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. The beloved 1100page novel is david foster wallaces magnum opus and one of the most influential books of its time, but did you know he. With its baroque subplots, zany political satire, morbid, cerebral humor and astonishing range of cultural references, wallaces brilliant but somewhat bloated dirigible of a second novel after the b. Tom bissell and the editor michael pietsch discuss infinite jest. Infinite jest by david foster wallace book analysis. Infinite jest by david foster wallace and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. 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 it. It has been categorized as an encyclopedic novel and made time magazines list of the 100 best englishlanguage novels published between 1923 and 2005. May 30, 2018 infinite jest by david foster wallace, 9780349121086, available at book depository with free delivery worldwide. Length of a book is typically associated with its sizespecifically page countleading many to assume the largest and thickest book equates to its length. Infinite jest by david foster wallace booksamillion.
David foster wallaces infinite jest, is, without question, the best book ive ever read. For those who havent read the book or dont want to have to reference their copy, infinite jest takes place in a world where years are sold to corporate sponsors year of glad, as in trash bags, but the double entendre is surely intentional. 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. Buy infinite jest by david foster wallace from waterstones today. The main characters of this fiction, classics story are hal incadenza, joelle van dyne. Today, i turned the last page of infinite jest, around a week late for my deadline. My copy of the book is sawn in three, abused, with smudges of food across its pages, from when i couldnt stop. Infinite jest is a 1996 novel by american writer david foster wallace. Infinite jest by david foster wallace by ted gioia the new canon a failed entertainment. So i would recommend you future customer to either buy it with hardcover or. A gargantuan, mindaltering comedy about the pursuit of happiness in america set in an addicts halfway.
This deluxe paperback edition featuring flaps, new cover art, and a new foreword by tom. Infinite jest iv, zero gravity tea ceremony, the medusa v. This is a list of the novels over 500,000 words published through a mainstream publisher. Infinite jest 9780316066525 by wallace, david foster and a great. Unquestionably, infinite jest required great ambition and focus to write, and requires a bit of ambition and focus to read as well. 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. Editions of infinite jest by david foster wallace goodreads.
Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. Free download or read online infinite jest pdf epub book. Infinite jest 9780316066525 by wallace, david foster and a great selection of similar new, used and collectible books available now at great prices. How is the experience of reading infinite jest on a kindle.
A gargantuan, mindaltering comedy about the pursuit of happiness in america set in an addicts. Shakespeares book of insults, insights and infinite jests by william shakespeare and a great selection of. Topics about this book topics that mention this book. Infinite jest bends every rule of fiction without sacrificing for a moment its own entertainment value. Find all the books, read about the author, and more. I felt compelled throughout to read it aloud, such was the almost poetic quality of it. Infinite jest by david foster wallace, paperback barnes. Click and collect from your local waterstones or get free uk delivery on orders over. 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.
Clever and funny, satirical and poignant, infinite jest is a struggle worth working through. The length of infinite jest should not be an obstacle to finding pleasure in it. The fresh air interview in 1996, wallaces novel infinite jest was a critical and popular success. Pdf infinite jest book by david foster wallace free. Infinite jest by david foster wallace 2006, paperback for.
As a college english major, ive read my fair share of great literature, and very few authors even approach wallaces ability to entertain, enlighten, mystify or infuriate. Infinite jest paperback trident booksellers and cafe. His last novel, the pale king, was published in 2011. Book is in good condition, cover has some wear along the edges and corners. Somewhere in the notsodistant future, the screwedup residents of ennet house, a boston halfway. Feb 15, 2016 today, i turned the last page of infinite jest, around a week late for my deadline. The lack of physicality is a bummer, but i feel its vastly compensated by having access to everything id like to read in seconds.
My copy of the book is sawn in three, abused, with smudges of food across its pages, from when i. Infinite jest is regarded as a literary bestseller, having sold 44,000 hardcover copies in its first year of publication. I was bit late to realise that the book has 1109 pages and bought a paperback version. Infinite jest is both sad, depressed and funny and even 25 years after it was published in 1994 remains relevant to the modern age. In fact, its take on the very nature of entertainment itself perhaps foresaw the age of. Buy infinite jest 01 by foster wallace, david isbn. It lays out a comprehensive chronology of every event, delves into several topics concerning david foster wallace and infinite jest, and, most importantly, is a good read. Infinite jest by david foster wallace, 9780349121086, available at book depository with free delivery worldwide.
The shear size of the book commanded attention the kind of attention t. Compiling a list of longest novels yields different results depending on whether pages, words or characters are counted. You start the book having no clue when it is happening and who the various characters are. I remember harish venkatesan lugging around the paperback copy in college and hearing that this effort was part of the experience. Infinite jest by david foster wallace, 9780349121086, available at book. Feb 01, 1996 admittedly, infinite jest is a tough book. It is an exuberant, uniquely american exploration of the passions that make us human and one of those rare books that renew the idea of what a novel can do. The new movie the end of the tour recreates the authors tour for that. In fact, its take on the very nature of entertainment itself perhaps foresaw the age. But if you are seeking something other, then this book will not disappoint. Beyond the ease with which one can lookup footnotes, consider the following. Though its trite, half the enjoyment of this book is the journey and not the story but the story is great.
The first edition of the novel was published in february 1st 1996, and was written by david foster wallace. 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. Incandenza filmography interpretations and other infinite jest inspired works online. The book was published in multiple languages including english, consists of 1088 pages and is available in paperback format. Page 223 lists the chronology so you can order the different sections of the book.
Infinite jest by david foster wallace 2006, paperback. Ulysses etc and so forth, this is by far the most fun book of its length and type. Steven asin infinite jest is the perfect book for the kindle paperwhite. Apr, 2009 equal parts philosophical quest and screwball comedy, infinite jest bends every rule of fiction without sacrificing for a moment its own entertainment value.
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