I cant recommend the purchase of the what at first appears to be the amazing ive heard good things about the audio. 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. It has been categorized as an encyclopedic novel and made time magazines list of the 100 best englishlanguage novels published between 1923 and 2005. Are there any other books i could read like infinite jest. The novels most crucial event, for instance, is only referenced on page 17 and page 934. Burn david foster wallaces infinite jest similar books. A brick of a tome of a journey of a boy and his harried growth in spurts of tennisfueled tragedy. With its baroque subplots, zany political satire, morbid, cerebral humor and astonishing range of cultural references, wallaces brilliant but somewhat bloated dirigible of a second novel after the b. It is an exuberant, uniquely american exploration of the passions that make us human and one of those rare books that renew the idea of what a novel can do. Wallace began infinite jest, or something like it, at various times between 1986 and 1989. Once you start connecting the whole thing together, youll want to read it over and over its a lot like the entertainment other books that are lighter but somewhat similar. Ive seldom been more engrossed in a novel, and more willing to put in the time of. Mario, a firehydrantsize dwarf, and hal, a junior tennis.
Infinite jest by david foster wallace free download. Infinite jest as infinite jest a supposedly fun blog. Out of mountains of books, this is possibly the worst writing ive ever read. Infinite jest by david foster wallace librarything. Why i cannot recommend the infinite jest audio book. A brief note to readers new to infinite jest and a very. Apparently this is a completely different beer than the infinite jest that was designed as a bitter and available on cask previously. I felt compelled throughout to read it aloud, such was the almost poetic quality of it.
Its fantastic, but the thing is that its over pages and super hard to read. 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. So did i, for the first two or three pages, until i saw the author didnt give a damn. 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 is perhaps the great postmodern american novel for many reasons.
Im seeking recommendations for books, essays, and really anything else games, films, etc. I am somewhat tempted to immediately start again, since the end is the beginning and you really cant pick it all up in a single read, but if anyone has a good followup or comedown read suggestion id be glad to hear. In the real world, best known in the name of the nonmusic version of compact discs cdrom. Unquestionably, infinite jest required great ambition and focus to write, and requires a bit of ambition and focus to read as well. Feb 07, 2016 when his infinite jest came out 20 years ago, david foster wallace felt some anxiety about how his fully stuffed novel would be received. Like james, he makes films, and much of his work bears the mark of james s style. Mario is the most moral and kind person in the novel. Mar 08, 2016 on sunday, i named infinite jest as a book readers can benefit from dipping into, even if they never read it straight through to the end. Like broom, it creates a portrait of a futuristic america obsessed with. A book that has shaped popular culture despite or because of its length which demands a bit of much rewarding work from the reader. Apr, 2009 equal parts philosophical quest and screwball comedy, infinite jest bends every rule of fiction without sacrificing for a moment its own entertainment value. There are dozens of other nods to delillos other books throughout wallaces work the broom of the system is similar to a phrase in.
Its also in the top ten of the best books i have ever read in my life. In a sprawling, wild, superhyped magnum opus, david foster wallace fulfills the promise of his precocious novel the broom of the system. I love its sincerity, it never feels like wallace is fucking with me. Feb 05, 2018 its just a totally brilliant, dense, super fun and insightful novel. Featured software all software latest this just in old school emulation msdos games historical software classic pc games software library. Have you ever read the book infinite jest by david foster wallace. Does mario incandenza represent any particular addiction. It would be my desert island book and the book i would take to prison with me. Spoilers was mario aware joelle van dyne was madame psychosis. The character of mario incandenza in infinite jest from. The final 200 pages always make me feel like im sliding down an ultra fast slipperydip.
Infinite jest by david foster wallace, first edition abebooks. 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. Everybody hurts except mario incandenza infinite summer. Sep 10, 2016 its been a bit of a journey on this one. 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. If i start another book, i know it will making returning to ij much harder. Index to the science fiction magazines 19261950ak jpg.
Uncertain principles, david foster wallace, infinite jest. I feel like theres been so much written about this book, that it almost seems. Infinite jest, the title of david foster wallaces gargantuan new novel, is a kind of inside joke. By my estimation infinite jest and 2666 have more differences between them than similarities. 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. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading infinite jest. Jan 27, 2017 despite being published before the internet turned into the highspeed dontreadthecommentssection of modern life, infinite jest may be the first novel to truly require the internet to be read properly. A few weeks ago, i wrote the foreword for infinite summer, a summerlong collective read of infinite jest, david foster wallaces bigass novel and one of my favorite books. I think what you say about infinite summer is quite interesting. However, despite his kindness, people often only tolerate him rather than embracing his company. Im still trying to make sense of infinite jest io9. Infinite jest kindle edition by wallace, david foster.
Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. Feb, 1996 infinite jest by david foster wallace 1,079 pages. George saunders civilwarland in bad decline, neal stephenson snow crash. I was thinking of starting the prophet, mostly because it is about half as thick as the footnotes of infinite jest. It all started with a post called 1088 reasons you should read infinite jest. On reading the first chapter of infinite jest sally allen. But if you are seeking something other, then this book will not disappoint. Feb 01, 1996 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 is designed as a resource for potential readers who fear infinite jest is plotless. Mitchell in his essay ekphrasis and the other that, in many. Everyone falls into their own book, the book they keep coming back to and jest sits there like the allconsuming movie on which its based, ready to detonate and send one tumbling down the. Well, the pleasure about the book, infinite jest, is that it does feel like a book that invites the beginning of a conversation, that the book is long enough, involved enough, rich enough, deep enough, and moving enough to begin to feel like a dialogue. Equal parts philosophical quest and screwball comedy, infinite jest bends every rule of fiction without sacrificing for a moment its own entertainment value.
People who finish the book say it is one of the greatest accomplishments in their lives. Feb 04, 2016 if one of your reading resolutions is to finally finish infinite jest, david foster wallaces mammoth novel, im here to help. Heres how i finally read infinite jest and how you can, too. In short, if finnegans wake was a rancid fart that was proudly left to rip, infinite jest is a weak one, lacking sound and odor. Find books like infinite jest from the worlds largest community of readers. Hals older brothers orin and mario and their mother avril, an unnamed black girl from. Navigating its maze of relationships and 400 footnotes could drive even the most seasoned. Hals older brothers orin and mario and their mother avril, an unnamed black girl from boston. Cdroms were becoming a popular way to distribute software and preinternet computerized encyclopedias and atlases when infinite jest was written, and even then it was predicted that dvdroms or some other videodata disk would eventually supplant them. Infinite jest isnt for everyone, and i dont mean that in a condescending or patronizing way. In the near future, canada, mexico, and the united sta.
If you are a seller for this product, would you like to suggest updates through seller support. There are jokes that take many pages to set up and the pay offs are laugh out loud hilarious. A novel by david foster wallace and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. These aspects combine to make an enjoyable sessionable wheat ale with a modern ipaish bent. Infinite jest the kind of book that, when it is mentioned, creates a hushed silence of mingled awe and fear in the room.
Books similar to david foster wallaces infinite jest. This is part of a new series of guides to contemporary novels. Infinite jest is a 1996 novel by american writer david foster wallace. Goodreads members who liked infinite jest also liked. Infinite jest by david foster wallace turns 20 today, and im still confused by it all these years later. The title of david foster wallaces 1996 novel infinite jest refers, amongst other things, to. Websites offering guidance, supplementary reading lists, and encouragement abound, and are probably necessary, unless youre planning. Apr 12, 2012 why i cannot recommend the infinite jest audio book infinite jest i guess this is a first for me and ill get straight to the point.
Though i never had that, its no secret that i hate when breweries do stuff like this. Im an aspiring writer currently consuming infinite jest. Jul 31, 2009 there have been some interesting infinite summer posts about whether infinite jest counts as science fictionsee, for instance, these two at infinite tasks and this from chris forsterso i thought it might be interesting to run through some of my standard classroom definitions of science fiction and see how the book shapes up. While i cant read the book not even the end notes for you, i.
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. Infinite jest is a cult book that became a phenomenon right from its publication day in 1996. They are both long and have many characters but that is where the similarities end, thus these books might fit the bill for one more than the other. The aim of the series is to give readers accessible and informative introductions to some of the most. That you could go back and talk to the book in the form of reading it again. Also, on a certain level, it is very grim and sad and honest and has a message that just becomes more and more relevant. Infinite jest is both sad, depressed and funny and even 25 years after it was published in 1994 remains relevant to the modern age. 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.
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