The novel is a interconnected sequence of events, told out of timeline order, that focuses on addiction in all its forms. A book that has shaped popular culture despite or because of its length which demands a bit of much rewarding work from the reader. It does a very good job of teasing out the different plot threads and relationships between the characters, while helpfully highlighting the interplay between infinite jest and other literary works, e. His latest offering, infinite jest, has been moving toward us like an ocean disturbance, pushing increasingly hyperbolic rumors before it. Infinite jest by david foster wallace, 9780349121086, available at book depository with free delivery. Infinite jest is a 1996 novel by david foster wallace comprising about 1,000 pages. 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. 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. Over the holidays i took my third crack at infinite jest by david foster wallace all my posts on dfw and made it 800 pages. Beyond the ease with which one can lookup footnotes, consider the following. The book essentially is a chapter by chapter analysis of 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. He was also a tragic figure, hanging himself when changing antidepressants in 2008. Infinite jest is notoriously known for being a long book its just shy of 1100 pages.
Infinite jest is a cult book that became a phenomenon right from its publication day in 1996. Unquestionably, infinite jest required great ambition and focus to write, and requires a bit of ambition and focus to read as well. If one of your reading resolutions is to finally finish infinite jest, david foster wallaces mammoth novel, im here to help. As with the tunnel, sheer style is the first attraction of infinite jest. Ive heard people say its the greatest book in existence and others say its a horrible book you shouldnt waste your time with. Buy infinite jest 01 by foster wallace, david isbn. Book depository international london, united kingdom seller rating. 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. Infinite jest by david foster wallace, 9780349121086, available at book depository with free delivery worldwide. For all the possible directions a last post about infinite jest could take, ive decided to look ahead to what comes next. The plot of infinite jest takes place in a somewhatmoredystopian future uni. The lack of physicality is a bummer, but i feel its vastly compensated by having access to everything id like to read in seconds.
Page 223 is supposed to be the page where everything happens in infinite jest. Infinite jest by david foster wallace fantastic fiction. Favorite sentences and paragraphs from infinite jest ben. Is infinite jest hard to read for people who is not english. I was unable to follow the plot arc to the very end. First edition stated first printing 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 of late authors magnum opus.
Of course, its exhausting to read such a mega book. 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. While i cant read the book not even the end notes for you, i. 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. This onepage guide includes a plot summary and brief analysis of infinite jest by david foster wallace. Martins storm of swords are longer this, but i was able to clear those books much quicker than david foster wallaces second novel.
Is it worth it or should i find another book to read. Feb 07, 2016 this week marks the 20th anniversary of david foster wallaces infinite jest. We use cookies to give you the best possible experience. Caricature and satire from leonardo to levine as want to read. Kessinger publishing is the place to find hundreds of thousands. But the novel still contains many highly entertaining and provocative sections. It is an exuberant, uniquely american exploration of the passions that make us human and one of those rare books that renew the. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. 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. This huge volume will prop open even a castles gates. So why is this book considered a masterpiece, magnum opus or anything else it has been referred to. 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. Book has light shelfedgecorner wear else bright and clean, tight and square with no markings or tears.
Discover book depository s huge selection of david foster wallace books online. Feb 01, 1996 admittedly, infinite jest is a tough book. But if you are seeking something other, then this book will not disappoint. Infinite jest by david foster wallace knowledge lost. David foster wallace wrote the novels the pale king, infinite jest and the broom of the system and. Choose expedited shipping and receive in 25 business days within the united states.
And, at least occasionally, he expressed pride in his post infinite jest stories, telling the novelist mark costello, for instance, that with oblivion he had finally written a book. Infinite jest is both sad, depressed and funny and even 25 years after it was published in 1994 remains relevant to the modern age. Technically, since the book was originally published in 1996, it is hypothetically set around 2014. Feb 15, 2016 today, i turned the last page of infinite jest, around a week late for my deadline. It is the most fun book of this length that i have ever read.
Feb 04, 2016 if one of your reading resolutions is to finally finish infinite jest, david foster wallaces mammoth novel, im here to help. The lack of physicality is a bummer, but i feel its vastly compensated by. Infinite jest starts off rather dense, you really need to push through the first few hundred pages before things start to make any real sense. But this infinite jest summary guide may actually prove valuable to you at least, that is the hope. Though its trite, half the enjoyment of this book is the journey and not the story but the story is great. 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. Crack out your copy of infinite jest, and recreate it in lego. Infinite jest, in other words, can be exceedingly frustrating. Book depository is the worlds most international online bookstore offering over 20 million books with free delivery worldwide. 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. 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. Not even malcolm lowrys under the volcano succeeds in conveying the utter desperation and helplessness of the chronic alcoholic to such a degree as david foster wallace does in infinite jest. You start the book having no clue when it is happening and who the various characters are. 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.
Free delivery worldwide on over 20 million books we use cookies to give you the best possible experience. For those of us who regard these works as our cultural milestones, not as tombstones in patriarchys graveyard, david foster wallace demonstrates that the encyclopedic novel is still alive and kickin it. Equal parts philosophical quest and screwball comedy, infinite jest bends every rule of fiction without sacrificing for a moment its own entertainment value. 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. Infinite jest is a novel written by david foster wallace.
Infinite jest, david foster wallace shop online for. Infinite jest skip to main search results amazon prime. Everybody is identical in their secret unspoken belief that way deep down they are different from everyone else. 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. That was the project embarked upon back in april by. To ask other readers questions about infinite jest, please sign up. Infinite jest david foster wallace starting this one tonight. 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. 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.
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. So infinite jest gets its title from hamletthe melancholy dane meditating on death and remembering poor yorick, the court jester. A gargantuan, mindaltering comedy about the pursuit of happiness in america. I felt compelled throughout to read it aloud, such was the almost poetic quality of it. To fully understand what wallace was up to, the book bears being read, and reread, with talmudic focus and devotion. Infinite jest is more or less evenly split between the story of the incandenza family, dysfunctional proprietors of a tennis academy, and that of the residents of a halfway house for addicts. Stephen kings the stand uncut edition and george r. Aug 27, 2014 how to get an 11yearold interested in the works of david foster wallace. Frankly, its really hard for people who are native english speakers. Sep 10, 2016 its been a bit of a journey on this one.
Infinite jest by david foster wallace in epub, fb2, fb3 download ebook. 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. Infinite winter read infinite jest with a few hundred of. 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. Tom bissell and the editor michael pietsch discuss infinite jest. All content included on our site, such as text, images, digital downloads and other, is the property of its content suppliers and protected by us and international laws. See our member profile for customer support contact info. Infinite jest by david foster wallace in epub, fb2, fb3 download e book. Infinite jest by david foster wallace book analysis. James incandenza aka himself, who took his life shortly after producing a mysterious film called infinite jest, which is supposedly so addictively entertaining as. Infinite summer blog archive how to read infinite jest. Books go search best sellers gift ideas new releases deals. The story somewhat is a tale of a tennis prodigy, a movie called infinite jest that is so captivating it renders the viewers useless, a rehab center and. Today, i turned the last page of infinite jest, around a week late for my deadline.
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. Shakespeares book of insults, insights and infinite jests by william shakespeare and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. If you need help, please visit the help section or contact us submit please provide a response. May 30, 2018 infinite jest by david foster wallace, 9780349121086, available at book depository with free delivery worldwide. For those who have actually read infinite jest, youll probably get more out of my very spoilerheavy summary of what happens just after the end of the book. Reviews of infinite jest david foster wallace wiki. But no comparison could prepare us for what is surely one of the most original and adventurous novels of the decade. Set in an addicts halfway house and a tennis academy, and featuring the most. Steven asin infinite jest is the perfect book for the kindle paperwhite. David foster wallace novel translated by an 11yearold. My copy of the book is sawn in three, abused, with smudges of food across its pages, from when i couldnt stop. You can peruse their how to read infinite jest post here. Infinite jest has been hailed as one the great modern american novels and its author, david foster wallace, who committed suicide in 2008.
Infinite jest by david foster wallace floor the book that makes us. Book depository books with free delivery worldwide. May 14, 2016 yeahinfinite jest would be hard to read for somebody who does not speak english natively. Infinite jest 9780316066525 by wallace, david foster and a great selection of similar new, used and collectible books available now at great prices. Heres how i finally read infinite jest and how you can, too.