At least you are deriving some amusement from the story. The footnotes to the footnotes absolutely slayed me! I reckon all of the characters are utterly unsympathetic to those who are not quasi-suicidal addicts, so consider it a blessing!
Full disclosure: I love "Infinite Jest"! It was my boon companion during an hour-long commute on the MBTA Green Line for a summer internship, and I found peculiar satisfaction in simultaneously traversing the real and narrative landscapes of Greater Boston. (I'm not sure when Wallace introduces the Wheelchair Assassins, but his description of their coordinated attack down the slopes of Boston Common in the latter half of the book is one of the funniest and most vivid scenes I have ever read).
Wallace does reveal important truths about the human condition, particularly our susceptibility to distraction and self-defeating behaviors. He was veritably clairvoyant in presenting a not-too-distant future where human emotions, communities, relationships, --time itself-- are commodities for sale. Nevertheless, I would hardly expect other people to love the book; if you're not hooked by the end of chapter one, forget it. As you are well aware, Wallace was prolific, and these themes surely carry throughout his far less tortuous prose. I honestly wouldn't know, because "Infinite Jest" is the only work I have read by him...
Regrettably, I think the novel is so acclaimed because many people have heard of it, believing it to be an epic of Tolstoyan proportions, but few have actually read it, much less bothered to even try. Shortly after my summer with "Infinite Jest", I met a student at Bard College who proudly declared that the novel was his senior thesis topic, but seemed totally flummoxed by my familiarity with the plot and characters. I suspect he had no idea what I was talking about, never would, and graduated cum laude anyway.
I am currently reading Musa Al-Gharbi's so-far excellent book "We Have Never Been Woke" after listening to his interview on the Free Black Thought podcast, and this quotation from page 53 sums up the situation rather tidily: "a core competency elites develop over the course of their upbringing is how to confidently name-drop works, thinkers, and ideas they know little about-and in ways that create a veneer of sophistication and erudition. References perceived to enhance prestige among peers and institutional gatekeepers are especially likely to be cultivated. Critically, these superficially deep yet substantively shallow modes of speaking about hot topics, big ideas, and influential thinkers are a product of enculturation, not studying in any traditional sense, not even when these discourses are adopted in college (as they often are)."
I’ve never checked my Activity Bell, until just now. So, I apologize to you (and the 73 other replies and responses in queue) for the tardy reply. I read your rich comment and I feel energized once again. Infinite Jest warrants a second chance. I don’t have a hour-long commute these days which would help, I suspect. In fact, for several years, I had a six-hour daily commute between San Diego and Los Angeles. I got a lot of research and writing done during those hours. “We Were Never Woke” is one of those great books in the universe I have heard about and want to read. Sadly, there are more and more competing demands on my reading time these days. Where is the time going? After I complete Infinite Jest which could happen on vacation this summer, my next book to read is the latest Elon Musk biography. My Book Club assignment is a biography of President George H. W. Bush for April 19. And I absolutely want to squeeze in time for Rick Rubin’s The Creative Way. So many big readings plans. For now, all roads lead back to Infinite Jest which I will finish because I persist/smile. I might snark and laugh and snarl along the way but I will get it done. Vacation time seems like a logical terminus for mission accomplished.
I love your comments. You are one of my favorite readers. And as for not checking my Activity Bell for weeks and months? Well, I’m not just a former law professor. I am an absent-minded, former law professor as well/smile. Best,
At least you are deriving some amusement from the story. The footnotes to the footnotes absolutely slayed me! I reckon all of the characters are utterly unsympathetic to those who are not quasi-suicidal addicts, so consider it a blessing!
So, it's not me after all/smile! Why do you think this novel is so highly acclaimed in the public square?
Full disclosure: I love "Infinite Jest"! It was my boon companion during an hour-long commute on the MBTA Green Line for a summer internship, and I found peculiar satisfaction in simultaneously traversing the real and narrative landscapes of Greater Boston. (I'm not sure when Wallace introduces the Wheelchair Assassins, but his description of their coordinated attack down the slopes of Boston Common in the latter half of the book is one of the funniest and most vivid scenes I have ever read).
Wallace does reveal important truths about the human condition, particularly our susceptibility to distraction and self-defeating behaviors. He was veritably clairvoyant in presenting a not-too-distant future where human emotions, communities, relationships, --time itself-- are commodities for sale. Nevertheless, I would hardly expect other people to love the book; if you're not hooked by the end of chapter one, forget it. As you are well aware, Wallace was prolific, and these themes surely carry throughout his far less tortuous prose. I honestly wouldn't know, because "Infinite Jest" is the only work I have read by him...
Regrettably, I think the novel is so acclaimed because many people have heard of it, believing it to be an epic of Tolstoyan proportions, but few have actually read it, much less bothered to even try. Shortly after my summer with "Infinite Jest", I met a student at Bard College who proudly declared that the novel was his senior thesis topic, but seemed totally flummoxed by my familiarity with the plot and characters. I suspect he had no idea what I was talking about, never would, and graduated cum laude anyway.
I am currently reading Musa Al-Gharbi's so-far excellent book "We Have Never Been Woke" after listening to his interview on the Free Black Thought podcast, and this quotation from page 53 sums up the situation rather tidily: "a core competency elites develop over the course of their upbringing is how to confidently name-drop works, thinkers, and ideas they know little about-and in ways that create a veneer of sophistication and erudition. References perceived to enhance prestige among peers and institutional gatekeepers are especially likely to be cultivated. Critically, these superficially deep yet substantively shallow modes of speaking about hot topics, big ideas, and influential thinkers are a product of enculturation, not studying in any traditional sense, not even when these discourses are adopted in college (as they often are)."
Lux et Veritas!
I’ve never checked my Activity Bell, until just now. So, I apologize to you (and the 73 other replies and responses in queue) for the tardy reply. I read your rich comment and I feel energized once again. Infinite Jest warrants a second chance. I don’t have a hour-long commute these days which would help, I suspect. In fact, for several years, I had a six-hour daily commute between San Diego and Los Angeles. I got a lot of research and writing done during those hours. “We Were Never Woke” is one of those great books in the universe I have heard about and want to read. Sadly, there are more and more competing demands on my reading time these days. Where is the time going? After I complete Infinite Jest which could happen on vacation this summer, my next book to read is the latest Elon Musk biography. My Book Club assignment is a biography of President George H. W. Bush for April 19. And I absolutely want to squeeze in time for Rick Rubin’s The Creative Way. So many big readings plans. For now, all roads lead back to Infinite Jest which I will finish because I persist/smile. I might snark and laugh and snarl along the way but I will get it done. Vacation time seems like a logical terminus for mission accomplished.
I love your comments. You are one of my favorite readers. And as for not checking my Activity Bell for weeks and months? Well, I’m not just a former law professor. I am an absent-minded, former law professor as well/smile. Best,
I smile when I read your musings!
And nice comments like yours always bring a smile to my face!