramifying consequences, by the antic author of girl with curious hair 1989, etc. Fifteen years after infinite jest was first published, and three years after i interviewed author david foster wallace shortly before his suicide, ive finally decided to finish his most. Oct 18, 2016 infinite jest explores the idea that all humans are addicts and examines how the chosen drugs particularly entertainment of late 20th century americans eat them alive. Gately, having relived his bottom, begins to recover from his infection. Infinite jest by david foster wallace, 9780349121086, available at book depository with free delivery worldwide. The last few months with you guys have been totally awesome, and ive loved the adventure of helping guide yall through the subterranean underbelly of the enfield tennis academy and out to the freezing sand of gatelys beach. Infinite jest support group a blog to help readers through. It has been categorized as an encyclopedic novel and made time magazines list of the 100 best englishlanguage novels published between 1923 and 2005. Jan 16, 2007 the novel infinite jest is the story of this addictive entertainment, and in particular how it affects a boston halfway house for recovering addicts and a nearby tennis academy, whose students have many budding addictions of their own. So perhaps it should come as no surprise that i see it as something faulty, broken, dysfunctional. The novel is widely noted for its unconventional narrative structure and its experimental use of endnotes there are a total of 388.
Feb 15, 2016 at more than 1,000 pages with copious footnotes infinite jest is a famously difficult read. Jul 06, 2015 david foster wallaces 1996 novel infinite jest poses rhetorical, formal, and verbal challenges that will confound many readers new to the text. Heres how i finally read infinite jest and how you can, too. How to read infinite jest chronologically infinite jest. He had a convenient reason to start infinite winter in 2016 its the 20th anniversary of infinite jest. Infinite jest, by david foster wallace, is the worst science fiction novel ever written. In fact, its take on the very nature of entertainment itself. While i cant read the book not even the end notes for you, i. Definitely worth a try for anyone attempting a second read. Im currently listening to the audiobook of infinite jest, which is brilliantly narrated, from audible. Infinite winter read infinite jest with a few hundred of.
Equal parts philosophical quest and screwball comedy. Infinite summer view topic movie adaptation of infinite jest. Audiobook hd audio david foster wallace infinite jest 17. Its the beginning of the chapter that describes don gately s perspective on the alcoholics anonymous program in boston. Infinite jest is a 1996 novel by american writer david foster wallace. At the top of a hill is the enfield tennis academy, and at the base of the hill is the ennet hou. Infinite jest is both sad, depressed and funny and even 25 years after it was published in 1994 remains relevant to the modern age. 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. Jan 23, 2014 im currently listening to the audiobook of infinite jest, which is brilliantly narrated, from audible. The last few months with you guys have been totally awesome, and ive loved the. Dec 10, 2010 david foster wallaces infinite jest, a favorite book of many, is the kind of genrebender that will thwart your mind with its convoluted narrative, plethora of allusions and cultural references, and multilateral connections between the characters. I began reading infinite jest by david foster wallace around october 2008.
May 30, 2018 infinite jest by david foster wallace, 9780349121086, available at book depository with free delivery worldwide. Set in an addicts halfway house and a tennis academy, and. For reference while working on the project drew used the ij scene by scene guide, and stephen burns david foster wallaces infinite jest. They are not boring bibliographic details, but rather an integral part of the text. Infinite jest explores the idea that all humans are addicts and examines how the chosen drugs particularly entertainment of late 20th century americans eat them alive. David foster wallace what to read after infinite jest. 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. Walking infinite jest is a onecredit course at boston college. The novel infinite jest is the story of this addictive entertainment, and in particular how it affects a boston halfway house for recovering addicts and a nearby tennis academy, whose students.
I first became interested in infinite jest after learning that david foster wallace was a fallen philosopher like myself. Protagonist in david foster wallaces infinite jest. For all the possible directions a last post about infinite jest could take, ive decided to look ahead to what comes next. Sep 10, 2016 its been a bit of a journey on this one. At more than 1,000 pages with copious footnotes infinite jest is a famously difficult read. 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. Its 56 hours long, but its so well performed that it never drags at any moment in the book. Wayne, who would have won this years whataburger, standing watch in a mask as donald gately and i dig up my fathers head. 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. 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. If one of your reading resolutions is to finally finish infinite jest, david foster wallaces mammoth novel, im here to help. 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. In fact, its take on the very nature of entertainment itself perhaps foresaw.
I havent read infinite jest, but heres some memes about it. A couple of weeks or so later, however, gately mailed the da a photograph of he and his partner bent over, each with the handle of a toothbrush sticking out of their assholes. Infinite summer blog archive how to read infinite jest. I heard this snippet on the radio this morning and looked. Infinite jest book club tackles the big tome on its 20th. Navigating its maze of relationships and 400 footnotes could drive even the most seasoned. 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. Infinite jest kindle edition by wallace, david foster.
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. The truth is it might be the worst novel ever written, or at least published, but given the fact that wallace has stiff. I had ordered the book from after hearing of david foster wallaces death. 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. For reference while working on the project drew used the ij scene by scene guide, and stephen burns david foster wallaces infinite. Was the allegedly fatally entertaining and scopophiliac thing jim alleges he made out of her. Walking infinite jest a bostonians reading of david foster. Boston and infinite jest this site is just one of several which examine the role of boston in infinite jest. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one. David foster wallace from the new yorker david foster wallace describes enfield, massachusettsan important setting in his 1996 novel infinite jestas a kind of armshape extending north from commonwealth avenue and separating brighton into upper. The infinite jest quotes below are all either spoken by don gately or refer to don gately. How did don gately help dig up joi in his condition. Download infinite jest ebook pdf free infinitejestkus blog.
In a manner both reminiscent and imitative of thomas pynchons gravitys rainbow 1973, wallace traces the sometimes connected fortunes of two dozen or so addicted and obsessed souls variously involved with. I absolutely loved the book, but need some clarification on these things. 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. It is the genx ulysses that even those like me, who consider themselves dfw superfans, are. David foster wallace from the new yorker david foster wallace. 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. The abundance of or excess of guides and commentaries on the novel can perhaps have the adverse and unintentional consequence of making readers new to infinite jest believe that they cant get it without help. An infinite jest discussion containing major spoilers. David foster wallaces 1996 novel infinite jest poses rhetorical, formal, and verbal challenges that will confound many readers new to the text. It has been categorized as an encyclopedic novel and made time magazines list of the 100 best. I was in france at the time, and when i got back to the u.