Wallace talked with chris about the book, boston aa meetings, the. Revisiting david foster wallaces boston open source. Some of the novels action also takes place in arizona, various bostonarea alcoholics anonymous aa meetings, as well as several locales in. The interview turned up as we planned a radio show about that novels. A question hangs over the novel as to whether wallace violated the sanctity of aa meetings by using actual confessionals. In the same capacity, this might explain why i cant wait to break up with abusive boyfriendinfinite jestbriar patch. The disclosure of information commenced shortly after wallace rose to fame in 1996, with the truth omitted or cleverly shrouded by wallace at first, and. Infinite jest is both sad, depressed and funny and even 25 years after it was published in 1994 remains relevant to the modern age. Aug 31, 2018 the meat of infinite jest is found in the confessionals of aa participants. The live poulty fresh killed sign at mayflower poultry co. Jun 25, 2014 a lost 1996 interview with david foster wallace. Wallace talked with chris about the book, boston aa meetings, the lonely and lost generation x, and his place in u.
Was the allegedly fatally entertaining and scopophiliac thing jim alleges he made out of her. Unquestionably, infinite jest required great ambition and focus to write, and requires a bit of ambition and focus to read as well. Infinite jest is a 1996 novel by american writer david foster wallace. Jun 18, 2012 except that after reading 1,000plus pages of infinite jest and then sittingtraveling through 24 hours of it, these things begin to infect ones mental processes. In a manner both reminiscent and imitative of thomas pynchons gravitys rainbow 1973, wallace traces the sometimes connected fortunes of two dozen or so addicted and obsessed souls variously involved with. Wallace wrote to a friend that the fuckers cut by 600 pages from the first version. Beyond the ease with which one can lookup footnotes, consider the following. Aa, canadian separatism, depression, boston, and hamlet.
In infinite jest conjunctions often appear in chains of length three or greater. An earlier predecessor of both gravitys rainbow and infinite jest is james. David foster wallaces relentless doorstopper of a novel, first published in 1996. Detailed quotes explanations with page numbers for every important quote on the site. Apr 15, 2017 a reading of infinite jest by david foster wallace boston aa chris theo. And its odd, i mean i went to a lot of open aa meetings, and ive read a lot of, um, sort of addictionology books. David foster wallace, infinite jest and lessons in empathy. They turned the 1079page book into a 24hour play that took place all over berlin the play is infinite jest. Infinite jest is a 1996 novel by david foster wallace comprising. What is your favorite pov chapter arc from infinite jest. Hal incandenza is the closest the book comes to having a protagonist.
The novel to which infinite jest is most frequently compared is thomas pynchons gravitys rainbow 1973, which as well as being long and encyclopedic with a circular plot structure and multiple internal narratives, also explores similar themes of technology, high and low culture, free will, sex, and drugs. There is stuff that happens in the opening pages that explains events at the end of the book, albeit over pages and hundreds of footnotes away. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading infinite jest. Don gately is one of the main characters of the novel. The story of david foster wallaces time spent in boston, the city which would serve as his setting for the mighty, mighty infinite jest novel, has emerged slowly in drips and drabs. Brought up on tv and avantgarde literature, wallace has something of a unique ability to deal with weighty topics in an entertaining style, without. Infinite jest is a novel written by david foster wallace. Feb 01, 1996 admittedly, infinite jest is a tough book. In david foster wallaces infinite jest, abstraction is a source of terror, for it is hostile.
I have not eliminated infinite jests map, but i have walked its length. 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. By the end of the book aa is the master narrative of infinite jest. Equal parts philosophical quest and screwball comedy, infinite jest bends every rule of fiction, features a huge cast and multilevel narrative, and questions essential elements of american culture our entertainments, our addictions, our relationships, our. The beloved 1100page novel is david foster wallaces magnum opus and. Infinite jest characters from litcharts the creators of sparknotes. The lengthy and complex work takes place in a semiparodic future version of north america. 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. Sorry if this is a stupid question something i ought to figure out myself but im very confused about how the groups work in boston aa and if. A reading of infinite jest by david foster wallace boston aa.
David foster wallace, infinite jest and lessons in. Infinite jest contains such a wealth of upsetting vignettes of people in physicalmental distress that its difficult to choose. An ironist in a boston aa meeting is a witch in church. Apr 25, 2001 and even though infinite jest is full of insider information on aa, even though infinite jest is wholeheartedly enthusiastic about aa, infinite jest still locates its perspective outside aa. Infinite jest study guide from litcharts the creators of. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. Its due to a minor character, old mikey, standing at the boston aa podium and speaking to a crowd.
Infinite jest quotes 18 quotes meet your next favorite book. Pdf downloads of all 1291 litcharts literature guides, and of every new one we publish. I was going to wait on it, but not that even infinite summer is talking about the end. Jun 26, 2014 david foster wallace appeared on the connection with christopher lydon on february 21, 1996 to promote infinite jest. Describes chinese ladies and their bags and weird little carts as talking in thier gutteral mongoloid monkey tongue or somethi. 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. He conducted an extensive book tour to promote its publication, the end of which is chronicled by journalist david lipsky in his book although of course you end op becoming yourself, which was made into a movie in 2015 entitled the end. Wallaces 1996 novel infinite jest, which was published on this website as a. Infinite boston is a photo tour of some of the boston locations that inspired locations in david foster wallaces infinite jest in july of what might have been year of glad, one year ago this week, i traveled to boston, massachusetts with the express purpose of visiting as many of the landmarks and lesser known precincts that appear in, or provide inspiration for, the late david foster.
Like several of the characters in infinite jest, he was a competitive junior tennis player he was a joint major in english and philosophy at amherst college, and his senior honors thesis for english became his first novel, the broom in the system, which was published in 1987, the same year he graduated from the mfa. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. 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. Characters the below is an abridgment of the wikipedia infinite jest characters section with all spoilers stripped out the incandenzas. A lost 1996 interview with david foster wallace open source. 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 book held by the statue reads, july iv mdcclxxvi 1776.
It is a fact that infinite jest is a long book with almost a hundred pages of endnotes, one of which lists the complete and fictional filmography of a prolific and fictional filmmaker and runs for more than eight pages and itself has six footnotes, and all of which you have to read because they are important. 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. This is the chapter about boston aa, from infinite jest, by david foster wallace i have removed one or two of the passages which are very characterheavy, to make this a standalone piece on boston aa, which by the way is the most insightful, wellwritten, and of course verbose. The boston aa chapter from infinite jest tuesday, june 23, 2015. Don gatelys perspective on the alcoholics anonymous program in boston. Infinite jest was wallaces second novel, and it was certainly the novel that put him on the literary map. Meetings for alcoholics only, alcoholics anonymous in boston, massachusetts. Infinite jest 1996 is a novel written by david foster wallace. Revisiting david foster wallaces boston open source with. The secret history of david foster wallaces boston bdcwire. It has been categorized as an encyclopedic novel and made time magazines list of the 100 best englishlanguage novels published between 1923 and 2005. Steven asin infinite jest is the perfect book for the kindle paperwhite. In february 1996, david foster wallace came to boston. One of the reasons that it is set in boston is that boston aa is very strange and unique, its got a lot of open meetings which mean you dont have to be a member to go, which means i could go and sit and take notes.
David foster wallace was the child of two professors who grew up in illinois. Infinite jest takes place in the nottoodistant future, around the enfield tennis academy and the neighboring ennet house drug and alcohol recovery house in suburban boston. The illusory benefits of success in infinite jest all moments can be endured. I felt compelled throughout to read it aloud, such was the almost poetic quality of it. In a sprawling, wild, superhyped magnum opus, david foster wallace fulfills the promise of his precocious novel the broom of the system.
David foster wallace on gen x, infinite jest and a life of. Sep 16, 2009 what all the entertainment has in common, though be it infinite jest, infinite jest, or mash is that there are no answers. The book points out ways that people are not communicating, that systems are meaningless, and that people arent feeling. Before i discuss anything forever overhead or infinite jestrelated, i first must say this. Filmmaker, founder of the enfield tennis academy, committed suicide by putting his head in a microwave over. A german experimental theater recently put on a production of infinite jest. Back on another book tour, this time for the paperback release of a supposedly fun thing ill never do again, wallace was interviewed by tom scocca of the boston phoenix february 19 26, 1998 issue. Infinite jest essays are academic essays for citation. Infinite jest characters from litcharts the creators of.
David foster wallace appeared on the connection with christopher lydon on february 21, 1996 to promote infinite jest. And, burying the lead, we dug up the famous connection interview with wallace from the spring of 1996, when he was back in town on a book tour for infinite jest. A reading of infinite jest by david foster wallace boston aa chris theo. Apr, 2009 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. Jun 26, 2014 and, burying the lead, we dug up the famous connection interview with wallace from the spring of 1996, when he was back in town on a book tour for infinite jest. Chris interviewed david foster wallace on the connection. Except that after reading 1,000plus pages of infinite jest and then sittingtraveling through 24 hours of it, these things begin to infect ones. You start the book having no clue when it is happening and who the various characters are. This onepage guide includes a plot summary and brief analysis of infinite jest by david foster wallace. There are roughly four narrative threads through the novel. True, infinite jest is an irresistibly funny book, not least thanks to its treat. No answer to the equation, or if there is an answer, no numbers that add up to it.
The use of alcoholics anonymous in infinite jest as a narrative. Nicknames include himself, the mad stork, and the sad stork. An ambitious and frequently brilliant fictional exploration of the pursuit of pleasure and its ramifying consequences, by the antic author of girl with curious hair 1989, etc. And even though infinite jest is full of insider information on aa, even though infinite jest is wholeheartedly enthusiastic about aa, infinite jest still locates its perspective outside aa. In a manner both reminiscent and imitative of thomas pynchons gravitys rainbow 1973, wallace traces the sometimes connected fortunes of two dozen or so addicted and obsessed souls variously. This was the most surreal bit for me and is way more disturbing in its lynchian creep factor than any of the boston aa stuff. Infinite jest kindle edition by wallace, david foster. But if you are seeking something other, then this book will not disappoint. Jan 07, 2017 the bottoming out with drugs and the aa response to that was the starkest thing that i could find to talk about that. It has been categorized as an encyclopedic novel and made time magazines list of the 100 best. Aa members encounters with god in david foster wallaces. Boston aa is like aa nowhere else on this planet wallace 2006, 343, claims. Infinite boston was and, you know, still is a limitedrun essay series about the.
This is a thoroughly postmodern novel and books being a form of entertainment, is going full meta by being about the nature of entertainment itself. Infinite boston is a photo tour of some of the boston locations that inspired locations in david foster wallaces infinite jest in july of what might have been year of glad, one year ago this week, i traveled to boston, massachusetts with the express purpose of visiting as many of the landmarks and lesser known precincts that appear in, or provide inspiration for, the late david. Randy lenz and his increasingly sadistic walks to boston aa meetings. David foster wallace on gen x, infinite jest and a life. The meat of infinite jest is found in the confessionals of aa participants. Infinite jest is a 1996 novel by david foster wallace comprising about 1,000 pages. Once hailed as a work of singular genius, time has not been kind to the groundbreaking infinite jest, as paul ring discovers while reading david foster wallaces novel 20 years on.
Feb 26, 2016 12 if you think infinite jest at 1,100odd pages is a long book, be advised that it started longer. The novel is a interconnected sequence of events, told out of timeline order, that focuses on addiction in all its forms. The lives of the students training and studying at. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of infinite jest by david foster wallace. 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. David foster wallaces infinite jest is a novel about boston among many other things.
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