Navigating its maze of relationships and 400 footnotes could drive even the most seasoned literary disentanglers up the reading room wall. I have not eliminated infinite jests map, but i have walked its length. I have read a number of books of a similar length, so upwards of 500k words or 0 pages, namely. I received an email earlier today from a reader who had excitedly received their unabridged audio book of. Infinite jest by david foster wallace turns 20 today, and im still confused by it all these years later. Wallaces particular conceit in infinite jest is that the events described are taking place in the indeterminate future, possibly.
T he first of february saw the 20th anniversary of a work considered by many to have changed the rules of fiction. It is the most fun book of this length that i have ever read. 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 is both sad, depressed and funny and even 25 years after. Stephen kings the stand uncut edition and george r. After twenty years, david foster wallaces grand overture on humans and addiction, infinite jest, has only become more powerful. When i hear things like, only for the most patient or be prepared to spend a lot of time. 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. I am reminded of the street theft of the jarvik arti. His nonfiction includes the essay collections consider the lobster and a supposedly fun thing ill never do again, and the full length work everything and more. His second novel, infinite jest, was published in 1996. Infinite jest is notoriously known for being a long book its just shy of 1100 pages. Infinite jest audiobook by david foster wallace try our site with free audio books. David foster wallaces infinite jest is an audiobook, minus.
Why i cannot recommend the infinite jest audio book infinite jest i guess this is a. Infinite jest is perhaps the great postmodern american novel for many reasons. Not even the masters of the highlow rhetorical register go higher more panoramically or lower more exuberantly than. Word count does not imply quality, gravity, or beauty. Infinite jest is both sad, depressed and funny and. Wallace became a literary rock star in his thirties for the novel infinite jest. Martins storm of swords are longer this, but i was able to clear those books much quicker than david foster wallaces second novel. What its like to record the audiobook version of infinite jest. Infinite jest audiobook david foster wallace audible. Heres how i finally read infinite jest and how you can, too. If youve never read it, starting infinite jest can be a little intimidating. David foster wallace 19622008 was the new york times bestselling author of infinite jest, the broom of the system, and girl with curious hair. In fact, having to take such a long time reading the book makes it even more satisfying when you finish it.
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. The shear size of the book commanded attention the kind of attention t. A work of geniusinfinite jest is a grandly ambitious, wickedly comic epic on par with such great, sprawling novels of the twentieth century as ulysses, the recognitions, and gravitys rainbowwith a sophisticated lexicon and mesmerizing syntax reminiscent of william gaddis and william t. Infinite jest is a genuinely groundbreaking novel of language. Infinite jest works well in audiobook form and this is in no small part helped by sean pratts fantastic reading complete with impressive changes in accent, tone and characterisation. Buy infinite jest book online at low prices in india. Burn 2012 the david foster wallace reader 2014 this 976 page book contains almost every other aspect of david foster wallaces work, for instance it has the syllabus he designed as a professor for writingreading courses at pomona college, and additional excerpts not. Calling to mind that infinite jest was published in 1996, dont think crystal meth is a new phenomenon.
No book that size is perfect, because excess is kind of the point. Since its publication, the world has moved past the events and years of the novels shaky mid2000s dystopian world. Infinite jest by david foster wallace coming february 7, 2012 ive tried to read the hardcopy version but made it to about page 300 before giving up. Brothers karamazov, anna karenina, finnegans wake, ulysses etc and so forth, this is by far the most fun book of its length and type. Infinite jest is both sad, depressed and funny and even 25 years after it was published in 1994 remains relevant to the modern age. He received numerous awards, including the whiting award, the. 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.
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. It has been categorized as an encyclopedic novel and made time magazines list of the 100 best. Time magazine later included it on its list of all time 100 greatest novels. If you like 1 month unlimited audiobook listening 12. I was going to wait on it, but not that even infinite summer is talking about the end. The length of infinite jest should not be an obstacle to finding pleasure in it. In 2006, little brown published a 10th anniversary edition of david foster wallaces infinite jest that featured a foreword by dave eggers. Eggerss introduction observed that infinite jest was 1,067 pages long and there is not one lazy sentence. Infinite jest as infinite jest a supposedly fun blog. Why i cannot recommend the infinite jest audio book. Why i cannot recommend the infinite jest audio book infinite jest. Listen to infinite jest audiobook by david foster wallace, narrated by sean pratt.
The ease of access to satisfaction in the digital age, from smart phone to. Astonishingly, thats not even half as long as the longest book pratt has ever narrateda fivevolume history of california that. Partly since it makes the book more accessible and partly because it lets you enjoy the flow of wallaces prose. The book is drumtight and relentlessly smart and, though it does not wear its heart on its sleeve, its deeply felt and incredibly moving. Events mentioned or described in infinite jest 1996 are listed below in chronological order based on textual evidence. Find all the books, read about the author, and more. I made it through gravitys rainbow and hope this is as good. Not even the masters of the highlow rhetorical register go higher more. The font size is so small that its practically unreadable. Infinite jest by david foster wallace audiobook 17 youtube. Infinite jest audiobook by david foster wallace, read by. Set in an addicts halfway house and a tennis academy, and featuring the most endearingly screwedup family to c.
I cant recommend the purchase of the what at first appears to be the amazing ive heard good things about the audio. When wallace committed suicide in september 2008 his fans grieved, wrote tributes, and began to speculate. 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. Apr 20, 2012 on march 27, hachette audio released david foster wallaces magnum opus infinite jest most of it, at least as a 56hourlong audiobook. 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. Equal parts philosophical quest and screwball comedy, infinite jest bends every rule of fiction without sacrificing for a moment its own entertainment value. In this hour, salon book critic laura miller explains why david foster wallace was the most important writer of his generation. Infinite jest by david foster wallace overdrive rakuten. A multilayered postmodern saga of damnation and salvation. He was also a tragic figure, hanging himself when changing antidepressants in 2008.
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. 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 first thing pratt noticed when hachette sent him a formatted copy of infinite jest was, of course, the length. Infinite jest tshirts on redbubble are expertly printed on ethically sourced, sweatshopfree apparel and available in a huge range of styles, colors and sizes. Download and keep this book for free with a 30 day trial. 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.
With endnotes added, the infinite jest audiobook nears 70 hours. This is long listen but the chapters are well paced, and as mentioned, sean pratt reads with a deep sensitivity and knowledge of the text and the author. The good news is that it is not a thousandpage paragraph or even a thousandpage story. B if a guy is hitting on you and mentions having read infinite jest, thats just as much a red flag as if hes. But savoring a book of, say, 800 pages or longer is a project. Jan 17, 2016 if youve never read it, starting infinite jest can be a little intimidating. 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. When i hear things like, only for the most patient or be prepared to spend a lot of time, i wonder what sort of readers these people are.
On march 27, hachette audio released david foster wallaces magnum opus infinite jest most of it, at least as a 56hourlong audiobook. David foster wallaces infinite jest, a favorite book of many, is the kind of genrebender that will thwart your mind with its convoluted narrative, plethora of allusions and cultural references, and multilateral connections between the characters. Aug 25, 2015 with endnotes added, the infinite jest audiobook nears 70 hours. Not certain if this is the right place for this, let me know if theres another place to post something like this. There are jokes that take many pages to set up and the pay offs are laugh out loud hilarious. David foster wallace wrote the acclaimed novels infinite jest and the broom of the system and the story collections oblivion, brief interviews with hideous men, and girl with curious hair. I remember harish venkatesan lugging around the paperback copy in college and hearing that this effort was part of the experience. The book is drumtight and relentlessly smart and, though it does not wear its heart on its. Written by david foster wallace, narrated by sean pratt. Pamphile, quebec avril mondragons grandfather decides to invest in delawarebrand punch instead of cocacola. Vollmann, infinite jest is our most thorough dissection of americas addiction to just about.
Jun 12, 2012 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. Id also love to find an audio drama thats a decent length if. Wallace taught creative writing at emerson college, illinois state university, and pomona college, and published the story collections girl with curious hair, brief interviews with hideous men, oblivion, the essay collections a supposedly fun thing ill never do again, and consider the. Thanks to tim feeney for this very detailed account of each of the many characters in infinite jest. The length may be offputting but i am looking forward to settling down for a few weeks to read it. Infinite jest by david foster wallace librarything. Infinite jest is a 1996 novel by american writer david foster wallace. How is the experience of reading infinite jest on a kindle. These are the endnotes to david foster wallaces infinite jest, a gargantuan, mindaltering comedy about the pursuit of happiness in america. What its like to record the audiobook version of infinite. Infinite jest in the age of addiction the millions. Its due to a minor character, old mikey, standing at the boston aa podium and speaking to a crowd. 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.
Infinite jest is one of those books that a lot of people know of but have never read. Feb 15, 2016 t he first of february saw the 20th anniversary of a work considered by many to have changed the rules of fiction. If one of your reading resolutions is to finally finish infinite jest, david foster wallaces mammoth novel, im here to help. In infinite jest conjunctions often appear in chains of length three or greater.
To miss the desperate worshipping hidden beneath the strange, erudite, bellydeep joy of infinite jest is to fall prey to its pleasure. The mindbending novel, celebrated for its gargantuan length and mentally demanding, nonlinear narrative, is particularly famous for wallaces exhaustive endnotes, which routinely interrupt the author. While i cant read the book not even the end notes for you, i. Slim fit, order a size up if youd like it less fitting.
There are 28 unnumbered chapter breaks signified by a little circle, similar to 28 days in a lunar continue reading matt bucher. Its like wallace was trying to ward off any potential readers. 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 has become an exemplar for difficulty in contemporary fictionits 1,079 pages full of verbal invention, oblique narration, and a scattered, nonlinear, chronology. I guess this is a first for me and ill get straight to the point. To talk about infinite jest means you have to bring up the length of the novel, the immense use of end notes there are 388some spanning several pages, and atypical use of grammar and punctuation. Infinite jest by david foster wallace, paperback barnes. Ive seldom been more engrossed in a novel, and more willing to put in the time of. It has been categorized as an encyclopedic novel and made time magazines list of the 100 best englishlanguage novels published between 1923 and 2005. David foster wallaces infinite jest is an audiobook. To those who readlistened to infinite jest on audible. A brick of a tome of a journey of a boy and his harried growth in spurts of tennisfueled tragedy. Im trying to pursue reading infinite jest, i was curious though because there are 4 editions of it including the iii. David foster wallace on gen x, infinite jest and a life of writing 1996 duration.
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