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Infinite Jest

Infinite Jest

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  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2021-08-08 09:53:53
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：David Foster Wallace
  • ISBN：0316066524
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Summary

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。 People die happily， viewing it in endless repetition。 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 nearby tennis academy， whose students have many budding addictions of their own。 As the novel unfolds， various individuals， organisations， and governments vie to obtain the master copy of Infinite Jest for their own ends， and the denizens of the tennis school and halfway house are caught up in increasingly desperate efforts to control the movie—as is a cast including burglars， transvestite muggers， scam artists， medical professionals， pro football stars， bookies， drug addicts both active and recovering， film students， political assassins， and one of the most endearingly messed-up families ever captured in a novel。

On this outrageous frame hangs an exploration of essential questions about what entertainment is， and why it has come to so dominate our lives; about how our desire for entertainment interacts with our need to connect with other humans; and about what the pleasures we choose say about who we are。 Equal parts philosophical quest and screwball comedy， Infinite Jest bends every rule of fiction without sacrificing for a moment its own entertainment value。 The huge cast and multilevel narrative serve a story that accelerates to a breathtaking， heartbreaking， unfogettable conclusion。 It is an exuberant， uniquely American exploration of the passions that make us human and one of those rare books that renew the very idea of what a novel can do。

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Reviews

Morgan Wilcock ，

I have only read this once， I actually engaged more with "Oblivion" as a younger reader， and， some of his essays [e。g。 for magazines] which are amazing。。。 and I probably will wait until after I'm done with my novel to do round II， because I do feel that it's a book by a writer more experienced than me， also just objectively smarter and I think that's clear pretty fast if you compare a passage by him to how I talk in words -- also he's a real novelist whereas I think of my self as a screenwriter I have only read this once， I actually engaged more with "Oblivion" as a younger reader， and， some of his essays [e。g。 for magazines] which are amazing。。。 and I probably will wait until after I'm done with my novel to do round II， because I do feel that it's a book by a writer more experienced than me， also just objectively smarter and I think that's clear pretty fast if you compare a passage by him to how I talk in words -- also he's a real novelist whereas I think of my self as a screenwriter （and you know who was actually inspired by him was PT Anderson） -- and I'm at a point now， which could change if I end up in a better not worse place， where I look critically and warily at his writing for what's just lunatic about it: which might indeed be a great thing for the art， but for a while （for me） was something I avoided because I just thought it might push me over the edge。 This novel to me is like a brain on overclock， I won't talk about the literal psychosis [it IS a mentally ill book] and how it's just pretty f***king savage "how he sees the world。" Overclocking is a term in IT that means， in total non-techie parlance， amping up the speed of your computer's brain to handle more than it's technically intended to handle！ And it's a risk that can cause the computer to become damaged， it can cause it to overheat。 It's a risk that gamers might take if they can't afford the faster CPU chip for their computer。 I won't talk about tech like a genius the way he tries to talk about math like a genius: DFW talks about math like someone who understands just-enough to sound like he gets it， but might not get it。 （So says a math major I once dated。） [I wouldn't know， I mean， I might。 *bats eyes*] He was certainly a genius though， if there ever lived one in lit in the past 20 years， fuck off haters。 I marked up my copy so much it's like unreadable， unreadable mainly because I was younger and would be embarrassed to see what I was noticing; that's just how I used to keep focused， usually on unusual details to mark up --I don't know where that copy is but from memory I kept noticing his sort of almost geometric way of configuring the universe， including descriptions of humans and then， the dialog struck me as "geometric" in how the rhythm would be like trapezoidal。 The way it widens and wanes。 But *talking to me myself and I* let's not start typing-up garbage that would only make sense to me。 That's the closest thing he does to slowing down time in a book that I sometimes perceived as "too fast。" The dialog has slower moments。 I don't think it's a coincidence that I perceived a sort of geometricness to it: I think a lot of critics have remarked on his style being impossible to duplicate because it's sort of ungrounded in English grammar norms or surmthin I mean durh。 It is almost like writing code， just a little bit， I mean if anyone did it。 I feel though that as a writer I'm actually kind of the anti-coder so。 That might be surprising， it would be MORE surprising if there were anyone in the universe who knew my work。I did have some issues with how， I felt like his weed addiction kept sort of showing up。 *puts hands on hips* Ugh！ But like if that's your opening scene then why were there like 3 other scenes that were almost like the opening。 It's because， his brain。 I like just noticed how it kept showing up！ How many times was there a weed addiction thing。 It's made me cognizant of that as something I don't want to let happen: not so much in my novel， which is a women's novel （not really） but in the screenplay for "Black Satin" my jazz movie。 Right now as-it-is there's just too much redundancy about drug shit， I feel like if this were written by a healthy person then there wouldn't be issues with an addiction sort of hovering over it， you just need to give it to one user character and keep those scenes self-contained。 In IJ the persistent using includes this: how unkind he [not he sorry the book] （the voice） is to people， I feel like that's a user-thing。 I am not saying he was using while he wrote it and that's genuinely not relevant but I just， felt like it was there and that's actually one reason I think SO many people could relate because [looks it up] it came out in America in 1996 and I think a lot of Americans had drug problems but that's probably true at any moment literally ever in history。 The unkindness thing， though， sooo not a women's novel thing。 It could also be like a computer-thing。 An AI thing。 the unkindness thing。God。 It is a masterpiece let's not the fuck question that [it just is] but。 Since I'm going from memory here before I read it again。。。 and most of what I'm remembering at this moment is what I didn't love。。。 I also didn't love how whenever there was a tender moment he'd like throw in some awkward metaphor instead of trying to reach for the more I guess beautiful， humane way of letting the tenderness just soak in。 If this book has some "AI-like" features to it -- and say， if it's true that only a super-human genius brain could have written this book -- then maybe he literally couldn't let feelings "soak in" because it would damage the hardware and affect the speed。 The speed！ Literally， I think he never slows it down， I said that already。 Maybe once or twice when and maybe the footnotes are like harm reduction for the overclocking。 Anyway。 I do not have any examples of anti-tender moments because I'd have to have the book in front of me: it's tender in the sense that the characters are fucked up but still lovable but it's not tender in like a caressing way。 I remember this sex scene I think with Oren and I googled， it's like， "he bears her to bed as would a waiter a tray。" I'm like I don't know if I like these metaphors and it has nothing to do with my own food shit -- by the way。 not to get graphic about the night eating I've ever had an issue with sorry I've gotten better steadily -- I just feel like， that's an awkward-sounding sex scene （to me）。 not that sex has to be beautiful i'm just likeHuh， it's true this book is just funny， he said once it wanted to be extremely tragic which I think it WAS。 Actually because of the ending。 It took me a really long time to figure out why he ended it right before all the most climactic events were going to take place: I just like laughed thinking about THAT， it's because that is how life is maybe。 And I think that is so tragic。 He wasn't about to write a grand finale into his one greatest masterpiece。 （That said I wouldn't diminish the value and power of the last page。） I had to wonder if his feeling laughed at is one reason he struggled， when， I think a lot of the jokes are unkind and directed at others like in the treatment scenes。 That just comes back [I am not like calling him out] （if anyone has a right to I've *** ***** ** 2x almost 3）， only speaking from experience， because a judgmental brain is judgmental toward itself; I don't know if it's judgmental OF itself like mine is。 My brain is judgmental of how it's miswired and shit， I think there are ways to make it more empathetic not like so savage literally damn。 He thought his brain was god！！ But yeah maybe his godbrain was a dick。 Or: authentically sick。 I guess I'm defensive because I've been on those rooms [like say an outpatient meeting] （I think this is more like a 12 step meeting） and it's actually just like an honor code thing almost not to go home and like shit talk everyone in the room; like it's just mean。 I'd even get superstitious about that but I try not to be superstitious。 Still I'm defending the made-up characters now。 One of my favorite "jokes" you could say was the whole thing with "the Stork，" I remember how the dad and that family was expected to be like horribly abusive and then when the family introduction finally occurs between them and Joelle apparently it's not quite the case。 I just remember something like that。 I thought it sounded like a real life scenario。 So if in the last paragraph I took issue with a sort of un-humanness in this authentically sick masterpiece novel， I could also pose the counterargument that there's humor in it that would only be funny if you'd been in really， really intimate relationships， also long-term real ones; I just felt like what got in the way of tendnerness coalescing with the brilliance is probably his ego and I already mentioned that， I don't want to be disrespectful but I also am cognizant of my own， depression and could-be very strange body; which does show up in his "funny" "tragic" w/e descriptions -- literally it's almost like that scene in "Her" where a superbrain made up of a bunch of robots is about to form itself -- he tried to like become the superbrain。 Or maybe he just was meant to write a book that neutralized it a bit？ I hope that's fair but I'd rather just assume he was a dick and a genius and try to get my non-genius fucked up hopeless misgendered-the-fuck life back！！ He had a lot of things going for him， you know。 It's unfair he got to die and be hailed a king。 Anyway。 There's a book by Vilem Flusser called "Into the universe of technical images" that I feel could be a good companion reader to Infinite Jest， or just something to hold onto if I were like writing an essay on it。。 I would go more into the connection but at some point it's like I waste a LOT of time writing for no reason; these reviews are just me venting and clearly isolated 。。。more

Brian ，

Too long

Connor ，

This book is a marathon。 You prepare before you begin， and you start with enthusiasm。 Then you face all sorts of psychological trials–running through the gamut of all human emotions and potential experiences–before finishing in weakness， confusion， and baffled relief。 The experience was supposed to be a seminal moment in your life–a turning point。 But you look back at the road behind you and wonder what it all meant。 What can you say about this book that hasn't been said？ What can you strain to This book is a marathon。 You prepare before you begin， and you start with enthusiasm。 Then you face all sorts of psychological trials–running through the gamut of all human emotions and potential experiences–before finishing in weakness， confusion， and baffled relief。 The experience was supposed to be a seminal moment in your life–a turning point。 But you look back at the road behind you and wonder what it all meant。 What can you say about this book that hasn't been said？ What can you strain to articulate that the book has not already tried itself to say？After I read DFW， my thoughts have new shades and hues。 I become more solipsistic， anxious， but altogether more earnest。 I suppose this makes me a fan of his work。 And I do appreciate "Infinite Jest" as an Important Work–although， now that I've finished the novel， I'm less convinced that this was what Wallace was trying to do。 This novel is aging remarkably well。 Its medium is the message: It appraises our entertainment-driven culture。。。by being so long and yet so indifferent toward actually entertaining the reader。 It finds all the hidden intersections between connection and our addiction to stimulus。。。by imposing a search for those values upon the reader–who tries to connect with these characters （in spite of the fact that they do not fall into traditional archetypes or story arcs） and who tries to find stimulus in the plot （in spite of the fact that the story is told out of order to deny you the catharsis of plot structure）。 It predicts the vapid political nonsense of our present age （President Johnny Gentile is a television star who only ultimately cares about how the public perceives him！ The "Eschaton" tennis game is just a bunch of kids playing an obsessively detailed loop of geopolitics that means everything and nothing all at once！） It's witty （by making you bounce back and forth from the footnotes， as though your eyes are watching a tennis ball volleying back and forth between the covers） and pedantic （because those footnotes are either wholly irrelevant or else they are crucial to the plot and there doesn't seem to be any in-between） and juvenile （because there are hidden jokes about masturbation and a recurring focus on body fluids） and cynical （because the world of this novel is a world is like ours， and it seems hell-bent on destroying itself） and， finally， hopeful （because， without resorting to trite cliches， Wallace makes every single character in this sprawling novel into a bonafide human being and you learn how to care about them all in spite of themselves）。"Infinite Jest" touches on Hamlet， and it riffs on "The Brothers Karamazov"。 It's about fathers and sons， and it's maybe a futuristic autobiography of DFW himself。 It's drenched in the conspiratorial humour of Pynchon and Joseph Heller。 Like other big novels， it's probably too damn long。。。 but I don't know a single sentence I would advocate for cutting。 Instead， I recall the many scenes， asides， conversations， and parables that diagnose and prophesy about the alienation of our Internet Age。。。 and I know that reading this book deeply affected me！ But I'm still catching my breath。 It is a work of genius–and like other works of genius， it walks along the bleeding edge of inanity。 I understand so little of how it all works。 But genius can be a detriment， because this book is clearly not for everyone。 It might not even be for me。 I'm happy I actually ran the marathon。。。 but I might never do that again。 。。。more

Aaron ，

This is a book of some of the highest highs and lowest lows I have ever experienced， which speaks to the pure auteur nature of the work。 The poignancy of depictions of addiction， isolation， estrangement， and deep personal brokenness that riple throughout the book are raw and painful to experience。 When the book dives deep into these moments and minds is when the book is at its best。 Unfortunately， it is dragged down by tangents and meandering， points of view which contribute to the work as a who This is a book of some of the highest highs and lowest lows I have ever experienced， which speaks to the pure auteur nature of the work。 The poignancy of depictions of addiction， isolation， estrangement， and deep personal brokenness that riple throughout the book are raw and painful to experience。 When the book dives deep into these moments and minds is when the book is at its best。 Unfortunately， it is dragged down by tangents and meandering， points of view which contribute to the work as a whole but ultimately take away from the impact of the more realistic moments。 Diverging for dozens or hundreds of pages at a time from central characters leaves the experience sometimes feeling like a slog， though I am grateful to have read it as its opening and closing both are riveting and hard to step away from。 。。。more

Ashley Stalling ，

Never before has reading a book made me want to punch the author in the face…。until I read this。 I kept hoping at some point things would shift and I’d have my eyes opened to the brilliance of this book， considering how many people love it， but instead I trudged along through all 1100 pages， asking myself the entire way how someone could possibly fill hundreds of pages and yet still not land on any meaningful storyline。 I genuinely wanted to like this book， but I arrived at the end wondering how Never before has reading a book made me want to punch the author in the face…。until I read this。 I kept hoping at some point things would shift and I’d have my eyes opened to the brilliance of this book， considering how many people love it， but instead I trudged along through all 1100 pages， asking myself the entire way how someone could possibly fill hundreds of pages and yet still not land on any meaningful storyline。 I genuinely wanted to like this book， but I arrived at the end wondering how any editor could have allowed this pretentious mess to be published。 At least I can check it off as finished- that’s the best thing I have to say about my experience with this book。 。。。more

Emma ，

Most of the time I was reading Infinite Jest， I kept thinking I should stop。 Then， I was so offended by the time and effort that I put into this giant piece of garbage that I had to finish。 It was a waste of time and I regret it。 I mourn all the minutes that I will never get back that could've been spent on worthwhile literature。 Most of the time I was reading Infinite Jest， I kept thinking I should stop。 Then， I was so offended by the time and effort that I put into this giant piece of garbage that I had to finish。 It was a waste of time and I regret it。 I mourn all the minutes that I will never get back that could've been spent on worthwhile literature。 。。。more

Clelia Zotti ，

After three failed attempts （with the Italian translation） I managed to finish it， and with the original version， in English。 It's a very good book， but also very complex and definitely not an easy reading; on top of reading the footnotes， which are a basic part of the reading experience， I had to keep online guides at hand and look up quite a number of words （and then found out that a lot of those words are just made up by the author）。 I can't give more than 3 stars because in a lot of moments After three failed attempts （with the Italian translation） I managed to finish it， and with the original version， in English。 It's a very good book， but also very complex and definitely not an easy reading; on top of reading the footnotes， which are a basic part of the reading experience， I had to keep online guides at hand and look up quite a number of words （and then found out that a lot of those words are just made up by the author）。 I can't give more than 3 stars because in a lot of moments it was really a drag for me to read， still， I would recommend the book， because it is an interesting and unique experience。 。。。more

Scott Moshen ，

This was my first run through this great white whale。 I look forward to reading it a few more times。 Perhaps after reading Elegant Complexity。 I'm glad to report I understood。。。some of it。 : ） This was my first run through this great white whale。 I look forward to reading it a few more times。 Perhaps after reading Elegant Complexity。 I'm glad to report I understood。。。some of it。 : ） 。。。more

Leslie Bock ，

Can't keep with it。 Some nuggets kept me going at first， he obviously had an intimate understanding of clinical depression and my favourite passage was about the suicidal girl because it was so real。 The rest was too tedious and confusing to wade through。 Choppy。 Too long。 Kinda terrible in ways。 Can't keep with it。 Some nuggets kept me going at first， he obviously had an intimate understanding of clinical depression and my favourite passage was about the suicidal girl because it was so real。 The rest was too tedious and confusing to wade through。 Choppy。 Too long。 Kinda terrible in ways。 。。。more

Iida-Maija ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Arvostelulta ja ajatuksilta karkaava， massiivinen kokemus。 Mahdoton arvostella tähdillä muiden kirjojen tapaan - annan viisi tähteä valtavan ja intensiivisen kokemuksen takia。Pidin:- kokeellisuudesta， rajojen rikkomisesta- sanataituruudesta ja inspiroivasta kirjoitustyylistä- juonen mukaansatempaavuudesta ja absurdiudesta- tarkkanäköisyydestä- erinomaisesta käännöstyöstäKritisoin:- slurrien käyttöä yhteiskuntaluokkien alleviivaajana- syvällisten naishahmojen vähäisyyttäEn edes tiedä， miksi oleti Arvostelulta ja ajatuksilta karkaava， massiivinen kokemus。 Mahdoton arvostella tähdillä muiden kirjojen tapaan - annan viisi tähteä valtavan ja intensiivisen kokemuksen takia。Pidin:- kokeellisuudesta， rajojen rikkomisesta- sanataituruudesta ja inspiroivasta kirjoitustyylistä- juonen mukaansatempaavuudesta ja absurdiudesta- tarkkanäköisyydestä- erinomaisesta käännöstyöstäKritisoin:- slurrien käyttöä yhteiskuntaluokkien alleviivaajana- syvällisten naishahmojen vähäisyyttäEn edes tiedä， miksi oletin kaiken saapuvan lopussa jotenkin järkevään loppuunsa - en selvästi oppinut kirjan aikana mitään Wallacesta。 。。。more

Quinn ，

did i read this book， footnotes and all？ yes。 did it take me seven months？ also yes。 did i understand this book at all？ nope。 if i reread it five times could i probably understand it， the timeline， the rotating cast of narrators， and all of the themes threaded throughout？ possibly。 although i did not get the point of this book， i really enjoyed it。 the story was beyond bizarre and each character was distinct and real。 there is nothing else like this book。

Blake Hanan ，

Did not finish。 This is convolution for the sake of convolution， doesn’t help convey the idea。

Aaron ，

Dnf。 If grandiloquent speech and melancholic addiction had a lovechild who liked tennis， it would be Infinite Jest。

Andrew Elsass ，

Finally！Feels weird to give this book any kind of rating as it feels "beyond" a simple 1-5 scale。 I don't say that because it was life-altering nor terrible， but because it was just so different than anything I have ever read before。 There's "reading for pleasure"， but "reading for experience" seems much more apt （and appropriately pretentious） for this tome。 It's probably going to take me a long time to figure out if I actually enjoyed my experience with it。 Finally！Feels weird to give this book any kind of rating as it feels "beyond" a simple 1-5 scale。 I don't say that because it was life-altering nor terrible， but because it was just so different than anything I have ever read before。 There's "reading for pleasure"， but "reading for experience" seems much more apt （and appropriately pretentious） for this tome。 It's probably going to take me a long time to figure out if I actually enjoyed my experience with it。 。。。more

David Barnes ，

Surprisingly easy to read， surprisingly difficult to swallow。 Once you get over the first few hurdles of confusion and just submit （and abide） it becomes a stellar， heart-rending experience。

Calvin D'Silva ，

I。。。。 Uh。 Don't get it。 I。。。。 Uh。 Don't get it。 。。。more

Jill ，

Started this in February， and while it is well-written， it was so unbearably depressing and felt so oppressive （much like the beatnik lit written in a drug haze）， that I just couldn't convince myself to pick it up again。 It seems a terrible way to spend my time， just to show what talent Wallace had。 Just a few pages of this book， and it is not difficult to see why the man killed himself。 It leaves you with such a terrible， hopeless， godless feeling。 Started this in February， and while it is well-written， it was so unbearably depressing and felt so oppressive （much like the beatnik lit written in a drug haze）， that I just couldn't convince myself to pick it up again。 It seems a terrible way to spend my time， just to show what talent Wallace had。 Just a few pages of this book， and it is not difficult to see why the man killed himself。 It leaves you with such a terrible， hopeless， godless feeling。 。。。more

Alex More ，

Just some random thoughts about the novel:I’ve done a lot of thinking about the wheelchair assassins/search for the master cartridge plot line - and I think it might be （a） a sort of semi-ironic apology on Wallace’s part for all the tedium， providing at least some sort of ‘classic’ entertainment （like a mission impossible movie） - there’s a line in the novel where someone says the most important job of a filmmaker or writer （can’t remember） is to entertain - this cuts against most perceptions of Just some random thoughts about the novel:I’ve done a lot of thinking about the wheelchair assassins/search for the master cartridge plot line - and I think it might be （a） a sort of semi-ironic apology on Wallace’s part for all the tedium， providing at least some sort of ‘classic’ entertainment （like a mission impossible movie） - there’s a line in the novel where someone says the most important job of a filmmaker or writer （can’t remember） is to entertain - this cuts against most perceptions of Infinite Jest。 But also， （b） I think the whole espionage situation - aside from parodying Cold War tensions - is actually demonstrating that due to ONAN， the world is in such a relative state of peace when compared to the previous century （cause it’s set in the 21st） that this cartridge is the most prominent threat。 This is a little ridiculous in comparison to hitler’s Holocaust or Stalin’s gulag， so I think that Wallace is （kind of like fight club） commenting that entertainment is the most immediate threat to our humanity - the time of huge world wars is over， now our enemies are the big tech companiesOne of the main things for me was the amount of thought and detail that went into the appearance and personality of every character - they are somehow extremely cartoonish but also more real than real people， all at the same time。 This is where the honesty in his writing maintains primacy for me， over all the intellectual bravadoI have never read anything before that felt - at times - like my own thoughts being spoken back to me from an omniscient third party， but also on a more superficial/aesthetic level， I really enjoyed all the references and nods to other works （hamlet， a clockwork orange， t。s Eliot， etc） 。。。more

Joe ，

one that i’ll cone back to again and again。 so many bits worth reading multiple times

Heikki Raappana ，

Tetelestai！When you finish this book you immediately want to read it again。

Catherine Woodward ，

I still consider this the most pretentious book I ever attempted （three times） to read。

carmen ，

"you can expect that somebody who’s willing to read and read hard a thousand-page book is gonna be somebody with some loneliness issues" David Lipsky， Although of course you end up becoming yourself， a road trip with David Foster Wallacea la hora de leer la broma infinita existe una especie de preacuerdo entre autor y lector en el que te comprometes a no mirar a otro lado en las partes más oscuras cuando te interpelan。 en mi caso esa interpelación va más allá， a la idiosincrasia del autor que， a "you can expect that somebody who’s willing to read and read hard a thousand-page book is gonna be somebody with some loneliness issues" David Lipsky， Although of course you end up becoming yourself， a road trip with David Foster Wallacea la hora de leer la broma infinita existe una especie de preacuerdo entre autor y lector en el que te comprometes a no mirar a otro lado en las partes más oscuras cuando te interpelan。 en mi caso esa interpelación va más allá， a la idiosincrasia del autor que， aunque afirmó que esto no era una autobiografía （y no lo es）， deja entrever sus obsesiones y miedos en la obra， y leer un libro así tiene inevitablemente algo de obsesión。 es una novela sobre compulsión， adicción y soledad， y es fascinante como desde lo particular apela a lo universal， cómo en el pasaje sobre un adicto esperando y orquestando cómo comprar y disfrutar su "última" dosis de marihuana hace temblar a cualquiera que sepa algo sobre compulsión。 no es en esencia una novela sobre drogas y la adicción podría ser a cualquier cosa， cualquier comportamiento repetitivo al que uno se aferra a fin de no perder toda esperanza， citando Algo supuestamente divertido que nunca volveré a hacer: "a fin de evitar la sensación insoportable de darse cuenta de que uno es pequeño， débil， egoísta y de que， sin ninguna duda posible， se va a morir"。 También hay mucho sobre verdades veladas - literal y figurativamente -， de formas de lidiar con estas verdades。 estas verdades te golpean en intervalos a lo largo del libro y es inevitable tener que parar y fumarte un cigarro o utilizar tu mecanismo de afrontación de preferencia como hacen Gately， Hal， Joelle， James， Pemulis， Avril， o cualquiera de los personajes del libro es además un libro terriblemente gracioso， de verdad， he llegado a reír a carcajadas。 pero el humor aquí nunca es una herramienta de alivio cómico， es un recurso para esquivar hablar de las cosas directamente， rebajarlas y aparentar que no nos dan miedo。 Wallace en la novela de alguna manera evita hablar directamente de los sentimientos， los aísla en una caja y les lanza temas y observa como reaccionan， pero siempre desde una distancia prudente， que no es la distancia del cinismo sino la de alguien que tiene demasiado miedo de hablar en serio sobre las cosas que son seriasrespecto al final， como en la óptica， es una imagen que se forma tras de ti tras haber atravesado tu cabeza y en esta novela acaba dependiendo de ti el hecho de querer dar una explicación racional a esta soledad o aceptar que es algo inherentemente humano。 "la ficción es sobre qué significa ser un maldito ser humano" dijo Wallace en una entrevista。me gustaría animar a cualquiera que se haya planteado leer este libro a que lo haga， no es en absoluto un libro tan difícil como algunos se empeñan en presentarlo， no necesitas una guía ni tomar notas， tampoco es pedante， ni un libro hipster del que presumir de haberlo leído， ni aburrido。 solo has de aceptar este preacuerdo autor-lector para disfrutarlo y que te deje ver lo que se esconde detrás"la verdad te hará libre， pero no hasta que haya acabado contigo" 。。。more

Cassondra Windwalker ，

I read every word of this and deeply regret the time I allowed it to steal from me。 There was the briefest flash of brilliance early on that I kept fruitlessly hoping would be fulfilled in the end， but no sign of it ever reappeared。 Every academic aspect of classical satire was painfully present in the most pedantic and heavy-handed of ways， with none of its incisive deftness。 I'm fascinated by what sort of editor would allow any author to ramble on for pages after pages of descriptions of every I read every word of this and deeply regret the time I allowed it to steal from me。 There was the briefest flash of brilliance early on that I kept fruitlessly hoping would be fulfilled in the end， but no sign of it ever reappeared。 Every academic aspect of classical satire was painfully present in the most pedantic and heavy-handed of ways， with none of its incisive deftness。 I'm fascinated by what sort of editor would allow any author to ramble on for pages after pages of descriptions of everything from tennis serves to sexual assault to animal torture， with the exact same sort of fascinated self-absorption， delighted glee， and masturbatory obsession given to each equally。 The text was rife with racist slurs and sexist expression。 If they'd been the perspective of one or two particular characters whose point of view was being held up to scrutiny， I'd have had no problem with it， but the bigotry was across the board and almost without variance from person to person， never meeting with resistance。 Wallace's understanding of anatomy and actual human mechanics was apparently nil， as his favorite sexual technique involved a woman vaunting herself from a standing position chest-to-chest with a man to wrapping her ankles around his neck while he supported the small of her back like she was a pizza plate。 This was featured more than once。 Reading this book was like sliding into an ooze of awful， self-indulgent linguistic slime studded with the worst sort of sexual violence， hatred， contempt， and animal cruelty while some pasty-skinned rich kid cackled over his terribly clever made-up words in the background - only they're not really made-up， just the regular words spelled wrong。 If you're one of the many people who've been told you absolutely HAVE to read this book， it's genius， RUN AWAY。 You are surrounded by the same crowd who chanted in ecstasy how glorious the Emperor's new clothes were。 I'd give him zero stars but he deserves some kudos for getting the monstrosity published。 。。。more

Kateblue ，

I really wanted to like this。 I loved the first chapter。 I really wanted to know what happened after the cliffhanger end of the chapter。 But then， second chapter， I was sometime else， and was it the same guy， or not？ The voice seemed different。 And so repetitive in his inner thoughts， with， again， no resolution at the end of the chapter。 And then， third chapter sometime/somebody else， I guess。 I stopped。 I can't deal with this。 This guy is probably a great writer。 That's why two stars， not one。 I really wanted to like this。 I loved the first chapter。 I really wanted to know what happened after the cliffhanger end of the chapter。 But then， second chapter， I was sometime else， and was it the same guy， or not？ The voice seemed different。 And so repetitive in his inner thoughts， with， again， no resolution at the end of the chapter。 And then， third chapter sometime/somebody else， I guess。 I stopped。 I can't deal with this。 This guy is probably a great writer。 That's why two stars， not one。 But I will never know。 。。。more

Pat ，

It's taken me *months* to listen to this 1100 plus page novel。 Have very mixed reaction， leaning to negative。 At least one-third of the verbiage should have been edited out。 Passages that would have been *way* more effective in 10 pages go on for 35。 Really？ Where was Max Perkins when we needed him？Wallace was in love with his own brain， and I got weary of the show-offy dazzlingly esoteric vocabulary and literary references。 He and his alter ego Hal never grow up。 Wallace's constant attempts to It's taken me *months* to listen to this 1100 plus page novel。 Have very mixed reaction， leaning to negative。 At least one-third of the verbiage should have been edited out。 Passages that would have been *way* more effective in 10 pages go on for 35。 Really？ Where was Max Perkins when we needed him？Wallace was in love with his own brain， and I got weary of the show-offy dazzlingly esoteric vocabulary and literary references。 He and his alter ego Hal never grow up。 Wallace's constant attempts to shock the reader become tiresome。 Sadly， this reduces the effectiveness of some beautifully and sensitively written parts。The utter lack of transitions was jarring: a detailed description of a drunken dad sodomizing his son and the harrowing details of severe drug addiction give way immediately to the comic hijinks of the ETA boys。 Really？ Often， I didn't even realize a scene was comic until well into it。I can't help thinking that this bloated novel wouldn't be so notorious without Wallace's suicide。 The constant references to suicide--with descriptions of "comic" methods such as those of Himself and Joelle's mother--are disturbing。 As the daughter of a suicide， it's simply not a laughing matter。 I bet Wallace's widow thought it was a real hoot when she discovered he'd final succeeded in killing himself， by hanging。 Ha ha ha！！ Really？ 。。。more

Sofia Tapia ，

wow。。。。but also， whAt？！

Erin ，

I write this on the day the family is celebrating my cousin graduating from high school。 I am also celebrating that I finally finished this GIANT ASS BRICK。Ok， let's be fair。 I liked some of it。 I liked any Orin or Mario sections。 Several of the halfway house sections with Gately and Joelle are good。 I found it pretty funny when the cerebral game of Eschaton completely dissolved into chaos because even tennis prep school kids are still kids。。。。 And that's pretty much it， everything else was a gi I write this on the day the family is celebrating my cousin graduating from high school。 I am also celebrating that I finally finished this GIANT ASS BRICK。Ok， let's be fair。 I liked some of it。 I liked any Orin or Mario sections。 Several of the halfway house sections with Gately and Joelle are good。 I found it pretty funny when the cerebral game of Eschaton completely dissolved into chaos because even tennis prep school kids are still kids。。。。 And that's pretty much it， everything else was a gigantic slog。 I was filled with anger whenever I saw the names "Marathe" or "Steeply" and realized I was in for more of that bullshit。 Didn't care about the films and the film that was so mesmerizing that it killed people。 Just。。。。 didn't care about a lot。 But hey， I can say I finished it， right？ 。。。more

Katja ，

Too ambitious for me。 This is the kind of book that keeps me from reading all together。

Isaiah Johnson ，

When you're a teenager there's something beautiful about naíve self-destruction but eventually video games stop doing anything for you and you see the rotten formalization of the post-structuralist moment for what it is。 Zadie Smith could be recovered but nothing past hystericism escapes these pages。 When you're a teenager there's something beautiful about naíve self-destruction but eventually video games stop doing anything for you and you see the rotten formalization of the post-structuralist moment for what it is。 Zadie Smith could be recovered but nothing past hystericism escapes these pages。 。。。more

Melody Cao ，

Took me 4 years and a pandemic

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Infinite Jest

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Infinite Jest&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Infinite Jest&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0