Infinite jest is both sad, depressed and funny and even 25 years after it was published in 1994 remains relevant to the modern age. Infinite jest is perhaps the great postmodern american novel for many reasons. Mar 08, 2016 the first chapter of infinite jest is one of the best examples ive read in recent years. A gargantuan, mindaltering comedy about the pursuit of happiness in america. Infinite jest ebook by david foster wallace rakuten kobo. At more than 1,000 pages with copious footnotes infinite jest is a famously difficult read. It is the genx ulysses that even those like me, who consider themselves dfw superfans, are. I think what you say about infinite summer is quite interesting. Why i cannot recommend the infinite jest audio book. How to read infinite jest chronologically infinite jest. The guardian this might be the best thing you see on the internet all day. Why i cannot recommend the infinite jest audio book infinite jest.
I cant recommend the purchase of the what at first appears to be the amazing ive heard good things about the audio. The audiobook for infinite jest was released in 2012. Jan 17, 2016 stephen burns revised david foster wallaces infinite jest. Some readers have found it useful to rip the book in half for easier reading on the subway or on the beach.
Signin to download and listen to this audiobook today. 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. When i unsubscribed because of this, i also sent it to audible cs, and then replied to audiobook giveaways email. I know there is a portion of people in the world who would rather highlight triptiks than read this bullshit, so it will not be the sole project i am doing. Mark reads infinite jest and other such announcements. 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. Written by david foster wallace, narrated by sean pratt. If you have not read infinite jest there are major spoilers to be found.
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. A multilayered postmodern saga of damnation and salvation. You start the book having no clue when it is happening and who the various characters are. The infinite atlas project is an independent research and art project seeking to identify, place and describe every possible location in david foster wallaces infinite jest. Dec 05, 2015 david foster wallace interview on infinite jest with leonard lopate 031996. 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. Infinite jest infinite jest audiobook, by david foster wallace. Infinite jest has a reputation for being one of those books that everyone starts and no one finishes. A writer of virtuostic talents who can seemingly do anything new york times wallace is a superb comedian of culture. Sovwar the soviet union and other warsaw pact nations.
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. Wallace wrote to a friend that the fuckers cut by 600 pages from the first version. Infinite jest by david foster wallace in epub, fb2, fb3 download ebook. Here, as in all of his work, wallaces achievement was to make thinking about the effects of postmodern life, and thinking about thinking about them, one of. 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. 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. Feb 26, 2016 12 if you think infinite jest at 1,100odd pages is a long book, be advised that it started longer.
Download and keep this book for free with a 30 day trial. Infinite jest by david foster wallace, paperback barnes. I havent read infinite jest, but heres some memes about it. Written by david foster wallace, audiobook narrated by sean pratt. The first chapter of infinite jest is one of the best examples ive read in recent years. Feb 01, 1996 admittedly, infinite jest is a tough book.
A readers guide provides a good overview of the novel and includes a chronology, as well as sections on the novels critical reception and key plot points. For reference while working on the project drew used the ij scene by scene guide, and stephen burns david foster wallaces infinite jest. Infinite jest yale university library downloadable media. Stream and download audiobooks to your computer, tablet or mobile phone. 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. Wallaces particular conceit in infinite jest is that the events described are taking place in the indeterminate future, possibly. On reading the first chapter of infinite jest sally allen. Equal parts philosophical quest and screwball comedy, infinite jest bends every rule of fiction without sacrificing for a moment its own entertainment value. Infinite jest by david foster wallace audiobook 37 duration. 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. Find all the books, read about the author, and more.
I think infinite jest was a way for him to wring out all the bits of postmodernism until the concept and all the tricks were exhausted. I did find it a bit of a slog for the first 100 pages, but once i learned to trust that the author would fill in the blanks for me over time, everything became awesome. In a sprawling, wild, superhyped magnum opus, david foster wallace fulfills the promise of his precocious novel the broom of the system. 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. As the novel unfolds, various individuals, organizations, and governments vie to obtain the master copy of infinite jest for their own ends, and the denizens of the tennis school and the halfway house are caught up in increasingly desperate efforts to control the movie as is a cast including burglars, transvestite muggers, scam artists. David foster wallace interview on infinite jest with leonard lopate 031996. Feb 15, 2016 at more than 1,000 pages with copious footnotes infinite jest is a famously difficult read. 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. At the macro level, infinite jest consists of numerous anticonfluential wallaces word episodes set a dozen years or so in the future as was the broom, at a time when numerical designations for years have been sold to corporate sponsors. Infinite jest by david foster wallace, first edition abebooks. I havent read infinite jest, but heres some memes about it anyway. Wallace has even remarked to his friend, james franzen, that not only he knows exactly what the book is about or who the protagonist is supposed to be.
Infinite jest is a 1996 novel by american writer david foster wallace. 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. Flavorwire listen to cocreator sebastian being interviewed about his lego project on display at the ohio history center. Infinite jest kindle edition by wallace, david foster. To miss the desperate worshipping hidden beneath the strange, erudite, bellydeep joy of infinite jest is to fall prey to its pleasure. Having only read the first extremely exhausting chapter, i cant tell you whether i would feel this way after two or more. Infinite jest is a 1996 novel by david foster wallace. 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. Infinite jest by david foster wallace librarything.
The ease of access to satisfaction in the digital age, from smart phone to. There are jokes that take many pages to set up and the pay offs are laugh out loud hilarious. Infinite jest by david foster wallace overdrive rakuten. Infinite jest, by david foster wallace, is the worst science fiction novel ever written. Infinite jest audiobook by david foster wallace, read by. Stephen burns revised david foster wallaces infinite jest. Yes, this series will run concurrent to the hunger games trilogy, so you will not have to wait two more months to join in. The lengthy and complex work takes place in a semiparodic future version of north america, and touches on substance addiction recovery programs, depression, child abuse, family relationships, advertising, popular entertainment, film theory, quebec separatism, and tennis, among other topics.
Jan 05, 2011 1 i will start infinite jest on monday, january 10, 2011. Amnat the united states of america and other nato nations. I dont know why you think its ok to publicly shame your subscribers and im not the one you mentioned by name in the email, but it. Beyond the ease with which one can lookup footnotes, consider the following. Brickjest infinite jest in legos it is unlikely to be bettered. 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. Steven asin infinite jest is the perfect book for the kindle paperwhite. Infinite jest first edition signed david foster wallace.
Infinite jest in the age of addiction the millions. The final joke of infinite jest is that the book is intended to be almost as endless and mirthful as the addictions it depicts. I received an email earlier today from a reader who had excitedly received their unabridged audio book of infinite jest only to discover that in. It is an exuberant, uniquely american exploration of the passions that make us human and one of those rare books that renew the.
Infinite jest the kind of book that, when it is mentioned, creates a hushed silence of mingled awe and fear in the room. Infinite jest by david foster wallace free download. 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. I dont know why you think its ok to publicly shame your subscribers and im not the one you mentioned by name in the email, but it isnt cool in the slightest. Jul 11, 2016 the final joke of infinite jest is that the book is intended to be almost as endless and mirthful as the addictions it depicts. David foster wallace, sean pratt, brown book group little. The buzzing, claustrophobic energy of infinite jest, wallaces mammoth 1,079page satire of america, immediately placed him in the company of pynchon and delillo wall street journal. Infinite jest as infinite jest a supposedly fun blog.