The book is drumtight and relentlessly smart and, though it does not wear its heart on its. I first read infinite jest in 1998 when my gascan man gave me a copy when i was a rookie in the craftsman truck series, and i was immediately struck dumb by the combination of effortlessness and earnestness of his prose. The buzzing claustrophobic energy of infinite jest placed wallace in the company of pynchon and delillo the wall street journal. A gargantuan, mindaltering comedy about the pursuit of happiness in america. When people do tackle it, they often give up within the first 200. Mar 03, 1996 reading david foster wallaces latest novel, infinite jest, i couldnt help thinking at times about 7yearold seymour glasss book length letter home from camp, published in the new. Click and collect from your local waterstones or get free uk delivery on orders over. Feb 07, 2016 infinite jest, in other words, can be exceedingly frustrating.
Tennis academy are ensnared in the search for the master copy of infinite jest. Infinite jest is a 1996 novel by american writer david foster wallace. A writer of virtuostic talents who can seemingly do anything the new york times somewhere in the notsodistant future the residents of ennet house, a boston halfway house for recovering addicts, and students at the nearby enfield tennis academy are ensnared in the search for the master copy of infinite jest, a movie said to be so dangerously entertaining its viewers become entranced and. May 09, 2005 i have three helpers to infinite jest, each purchased at different readings of the great novel. As a college english major, ive read my fair share of great literature, and very few authors even approach wallaces ability to entertain, enlighten, mystify or infuriate. Big in its aspirations, big in its scope, big in what it delivers. Infinite jest by david foster wallace 9780349121086 harry hartog. So it looks like back bay is printing the book with these errors.
A brick of a tome of a journey of a boy and his harried growth in spurts of tennisfueled tragedy. The book is drumtight and relentlessly smart and, though it does not wear its heart on its sleeve, its deeply felt and incredibly moving. Feb 15, 2016 today, i turned the last page of infinite jest, around a week late for my deadline. The name of the movie is infinite jest and it is referred to by various government organizations as the entertainment and is considered a national security threat. Infinite jest by foster wallace, david and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. Caricature and satire from leonardo to levine with the exhibition curators, constance mcphee and nadine orenstein. David foster wallaces infinite jest, is, without question, the best book ive ever read. Infinite jest by david foster wallace 71,477 ratings, 4.
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 david foster wallace somewhere in the notsodistant future the residents of ennet house, a boston halfway house for recovering addicts, and students at the nearby enfield tennis academy are ensnared in the search for the master copy of infinite jest, a movie said to be so dangerously entertaining its viewers become entranced and. Infinite jest the kind of book that, when it is mentioned, creates a hushed silence of mingled awe and fear in the room. Apr, 2009 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. It feels as though david foster wallace only set the book in the.
A readers companion to infinite jest is a guide for readers who have heard about the literary genius of david foster wallaces huge and sprawling novel but have been put off by its length and narrative complexity. I felt compelled throughout to read it aloud, such was the almost poetic quality of it. Why david foster wallace should not be worshipped as a. Infinite jest by david foster wallace, first edition. Beyond the ease with which one can lookup footnotes, consider the following. As it turns out, all physical edition of infinite jest have 981 pages. All orders are custom made and most ship worldwide within 24 hours. Under the bleak and chilly surface, infinite jest is. Infinite jest by david foster wallace, 9780349121086, available at book depository with free delivery worldwide. 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. Steven asin infinite jest is the perfect book for the kindle paperwhite. David foster wallace, alcoholics anonymous, and everybody. Infinite jest is a novel written by david foster wallace. While working my way through this extraordinarily lengthy and.
Infinite jest is a american pale wheat ale style beer brewed by notch brewing in salem, ma. First of all, the book is set in an unspecified future. Just over twenty years ago, david foster wallace published his bestknown and most frustrating novel, infinite jest. Yet this flamboyant novel is also one of the most downtoearth books you will ever read. Which is fine, but this future element of the book doesnt ever go anywhere. The beloved 1100page novel is david foster wallaces magnum opus and one of the most influential books of its time, but did you know he. 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. David foster wallaces lexicon was the stuff of legends. This book is wandering, selfindulgent, overwritten, and gives ample evidence that the academics and literati are captivated by the deranged workings of a damaged mind wallace struggled with addictions and mental illness and killed himself a couple years after infinite jest was published. Infinite jest ebook written by david foster wallace. Infinite jest by david foster wallace librarything. Jan 28, 2017 david foster wallaces lexicon was the stuff of legends. Over 200 vocabulary words collected from infinite jest.
At its very core, this book is a critique of flashiness and attitude, and argues for a healthy distrust of irony and. First edition stated first printing 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 of late authors magnum opus. When people do tackle it, they often give up within the first 200 pages or soone of the most difficult parts of. Composed by two distinguished literary scholars, the companion is designed both for general readers and for college students taking. 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. To ask other readers questions about infinite jest, please sign up. Eggerss introduction observed that infinite jest was 1,067 pages long and there is not one lazy sentence. Infinite jest has been hailed as one the great modern american novels and its author, david foster wallace, who committed suicide in 2008, as one of the most influential and innovative authors of the past 20 years.
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 a total of 388 endnotes, some with footnotes of their own. One of the main plot points of infinite jest is a movie made by a character who killed himself. The lack of physicality is a bummer, but i feel its vastly compensated by having access to everything id like to read in seconds. To fully understand what wallace was up to, the book bears being read, and reread, with talmudic focus and devotion. Only select a single shop across items added into cart. Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or take notes while you read infinite jest. 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. The length of infinite jest should not be an obstacle to finding pleasure in it. Everybody is identical in their secret unspoken belief that way deep down they are different from everyone else. Infinite jest kindle edition by wallace, david foster. Caricature and satire from leonardo to levine, which is on until march, in 2012.
I recently bought the uk version of the book published by abacus an imprint of little brown so that i could compare that version. Feb 01, 1996 admittedly, infinite jest is a tough book. Maybe some midcareer john barththe sotweed factor, gi. It has been categorized as an encyclopedic novel and made time magazines list of the 100 best englishlanguage novels published between 1923 and 2005. 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. Jan 27, 2017 just over twenty years ago, david foster wallace published his bestknown and most frustrating novel, infinite jest. 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. Infinite jest by david foster wallace the new canon. A study of david foster wallaces infinite jest, and david foster wallaces infinite jest. 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. Director thomas campbell discusses the exhibition infinite jest. Infinite jest by david foster wallace, first edition, signed. But if you are seeking something other, then this book will not disappoint.
Hi, im tom campbell, director of the metropolitan museum, and im in our galleries of drawings and prints, where weve just opened an exhibition, infinite jest. Last year, the onion ran nascar cancels remainder of season following david foster wallaces death. Personally, i hated infinite jest and i cant imagine ill ever want to reread any of it. In 2006, little brown published a 10th anniversary edition of david foster wallaces infinite jest that featured a foreword by dave eggers. 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. Equal parts philosophical quest and screwball comedy, infinite jest bends every rule of fiction without sacrificing for a moment its own entertainment value. 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.
By any definition, and not just word count, infinite jest is a big novel. It is an exuberant, uniquely american exploration of the passions that make us human and one of those rare books that renew the. 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. But the emergent figure of gatelywounded, desperate, but able to find and give loveallows infinite jest to work as a postmodern saga of damnation and salvation. Buy infinite jest by david foster wallace from waterstones today. His widely acclaimed novel infinite jest contains over 20,000 unique words. Unquestionably, infinite jest required great ambition and focus to write, and requires a bit of ambition and focus to read as well. Reviews of infinite jest david foster wallace wiki. He had a convenient reason to start infinite winter in 2016 its the 20th anniversary of infinite jest. Im with the curators of the exhibition, nadine orenstein and constance mcphee. Each one has good material, but for an overall or first read of the book, i. 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. The book was edited by publisher little, brown and companys michael pietsch, who has recalled cutting about 250 manuscript pages. 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.
This huge volume will prop open even a castles gates. The length of infinite jest should not be an obstacle to. Caricature has long been a common experience through which both artists and the public address political and social issues. Book has light shelfedgecorner wear else bright and clean, tight and square with no markings or tears. What should i read after infinite jest if i loved it. Apr, 2009 infinite jest ebook written by david foster wallace. Infinite jest by david foster wallace booksamillion. 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. Infinite jest book club tackles the big tome on its 20th. My copy of the book is sawn in three, abused, with smudges of food across its pages, from when i couldnt stop. 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. So many people post their i just finished x post, and while thats fine, what i hope to do differently is having just finished infinite jest, write a post i would have liked to have read before having started the book. The novel is a interconnected sequence of events, told out of timeline order, that focuses on addiction in all its forms.
I went to a few bookstores in my area to check out their copys of infinite jest and they are all the back bay 10th anniversary edition with the errors. Having said that, i feel pretty confident in asserting that it is not the greatest book in existence. 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. Infinite jest, by david foster wallace, is the worst science fiction novel ever written. Infinite jests boom moments, missteps, etc, are numerous. Infinite jest by david foster wallace, paperback barnes. When someone recommends you read this book, ask them how much virginia woolf, marguerite. Infinite jest a gargantuan, mindaltering comedy about the pursuit of happiness in america set in an addicts halfway house and a tennis. A big thank you to the men and women in the publishing industry who were kind andor lazy enough to keep things consistent.
David foster wallace, alcoholics anonymous, and everybody worships i should probably explain how this all started. Id try out some pynchon, starting with gravitys rainbow or vineland gr is more difficult, which you seem to like. Buy hardcover copy of infinite jest at brickandmortar bookstore. You start the book having no clue when it is happening and who the various characters are. Dfws masterpiece otherwise known as the pinnacle of postmodern literary snobbery. One of the best books about addiction and recovery to appear in recent memory.
Infinite jest is both sad, depressed and funny and even 25 years after it was published in 1994 remains relevant to the modern age. Reading david foster wallaces latest novel, infinite jest, i couldnt help thinking at times about 7yearold seymour glasss booklength letter home from camp, published in the new. 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. 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. High quality infinite jest inspired tshirts by independent artists and designers from around the world. Today, i turned the last page of infinite jest, around a week late for my deadline. How about william gaddisthe recognitions, jr or a frolic of his own.
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