OT: opinions on Infinite Jest?

Submitted by Dan Man on

I could use a distraction from recruiting, and I figured this is an appropriate OT post since Brian has written at length about DFW and his influence on the blog.

I started reading a free Kindle sample of Infinite Jest and am enjoying it, but I need to make a call on whether I want to commit to a 1000+ page endeavor.  DFW's writing style is great -- challenging, funny, interesting -- but my concern is whether there is a plot to the story that is going to keep me hooked.  Is there much of a plot to the book?  While I can admire and enjoy great prose, I usually enjoy novels much more when I empathsize with the characters and sort of cheer for or against them relating to whatever obstacles exists before them.  Know what I mean?  (P.S. No spoilers please.)

Anyway, any thoughts on the novel would be appreciated.  Now you may resume panicking about Rashan Gary.

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david foster wallace

TSWC

February 2nd, 2016 at 2:58 PM ^

I have heard reported that there are some people who enjoy that note, but of the halfdozen or so serious Infinite Jest fans among my group of friends, every single one of them finds that note to be slog. I absolutely *hated* that note the first time I read the book.  

Joined: 09/08/2009

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MGo Virgin

February 2nd, 2016 at 11:01 PM ^

That's really interesting to me. There's no question that its a slog, but I love to just dig into that list with a morbid fasicnation. Some of those entries are really thought-provoking and I think it's a solid intro to some of the more abstract ideas in the book. Agree to disagree.

Joined: 01/20/2016

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Unicycle Firefly

February 2nd, 2016 at 2:50 PM ^

If you're going to attempt to tackle Infinite Jest, I would make two suggestions:

1. Read it on an e-reader, othewrwise you'll go crazy flipping back and forth from the endnotes section.

2. Purchase "Elegant Complexity", a reader's guide to IJ, and read it alongside IJ.  It will give you a much better understanding of what you're reading, and really helps tie all of the various plotlines together.

Joined: 10/01/2013

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Reader71

February 2nd, 2016 at 2:53 PM ^

The first time I read this, I did like half of it in 2 days. I couldn't put it down. The prose is amazing, the subject matter engaging, the structure awful in the old sense of the word. Full of awe of an author in absolute control of his talents. But I eventually did put it down and didn't pick it up for 6 years! I loved it but was too intimidated to get back into it. Weird. Eventually finished it. Enjoyed the experience. Had no idea what I had read for like a year. One day, long after having finished it, it kinda clicked for me. Really weird. I now read from it every once in a while, but I can't bring myself to actually read through. The first two comments in this thread are both 100% true.

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lakeside

February 2nd, 2016 at 2:56 PM ^

- You have kids and a job and hobbies and will only be able to read for 20 minutes at a time

- You only read in bed before sleep (this book put me to sleep in minutes)

I didn't finish it primarily because the plot was too buried to fit into my lifestyle. It's not light reading so if you don't hve the time and energy to devote, I wouldn't bother. I may pick it up again in 15 years when my kids are out of the house.

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jmblue

February 2nd, 2016 at 3:07 PM ^

I started it but didn't finish.  I found the novel's bad French to be very jarring - I don't know if it was intentional, but it bugged me.

 

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tylawyer

February 2nd, 2016 at 3:22 PM ^

I read IJ in 2014. I still struggle to collect my thoughts on it. It's not easy and parts of it are infuriating. I found it deeply moving. There are passages, lots of them, that are as well written as anything in the English language. I found it hard to get attached to the characters, but once I was I had a lot of trouble letting them go. I think it may be one of the five best pieces of fiction I've ever read. I think it has a plot but I'm still not quite sure. Sections of it are compelling enough that your heart will start racing, much less that you won't want to put it down. Other sections of it are like a peacock strutting its stuff for no apparent reason whatsoever. I understand why some people hate this book. I love it so much, though.

Joined: 02/10/2010

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PoseyHipster

February 2nd, 2016 at 4:23 PM ^

Well, you inspired me to stop lurking and register on this site.  A miracle!  You should check out infinitewinter.org.  It's an online reading group and they (we) just started.  You have until the end of the week to read the first 75 pages or so to be up to date on the discussions...  I'm excited, and I've enjoyed the first ~60 pages.  It's a very funny book.

Joined: 02/02/2016

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03 Blue 07

February 2nd, 2016 at 5:03 PM ^

Read it, and do so in paperback/hard copy form, due to the crazy number of endnotes per chapter. Also, don't skip or skimp on reading the endnotes. I felt like much of the best stuff was in the endnotes, and I'd even go so far as to say you won't have a full grasp on the book if you don't read the endnotes.

I'll also say that Infinite Jest is one of the few books I've ever read where I actually looked up others' interpretations of the book, etc., after I was finished. As Brian said, it's circular in its narrative. It's intellectually challenging, but I don't know if I've ever read more stimulating prose in my lifetime. DFW was incredibly talented, to say the least. 

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ndhillon

February 2nd, 2016 at 5:43 PM ^

I could do without all the acronyms but otherwise it's pretty damn good.

 

My favorite work of DFW was his take on Kafka.  That's what got me hooked and persuaded me to try IJ. 

Joined: 08/03/2008

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njsteve

February 2nd, 2016 at 5:49 PM ^

I read it in the late '90s when it first came out in paperback. It's clearly very cleverly written and I liked it a lot. Without giving any explicit spoilers, I was expecting a fantastic and extremely intricate climax and resolution, which did not come (at least to my satisfaction). All of these separate threads, elaborately described and developed, should have come together in a surprising and (in retrospect) inevitable fashion.

I don't regret reading it (and would consider rereading it), but it was good enough to disappoint me that it wasn't perfect.

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Michigan Philosophy

February 2nd, 2016 at 8:05 PM ^

I read this book and I really disliked it. It felt like intellectual masturbation. If you want to read another crap book that everyone wants to pretend they read go check out The Sound and the Fury.

His writing style is very interesting and I respected the work enough to finish the book, but I just couldn't get behind it. I was excited to read it because it came highly recommend by people whose opinion I trusted. It bored the ever living crap out me.*

* I read Bertrand Russell's A history of Western Philosophy and thought it was captivating

Different strokes for different folks I suppose. I really enjoyed East of Eden and I know loads of people hate that book.

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