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. Each one has good material, but for an overall or first read of the book, i. 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. The lengthy and complex work takes place in a semiparodic future version of north america. Feb 04, 2016 if one of your reading resolutions is to finally finish infinite jest, david foster wallaces mammoth novel, im here to help. Pencil marks in stephen burns readers guide to infinite jest. Infinite jest, in other words, can be exceedingly frustrating. Twenty years after david foster wallaces magnum opus was first published it continues to delight and astonish. Eggerss introduction observed that infinite jest was 1,067 pages.
David foster wallaces relentless doorstopper of a novel, first published in 1996. Infinite jest takes place in the nottoodistant future, around the enfield tennis academy and the neighboring ennet house. To listen to the slate audio book club discussion of vladimir nabokovs the original of laura, click the arrow on the player below. The audio book club on david foster wallaces infinite jest. Yet this flamboyant novel is also one of the most downtoearth books. Join critics troy patterson, katie roiphe, and james surowiecki as they discuss david foster wallaces infinite jest. Join slates critics for monthly discussions of new and important books. To listen to the slate audio book club discussion of mary karrs lit, click the arrow on the player below.
In this weeks audio book club, slate editors emily bazelon and hanna rosin, and the new yorkers margaret talbot, discuss emma donoghues room, a bestselling novel about a 5yearold boy raised. These are all the books that have been discussed on the podcast as of january 2017. In an instant of sudden clarity i realized he was right. Mac, and then use the save or download command to save the audio file to your hard drive. The author contends that with infinite jest wallace is. Watch forand listen toour audio book club about infinite jest in december. First edition stated first printing 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 of late authors magnum opus. Wallaces infinite fiction ebsco information services.
If youd like to get an early start on the next book club selection, weve chosen david foster wallaces massive novel infinite jest. I cant recommend the purchase of the what at first appears to be the amazing ive heard. Infinite jest 1996 is a novel written by david foster wallace. To listen to the slate audio book club discussion of bret easton elliss imperial bedrooms, click the arrow on the player below. May 09, 2005 i have three helpers to infinite jest, each purchased at different readings of the great novel. A begrudging book club where we read along with dfw fans who explain. Read the book club selections and then listen in as our critics hold lively and sometimes. Infinite jest is a 1996 novel by david foster wallace. I really havent seen like active hate for it though. 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. A big thank you to the men and women in the publishing industry who were kind andor lazy enough to keep things consistent. Visa, mastercard, american express paypal, diners club and discover. On this weeks episode of the mashreads podcast, i was joined by. He is author of david foster wallaces infinite jest continuum 2003 and coeditor of intersections.
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. Beyond the ease with which one can lookup footnotes, consider the following. I guess this is a first for me and ill get straight to the point. Reading infinite jest 20 years on books podcast books. The audio book club on remainder by michael agger, meghan orourke, and troy patterson to listen to the slate audio book club discussion of tom mccarthys remainder, click the arrow on the. To listen to the slate audio book club discussion of f. In 2006, little brown published a 10th anniversary edition of david foster wallaces infinite jest that featured a foreword by dave eggers. This month, the audio book club presents a heated discussion of elizabeth gilberts eat, pray, love. I have three helpers to infinite jest, each purchased at different readings of the great novel.
Feb 07, 2008 this month, the audio book club presents a heated discussion of elizabeth gilberts eat, pray, love. Why i cannot recommend the infinite jest audio book. The book is drumtight and relentlessly smart and, though it does not wear its heart on its. David foster wallace wrote a difficult book to talk about, and its only gotten harder with time. The novel is a interconnected sequence of events, told out of timeline order, that focuses on addiction in all its forms. Levine, quickly becomes closer to a version of a big bang theory geekout about the best superman movie. Dec 14, 2017 david foster wallace wrote a difficult book to talk about, and its only gotten harder with time.
At the top of a hill is the enfield tennis academy, and at the base of the hill is the ennet hou. The audio book club on vladimir nabokov slate magazine. Infinite jest by david foster wallace, first edition abebooks. A literary criticism of the book infinite jest, by david foster wallace is presented. Most people trashing it i can assure you havent actually read through the entire book. I dont know these people but they seem to be experienced literary critics. Shipping may be from multiple locations in the us or from the uk, depending on stock availability. Infinite jest chapter 3, 1 april year of the tucks. Not so in their latest, as the conversation about the boy who lived, harry potter and the cursed child scholasticarthur a. Jun 02, 2009 infinite jest has been on my reading pile for ages but, despite adoring my recent birthday present of foster wallaces short stories, oblivion, i just havent had the strength of mind to start it. Infinite jest is a novel written by david foster wallace. Back in march, troy patterson, katie roiphe, and james surowiecki waded through the massive tome for slate s audio book club.
There is an unabridged audio version of audible that runs 56 hours and which i. Infinite jest by david foster wallace overdrive rakuten. The book was edited by publisher little, brown and companys michael pietsch. I cant recommend the purchase of the what at first appears to be the amazing ive heard good things about the audio, excellent vocal performance audio book of infinite jest. Infinite jest generally gets hate because theres entire subs devoted to it. I was talking to my roommate about infinite jest, and he asked me how it compared to illuminatus. Infinite jest is the title of james incandenzas braindestroying cartridge, but said title only appears in endnote 24, his filmography. 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. Use the player below to listen to their discussion. Essays on richard powers dalkey archive press, 2008. 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. As it turns out, all physical edition of infinite jest have 981 pages. One womans search for everything across italy, india, and indonesia, which katie roiphe.
The book is fucking life changing, and i think a lot. Reading infinite jest 20 years on books podcast the guardian. Find all the books, read about the author, and more. Mar 20, 2009 the slate audio book club on infinite jest. By any definition, and not just word count, infinite jest is a big novel. Eggerss introduction observed that infinite jest was 1,067 pages long and there is not one lazy sentence.
Heres how i finally read infinite jest and how you can, too. To fully understand what wallace was up to, the book bears being read, and reread, with talmudic focus and devotion. 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 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. Dow jones, a news corp company news corp is a network of leading companies in the worlds of diversified. It does not include the inauguration novella all along, this was supposed to happen by curtis sittenfeld or the raymond carver stories. Feb 07, 2016 infinite jest, in other words, can be exceedingly frustrating. At its very core, this book is a critique of flashiness and attitude, and argues for a healthy distrust of irony and. Burn is associate professor at northern michigan university, usa. While i cant read the book not even the end notes for you, i. Infinite jest has been on my reading pile for ages but, despite adoring my recent birthday present of foster wallaces short stories, oblivion, i just havent had the strength of mind to start it. The various episodes and sections of the book are explored. Having said that, i feel pretty confident in asserting that it is not the greatest book in existence. If one of your reading resolutions is to finally finish infinite jest, david foster wallaces mammoth novel, im here to help.
Reading infinite jest 20 years on books podcast twenty years after david foster wallaces magnum opus was first published it continues to delight and astonish. 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. With regard to the basic 14 plot line, the setting for the majority of the action is enfield, a fictional suburbia town outside of boston. Infinite jest is a 1996 novel by american writer david foster wallace. Imma throw a few readings of infinite jest at you and see what you think. Personally, i hated infinite jest and i cant imagine ill ever want to reread any of it. Wallace is widely known for his 1996 novel infinite jest, which time magazine cited as one of the 100 best englishlanguage novels from 1923 to 2005. Not so in their latest, as the conversation about the boy who lived, harry potter and the cursed child.
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. A study of david foster wallaces infinite jest, and david foster wallaces infinite jest. Infinite jest by david foster wallace chapter 3, 1 april year of the tucks medicated pad, chapter 4, 9 may year of the depent adult undergarment, chapter 5, year of the depend adult undergarment, and chapter 6, year of the trialsize dove bar summary and analysis. 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. Last month, online magazine slate, in their monthly audio book club. 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. The discussion occurred last march and was initially recommended to me by mr. It features a biography of the author, a fulllength analysis of the novel, and a great deal more. Mcdades tattoo of flaming skull on his left shoulderblade 206. If youre studying this novel, reading it for your book club, or if you. The slate audiobook club is generally a rather highbrow, new yorker version of a book club.
Heres my take on slates audio book club discussion of the thick book. The audio book club on imperial bedrooms slate magazine. Each month, the slate audio book club podcast hosts a discussion of a different book. Is it sacrilegious to listen to infinite jest on audible rather than read it. Infinite jest 1996 my favourite book of all time and the. An essay about infinite jest critical analysis the. Slate audio bookclub on infinite jest warning many plot spoilers. In the narration, its only ever called the entertainment or the samizdat.
Taking part in the discussion were troy patterson, katie roiphe, and james surowiecki. David foster wallace 19622008 was the new york times bestselling author of infinite jest, the broom of the system, and girl with curious hair. Wallace is widely known for his 1996 novel infinite jest, which time. David foster wallace february 21, 1962 september 12, 2008 was an american author of novels, short stories and essays, as well as a university professor of english and creative writing. Theres this consensus that the book was overwritten pretensia and that its just a book title used to impress people. Watch forand listen toour audio book club about infinite.
Steven asin infinite jest is the perfect book for the kindle paperwhite. Feb 01, 1996 admittedly, infinite jest is a tough book. Infinite jest by david foster wallace the new canon. Feb 26, 2016 reading infinite jest 20 years on books podcast twenty years after david foster wallaces magnum opus was first published it continues to delight and astonish. 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. We believe every one of us deserves equal access to factbased news and analysis. 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. Infinite jest by david foster wallace, first edition.
The author contends that with infinite jest wallace is associated with infinity and the book is an example of how he creates an unbound tension. See more ideas about david foster wallace, the fosters and david. I read pages 110 of infinite jest and talk about great first lines in novels. The lengthy and complex work takes place in a semiparodic future version of north america, and touches on substance addiction recovery programs. Why infinite jest will kill your book club youtube.
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