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Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace thoughts?

neversickanymore

neversickanymore

Moderator: DS
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I'm working my way through this amazing work right now and falling in love with it. Listening to the audio version Narrated by: Sean Pratt. The unique presentation that seamlessly stiches characters and scenes. The way he honesty nails the drug game to these pages. I was raised a tennis player so that's familiar.

Anybody read, is reading or want to start this? Thoughts?
 
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Hey I'm reading this right now too. His writing about drugs is spot on which I love haha. The book almost feels like it's making me uncomfortable with myself but also that that is what it is trying to do. Part of me want to hate it but I love that about it ya know what I mean. I'm only on page 89 so no spoilers please

Does the audiobook include the endnotes as those are definitely critical to understanding the novel
 
There is an introjection by a female bot, inserted during the reading, that indicates a number and an explanation in the preface that explains they wanted to include this dynamic, but we as audio listeners will need to note the number and track down the notes ourselves. So I plan on doing this. Yeah what a work
 
Ive read the first 100 pages like 3 or 4 times. I love books and the essays of DFW but I consider Infinite Jest to be a failed entertainment; too shallow to be worthy of 1000 pages, too complex for 90% of the human population; too academic for the general public; too hip for academics. Of course the writing is incredible and a lot of the metaphors he uses are unique and witty, but the plot is campy and the characters would be more believable in a simpsons episode rather than real life. Oh, and long-winded.

I mean, if you expect me to spend a month or two reading a book it better be some sweeping epic like War and Peace.

Just imo obviously
 
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sigmond said:
Ive read the first 100 pages like 3 or 4 times. I love books and the essays of DFW but I consider Infinite Jest to be a failed entertainment; too shallow to be worthy of 1000 pages, too complex for 90% of the human population; too academic for the general public; too hip for academics. Of course the writing is incredible and a lot of the metaphors he uses are unique and witty, but the plot is campy and the characters would be more believable in a simpsons episode rather than real life. Oh, and long-winded.

I mean, if you expect me to spend a month or two reading a book it better be some sweeping epic like War and Peace.

Just imo obviously
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I'm am/was doing both War an Peace and Infinite Jest at the same time, but after starting Jest I pretty much shelved W&P. War and Peace is set a long time back and as such i'm more intrigued by the modern mayhem of the Jest characters then with the royal day to day happenings in W&P.
 
War and Peace is a real page turner. You can’t say that about many classics.
 
@neversickanymore Definitely do yourself a favor and follow along with the end notes. There are some very critical plot points in there that are disguised by some of the other less relevant notes
 
Finished it.. always the books I fall for, as the pages get shallower, a strange dynamic presents.. I know its going to end. A love affair with a great work is cruel like that as you already know, with certainty while still enraptured, the relationship will end.
 
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