Hal incandenza, a tennis prodigy and drug user as a result of. Infinite jest is a novel written by david foster wallace. 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. Physically, however, the book i got was a paperback, and like i said it is a big book, so the front and back paperback pages tore a bit after only a few uses. Aaron i was going to answer no to this but it looks like you already read it since posing the question. 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. As the novel unfolds, various individuals, organizations. He has been named a top lawyer by washingtonian magazine, is listed in the best lawyers in america, and also is named a virginia superlawyer. At the very least, infinite jest, his new, 1,079page novel including 90 pages devoted to esoteric endnotes, gives a whole new twist to the word infinite.
Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. Unquestionably, infinite jest required great ambition and focus to write, and requires a bit of ambition and focus to read as well. It is rare to find a reader who is lukewarm about this book. While i cant read the book not even the end notes for you, i. It is the most fun book of this length that i have ever read. Supersummary, a modern alternative to sparknotes and cliffsnotes, offers highquality study guides that feature detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, quotes, and essay topics. 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. I am sure the story structure, characterization, and themes are all at the cutting edge of modern literary theories of. I have the old kindle2 so endnotes were a little bit laggy but they link back and forth from the main text easily enough and i. But if you are seeking something other, then this book will not disappoint. This onepage guide includes a plot summary and brief analysis of infinite jest by david foster wallace. Infinite jest is a clear example of how humans add to the confusion of the world.
Is there no ending to infinite book because there couldnt be. If you do this, you also need to tear the footnotes from the back half and tape them to front half. This first edition, signed by david foster wallace is available at bauman rare books. He was also a tragic figure, hanging himself when changing antidepressants in 2008. Discover book depository s huge selection of jason aaron books online. I said it was a joke, and that the phrase infinite jest came from. Start by marking david foster wallaces infinite jest. David foster wallaces magnum opus is definitely one of the most polarizing popular novels in recent memory. Infinite jest displays a wider range of styles from the subliterate monologue of a povertystricken abused woman to technical explications of the properties of various pharmaceuticals but the main narrative style is both casual and complex, slangy and erudite, a kind of slacker mandarin with comically manic specificity of detail. It is rare to find a reader who is lukewarm about this book one tends to either love it or loathe it enormously. Infinite jest is a cult book that became a phenomenon right from its publication day in 1996. Hed blogged about it in two separate posts, what happens at the end of infinite jest. A couple of days later, he emailed to make sure he had the correct reference for a book i had recommended about nonprofit management and a week or so later we resumed our. Otherwise, what i recommend is when you finish the book, go and read aaron swartzs explanation of the text and itll help enormously.
Stream and download audiobooks to your computer, tablet or mobile phone. The chemical modifications of the natural ergot chemical makes the chemical much more potent and psychoactive. Feb 01, 1996 admittedly, infinite jest is a tough book. Feb 04, 2016 if one of your reading resolutions is to finally finish infinite jest, david foster wallaces mammoth novel, im here to help. 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. In an instant of sudden clarity i realized he was right, that they were basically the same book the same fractally complex narrative of broken meandering plots about an endlesslyawaited but never arriving apocalypse.
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. He did though, leave behind a hugely impressive body of work and infinite jest, in my opinion, having read everything he has written over the years, is his crowning glory. Dmz is synthesized from a mold that grows on mold not an extract from the mold. The book is drumtight and relentlessly smart and, though it does not wear its heart on its. Infinite jest kindle edition by wallace, david foster.
At the end of the day, i still crave a compelling story that hooks my heart as well as my brain. Dmz is likely much more psychoactive than the chemicals in the mold. Sep 10, 2016 its been a bit of a journey on this one. Infinite jest first edition signed david foster wallace. Now if youve read the book you know that the book starts about a year after the. In infinite jest, why is john wayne unable to compete in the. Dec 19, 2016 it is designed as a resource for potential readers who fear infinite jest is plotless. It is designed as a resource for potential readers who fear infinite jest is plotless. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading infinite jest. I literally can not get enough of this book, as my username might indicate. Infinite jest by david foster wallace, first edition abebooks. Infinite jest ebook by david foster wallace rakuten kobo.
I read the kindle version and it worked pretty well for me. 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. The recently deceased aaron swartz is the author of one of the most compelling theories about infinite jests end. His second novel, infinite jest, was published in 1996. Infinite jest is a 1996 novel by american writer david foster wallace. The novel is a interconnected sequence of events, told out of timeline order, that focuses on addiction in all its forms. Infinite jest page by page david foster wallace wiki. On reading the first chapter of infinite jest sally allen.
Beyond the ease with which one can lookup footnotes, consider the following. I was talking to my roommate about infinite jest, and he asked me how it compared to illuminatus. This is a reading of an excerpt of the book infinite jest by the late david foster wallace, my favorite author. A book that has shaped popular culture despite or because of its length which demands a bit of much rewarding work from the reader. In infinite jest, why is john wayne unable to compete in. Infinite jest is a great book, and its going on my list of favorite novels ever. Lsd is synthesized from a chemical in the fungus ergot. Steven asin infinite jest is the perfect book for the kindle paperwhite. 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. Infinite jest by david foster wallace, first edition. Buy infinite jest 01 by foster wallace, david isbn.
Heres how i finally read infinite jest and how you can, too. Discover book depository s huge selection of david foster wallace books online. At some point, about a week ago, i was ready to say this is an awesome book, this infinite jest, and while i spent much of the first couple hundred pages admiring it, i was also somewhat confused and not really relating to it. At the time, aaron was beginning to assist with the formation of change congress now called. 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. The recently deceased aaron swartz is the author of one of. Eggerss introduction observed that infinite jest was 1,067 pages long and there is not one lazy sentence.
A readers guide was the first book to be published on the novel and is a key reference for those who wish to explore further. I absolutely adore this man and his work and i tried my best to do a proper. You start the book having no clue when it is happening and who the various characters are. It has been categorized as an encyclopedic novel and made time magazines list of the 100 best englishlanguage novels published between 1923 and 2005.
It all started with a post called 1088 reasons you should read. I rated infinite jest 4 of 5 stars because i found that with the long break i took part way through the book i forgot some key parts to the plot line and i think this kept me from really grasping the entirety of what dfw wanted to get out with the novel which is. Book is a founding partner of webster book llp, located in alexandria, virginia. Infinite jest is both sad, depressed and funny and even 25 years after it was published in 1994 remains relevant to the modern age. Its a long story, with over pages, but if you are hungry for literature, this one is for you. 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. This is one of those great books that is just too smart for me. I felt compelled throughout to read it aloud, such was the almost poetic quality of it.
A gargantuan, mindaltering comedy about the pursuit of happiness in america. Aaron maintains an active trial practice in both civil and criminal law. This week marks the 20th anniversary of david foster wallaces infinite jest. In 2006, little brown published a 10th anniversary edition of david foster wallaces infinite jest that featured a foreword by dave eggers. Apr 26, 2017 this is a reading of an excerpt of the book infinite jest by the late david foster wallace, my favorite author. The recently deceased aaron swartz is the author of one of the most compelling theories about infinite jest s end. Dec 01, 2016 warning spoilers really though, bbbbaaaaaddddd spoilers why are you still reading if you havent finished the book. The lack of physicality is a bummer, but i feel its vastly compensated by having access to everything id like to read in seconds.
This huge volume will prop open even a castles gates. Wallace taught creative writing at emerson college. We use cookies to give you the best possible experience. Tom bissell and the editor michael pietsch discuss infinite jest. Infinite jest by david foster wallace, 9780349121086, available at book depository with free delivery worldwide. Infinite jest npr coverage of infinite jest by david foster wallace. Equal parts philosophical quest and screwball comedy, infinite jest bends every rule of fiction without sacrificing for a moment its own entertainment value. May 30, 2018 infinite jest by david foster wallace, 9780349121086, available at book depository with free delivery worldwide.
Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. Partly this was because i was reading it in situations when the weight and bulk of the physical edition would have been a big hassle, with infinite jest this is more of an issue than with a lot of other books. At the time of his death, aaron was writing a summary of wallaces masterpiece, infinite jest. And get yourself a second bookmark for the footnotes. It is an exuberant, uniquely american exploration of the passions that make us human and one of those rare books that renew the. 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. Reviews of infinite jest david foster wallace wiki. Of course, its exhausting to read such a mega book. Some readers have found it useful to rip the book in half for easier reading on the subway or on the beach.
Infinite jest has become an exemplar for difficulty in contemporary fictionits 1,079 pages full of verbal invention, oblique narration, and a scattered, nonlinear, chronology. If one of your reading resolutions is to finally finish infinite jest, david foster wallaces mammoth novel, im here to help. 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. Infinite jest is a 1996 novel by david foster wallace comprising about 1,000 pages.