At more than 1,000 pages with copious footnotes infinite jest is a famously difficult read. What its like to record the audiobook version of infinite. Infinite jest is one of those books that a lot of people know of but have never read. Jan 17, 2016 stephen burns revised david foster wallaces infinite jest. Learn and understand all of the themes found in read pdf infinite jest online, such as power overpower under. 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. Why i cannot recommend the infinite jest audio book. For reference while working on the project drew used the ij scene by scene guide, and stephen burns david foster wallaces infinite jest. Infinite jest is both sad, depressed and funny and even 25 years after it was published in 1994 remains relevant to the modern age. The novel is a interconnected sequence of events, told out of timeline order, that focuses on addiction in all its forms.
Was the allegedly fatally entertaining and scopophiliac thing jim alleges he made out of her. It is the genx ulysses that even those like me, who consider themselves dfw superfans, are. A readers guide provides a good overview of the novel and includes a chronology, as well as sections on the novels critical reception and key plot points. With endnotes added, the infinite jest audiobook nears 70 hours. How to read infinite jest chronologically infinite jest. Beyond the ease with which one can lookup footnotes, consider the following.
I dove right in, and from the first sentence to the last of the first chapter, my eyes never left the page. I cant recommend the purchase of the what at first appears to be the amazing ive heard good things about the audio. I also know that many people whom i trust about literature, from dave eggers to online friends of mine hello hermione danger and jessica recommend this book. Infinite jest by david foster wallace, first edition. Feb 01, 1996 admittedly, infinite jest is a tough book. David foster wallaces second novel is s et in an absurd but agonizingly believable nearfuture, and. The book is drumtight and relentlessly smart and, though it does not wear its heart on its sleeve, its deeply felt and incredibly moving. Yes, this series will run concurrent to the hunger games trilogy, so you will not have to wait two more months to join in. To fully understand what wallace was up to, the book bears being read, and reread, with talmudic focus and devotion.
He received a masters of fine arts from university of arizona in 1987 and. Infinite jest audiobook david foster wallace audible. 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. Steven asin infinite jest is the perfect book for the kindle paperwhite. I guess this is a first for me and ill get straight to the point. 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. This deluxe paperback editionfeaturing flaps, new cover art, and a new foreword by tom bissellcelebrates the 20th anniversary of the original publication of infinite jest. Our website also provides download infinite jest pdf in many format, so dont worry if readers want to download infinite jest pdf online that cant be open through their device. 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. Infinite jest audiobook by david foster wallace, read by. 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. So im almost always constantly listening to books and im trying to find more and more time to do that and what ive been doing the past couple of years is ill put on some mindless game in the background where i dont have to pay attention to any story or anything like that and just immerse myself in the book. If you have not read infinite jest there are major spoilers to be found. Find all the books, read about the author, and more.
In 2006, little brown published a 10th anniversary edition of david foster wallaces infinite jest that featured a foreword by dave eggers. Mar 10, 2015 listen to infinite audiobook by lori m. At the macro level, infinite jest consists of numerous anticonfluential wallaces word episodes set a dozen years or so in the future as was the broom, at a time when numerical designations for years have been sold to corporate sponsors. Whether you are a word gourmet or gourmand, infinite. Infinite jest, the title of david foster wallaces gargantuan new novel, is a kind of inside joke. A multilayered postmodern saga of damnation and salvation.
Infinite jest by david foster wallace overdrive rakuten. Infinite jest 20th anniversary edition special edition. Having only read the first extremely exhausting chapter, i cant tell you whether i would feel this way after two or more. 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. On march 27, hachette audio released david foster wallaces magnum opus infinite jest most of it, at least as a 56hourlong audiobook. 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. Mar 20, 2009 the slate audio book club on infinite jest. The length may be offputting but i am looking forward to settling down for a few weeks to read it. Stream and download audiobooks to your computer, tablet or mobile phone. Equal parts philosophical quest and screwball comedy, infinite jest bends every rule of fiction without sacrificing for a moment its own entertainment value. The book is drumtight and relentlessly smart and, though it does not wear its heart on its. Infinite jest the kind of book that, when it is mentioned, creates a hushed silence of mingled awe and fear in the room. Full online, epub free infinite jest pdf free, ebook free infinite jest, free ebook pdf infinite jest epub, free epub pdf infinite jest download, free download infinite jest best book. Jan 05, 2011 i know nothing of infinite jest, except that it is long nearly 1,100 pages in length, dense, complex, and contains a highly elaborate set of endnotes that must be read in realtime.
Astonishingly, thats not even half as long as the longest book pratt has ever narrateda fivevolume history of california that. Infinite jest is a novel written by david foster wallace. 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. Infinite jest by david foster wallace, first edition abebooks. I received an email earlier today from a reader who had excitedly received their unabridged audio book of. With regard to the basic 14 plot line, the setting for the majority of the action is enfield, a fictional suburbia town outside of boston. Feb 26, 2016 12 if you think infinite jest at 1,100odd pages is a long book, be advised that it started longer. I normally dont enjoy overly complicated, tedious listens, and infinite jest seems overly complicated and tedious in the beginning, but once you get into the audiobook, its not. More information about this seller contact this seller 1. Mark reads infinite jest and other such announcements. David foster wallaces infinite jest is an audiobook. Mar 08, 2016 i bother to mention this because, at 176 pages, infinite jest is now officially the longest sample of any book i have downloaded.
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 by david foster wallace, 9780349121086, available at book depository with free delivery worldwide. Wallace wrote to a friend that the fuckers cut by 600 pages from the first version. 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. Thinking about giving it a shot but dont want to waste the money if its just as hard to follow as read.
Sep 10, 2016 its been a bit of a journey on this one. Rather, each reading is a meal the whole tome is practically a steady diet. Wallaces particular conceit in infinite jest is that the events described are taking place in the indeterminate future, possibly. Infinite jest by david foster wallace, paperback barnes. It has been categorized as an encyclopedic novel and made time magazines list of the 100 best englishlanguage novels published between 1923 and 2005. He received numerous awards, including the whiting award, the. On reading the first chapter of infinite jest sally allen. Infinite jest is a 1996 novel by american writer david foster wallace. Seriously how long will it take to read infinite jest. Its like wallace was trying to ward off any potential readers.
Eggerss introduction observed that infinite jest was 1,067 pages long and there is not one lazy sentence. Stephen burns revised david foster wallaces infinite jest. These are the endnotes to david foster wallaces infinite jest, a gargantuan, mindaltering comedy about the pursuit of happiness in america. Its not a stretch or very original to call infinite jest the defining work of the 1990s. The audiobook for infinite jest was released in 2012. Feb 07, 2016 infinite jest, in other words, can be exceedingly frustrating. He received bachelor of arts degrees in philosophy and english from amherst college and wrote what would become his first novel, the broom of the system, as his senior english thesis. Infinite jest infinite jest audiobook, by david foster wallace. A brick of a tome of a journey of a boy and his harried growth in spurts of tennisfueled tragedy. Infinite jest, in other words, can be exceedingly frustrating. Pounded in the butt by my own butt audiobook by chuck. 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. I made it through gravitys rainbow and hope this is as good. David foster wallace 19622008 was the new york times bestselling author of infinite jest, the broom of the system, and girl with curious hair.
I know there is a portion of people in the world who would rather highlight triptiks than read this bullshit, so it will not be the sole project i am doing. Partly since it makes the book more accessible and partly because it lets you enjoy the flow of wallaces prose. 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. 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. I wouldnt get too hung up on how long it will take because if youre focused on reaching the end youre going to be disappointed. The first chapter of infinite jest is one of the best examples ive read in recent years. It and the stand by stephen king are just so dang enjoyable on audiobook. Calling to mind that infinite jest was published in 1996, dont think crystal meth is a new phenomenon. David foster wallace was born in ithaca, new york, in 1962 and raised in illinois, where he was a regionally ranked junior tennis player. Infinite jest by david foster wallace librarything. Infinite jest has been listed as one of the top 100 all time greatest novels of 19232006.
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