He received a masters of fine arts from university of arizona in 1987 and. Franz kafka, wallace has put out the pale king a 500page unfinished novel. Infinite jest and over 8 million other books are available for amazon kindle. Choose from 500 different sets of infinite jest english flashcards on quizlet. A multilayered postmodern saga of damnation and salvation. I myself published an excerpt of sierras novel standards at the. The novel infinite jest was published in 1996, when david foster wallace was 34. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders.
He received bachelor of arts degrees in philosophy and english from amherst college and wrote what would become his first novel, the broom of the system, as his senior english thesis. Before his suicide in 2008, wallace organized the manuscript and associated computer files in a place where they would be found by his widow, karen green. For the millions, mike broida revisits david foster wallaces infinite jest, arguing that the works claims about addiction and the media presaged the influence of television culture on the digital age. Placing this essay in its chronological position before the excerpts of infinite jest. Each chapter stands almost alone, with text ranging from straight. Infinite jest is a 1996 novel by david foster wallace comprising about 1,000 pages. 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. This book is almost entirely plot summary and even that is not done as well as it should be. However, jest is massively behind the 3,600page ubernovel my struggle. Unquestionably, infinite jest required great ambition and focus to write, and requires a bit of ambition and focus to read as well.
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. Specifically the oversized shelf, adjusted to accommodate textbooks, magazines, and tomes of infinite dimensions, a realm from whence literature rarely returns. I received an email earlier today from a reader who had excitedly received their unabridged audio book of. Steven asin infinite jest is the perfect book for the kindle paperwhite. The final joke of infinite jest is that the book is intended to be almost as endless and mirthful as the addictions it depicts.
And when i got to 500, yes, the book finally had a structure that seemed to progress. A gargantuan, mindaltering comedy about the pursuit of happiness. Infinite jest, by david foster wallace, is the worst science fiction novel ever written. 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. 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. Infinite jest by david foster wallace turns 20 today, and im still confused by it all these years later. Infinite jest, in other words, can be exceedingly frustrating. It has been categorized as an encyclopedic novel and made time magazines list of the 100 best englishlanguage novels published between 1923 and 2005.
My transcript for the last year might have been dickied a bit, maybe, but that was to get me over a rough spot. I felt compelled throughout to read it aloud, such was the almost poetic quality of it. The lengthy and complex work takes place in a semiparodic future version of north america. First two sections infinite jest, followed by the name and. I did not find infinite jest to be a good novel as a whole, or a good story. The pale king is an unfinished novel by david foster wallace, published posthumously on april 15, 2011. This huge volume will prop open even a castles gates. Shipping may be from multiple locations in the us or from the uk, depending on stock availability. Despite being built up as the literary wunderkind of his generation, despite having been widely acclaimed as the author of one of greatest novels of the 20th century, he could not escape the realization that, at least as a novelist, he was a poser and a literary charlatan.
Infinite jest is a 1996 novel written by david foster wallace. The book is drumtight and relentlessly smart and, though it does not wear its heart on its sleeve, its deeply felt and incredibly moving. In 1996 he published infinite jest, a vast novel of such astonishing. Just over twenty years ago, david foster wallace published his bestknown and most frustrating novel, infinite jest. Once again, the preponderance of american culture in germany makes infinite jest a book that is readily understood. It is an exuberant, uniquely american exploration of the passions that make us human and one of those rare books that renew the. 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. Hal incandenza, a tennis prodigy and drug user as a result of. It was planned as wallaces third novel, and the first since infinite jest in 1996, but it was not completed at the time of his death. Reviews of infinite jest david foster wallace wiki. I have three helpers to infinite jest, each purchased at different readings of the great novel. I guess this is a first for me and ill get straight to the point.
The succinct, alliterative summary a vision in a sundress and silly shoes ij 39. My copy of the book is sawn in three, abused, with smudges of food across its pages, from when i couldnt stop. The novel infinite jest is the story of this addictive entertainment, and in. Read the excerpt from david foster wallaces infinite jest.
Kindle ebooks can be read on any device with the free kindle app. 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. Slate audio bookclub on infinite jest warning many plot spoilers infinite jest 17 page extract in plain text form. Infinite jest by david foster wallace 71,587 ratings, 4. Please keep these annotations spoilerfree by not revealing information from later pages in the novel. The novel is a interconnected sequence of events, told out of timeline order, that focuses on addiction in all its forms.
Equal parts philosophical quest and screwball comedy, infinite jest bends every rule of fiction without sacrificing for a moment its own entertainment value. 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. 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. Everybody is identical in their secret unspoken belief that way deep down they are different from everyone else. 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. When people do tackle it, they often give up within the first 200 pages or soone of the most difficult parts of. The novel touches on the topics of tennis, substance addiction and recovery programs, depression, child abuse, family relationships, advertising and popular entertainment, film theory, and. You wont learn much if anything of wallaces skills. Infinite jest by david foster wallace, paperback barnes.
Like much of wallaces work, the novel defies straightforward summary. A gargantuan, mindaltering comedy about the pursuit of happiness in america. Infinite jest is a clear example of how humans add to the confusion of the world. This onepage guide includes a plot summary and brief analysis of infinite jest by david foster wallace. 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 by david foster wallace, first edition. To fully understand what wallace was up to, the book bears being read, and reread, with talmudic focus and devotion. Why i cannot recommend the infinite jest audio book. 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. I absolutely adore this man and his work and i tried my best to do a proper. Ive seldom been more engrossed in a novel, and more willing to put in the time of.
In 2006, little brown published a 10th anniversary edition of david foster wallaces infinite jest that featured a foreword by dave eggers. Find all the books, read about the author, and more. The following was drafted by matt bucher maintainer of the wallacel listserv and author of this post, and augmented by input from nick maniatis administrator of the howling fantods, a site devoted to dfw, and kathleen fitzpatrick professor at pomona college, who teaches a course entitled david foster wallace theres no wrong way to read infinite jest. Wallace wrote to a friend that the fuckers cut by 600 pages from the first version. David foster wallace began working on his second novel in the fall of 1991the.
Infinite jest is a 1996 novel by american writer david foster wallace. Each one has good material, but for an overall or first read of the book. Infinite jest chapter 3, 1 april year of the tucks. 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. Consider this quote from his character mario incandenza, who is. Copyright 1996 david foster wallace all right reserved.
This is a reading of an excerpt of the book infinite jest by the late david foster wallace, my favorite author. It was planned as wallaces third novel, and the first since infinite jest in 1996. 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. Beyond the ease with which one can lookup footnotes, consider the following. 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. 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. At the top of a hill is the enfield tennis academy, and at the base of the hill is the ennet house. To be fair, the essay, penned on the topic of and shortly after 911, was by wallaces. And now arrives this thumping great book, the david foster wallace. Learn infinite jest english with free interactive flashcards. David foster wallace was born in ithaca, new york, in 1962 and raised in illinois, where he was a regionally ranked junior tennis player. But if you are seeking something other, then this book will not disappoint.
Wallaces particular conceit in infinite jest is that the events described are taking place in the indeterminate future, possibly. Eggerss introduction observed that infinite jest was 1,067 pages long and there is not one lazy sentence. Today, i turned the last page of infinite jest, around a week late for my deadline. Buy infinite jest 01 by foster wallace, david isbn.