The audio book club on david foster wallaces infinite jest. 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. David foster wallaces infinite jest is an audiobook, minus. You are nothing if not someone reading infinite jest. Infinite jest by david foster wallace the 329th greatest. Mar 27, 2012 listen to infinite jest audiobook by david foster wallace. It all started with a post called 1088 reasons you should read. It is an exuberant, uniquely american exploration of the passions that make us human and one of those rare books that renew the. Infinite jest chapter 1, year of glad, and chapter 2, year. Written by david foster wallace, audiobook narrated by sean pratt. So did i, for the first two or three pages, until i saw the author didnt give a damn. They are not boring bibliographic details, but rather an integral part of the text.
Why i cannot recommend the infinite jest audio book. And then the following three that are released 0420, the first being infinite jest. My copy of the book is sawn in three, abused, with smudges of food across its pages, from when i couldnt stop. After twenty years, david foster wallaces grand overture on humans and addiction, infinite jest, has only become more powerful. Some early listeners have been disappointed that the novels endnotes are currently available only in text form, to be read. Infinite jest audiobook by david foster wallace 9781609418120. On reading the first chapter of infinite jest sally allen. What its like to record the audiobook version of infinite.
I read pages 110 of infinite jest and talk about great first lines in novels. Cancel online anytime and keep all your audiobooks. 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. The ease of access to satisfaction in the digital age, from smart phone to. The first edition of the novel was published in february 1st 1996, and was written by david foster wallace. Infinite jest is both sad, depressed and funny and even 25 years after it was published in 1994 remains relevant to the modern age. If one of your reading resolutions is to finally finish infinite jest, david foster wallaces mammoth novel, im here to help. We felt that it was important to make infinite jest accessible in the audio format as soon as we were able, and are gratified to find that there is an audience that has been waiting for just this occasion. Part of what makes this publication hard are generous undefined phrases deliberately. 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. Equal parts philosophical quest and screwball comedy, infinite jest bends every. Mar 08, 2016 the first chapter of infinite jest is one of the best examples ive read in recent years. My posture is consciously congruent to the shape of my hard chair. I bought the audiobook but i also bought the kindle version to help with the notes because they are an integral part of the story.
Listen to infinite jest audiobook by david foster wallace, narrated by sean pratt. Listen to infinite jest by david foster wallace available from rakuten kobo. Free download or read online infinite jest pdf epub book. David foster wallaces infinite jest is nothing if not formidable. 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. Despite its intimidation factor, infinite jest can be. Ive read it twice, and the characters already have their own voices for me. Because of his schedule, pratt had to record it in sections, interspaced by the other books he was narrating. After trial, get 1 audiobook and 2 audible originals each month. Part i with a foreword by dave eggers to be better than the print version. I cant recommend the purchase of the what at first appears to be the amazing ive heard good things about the audio. Part i with a foreword by dave eggers audiobook by.
Why i cannot recommend the infinite jest audio book infinite jest i guess. Infinite jest by david foster wallace by ted gioia the new canon a failed entertainment. Wallace wrote to a friend that the fuckers cut by 600 pages from the first version. Infinite jest by david foster wallace audiobook 27. It is an exuberant, uniquely american exploration of the passions that make us human and one of those rare books. Without endnotes, the audiobook version of infinite jest ends up being around 56 hours.
No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher. On sunday, i named infinite jest as a book readers can benefit from dipping into, even if they never read it straight through to the end. Part i with a foreword by dave eggers that is 28 hrs mins, second one being infinite jest. Jan 17, 2016 if youve never read it, starting infinite jest can be a little intimidating.
Infinite jest audiobook david foster wallace audible. These are the endnotes to david foster wallaces infinite jest, a gargantuan, mindaltering comedy about the pursuit of happiness in america. 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. 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. Thousands of socially networked bibliophiles have pledged to tackle david foster wallaces infinite jest over three months this summer, endnotes and all, as part of the infinite summerchallenge. Why i cannot recommend the infinite jest audio book infinite jest. While i cant read the book not even the end notes for you, i. Equal parts philosophical quest and screwball comedy, infinite jest bends every rule of fiction without. Infinite jest by david foster wallace audiobook 27 youtube. If you do this, you also need to tear the footnotes from the back half and tape them to front half.
Jul 11, 2016 the final joke of infinite jest is that the book is intended to be almost as endless and mirthful as the addictions it depicts. The lack of physicality is a bummer, but i feel its vastly compensated by. I count infinite jest as one of the books that ive started to read, but never. 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. This study guide consists of approximately 44 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of infinite jest. Infinite jest is a gargantuan, mindaltering comedy about the pursuit of happiness in america. There are 28 unnumbered chapter breaks signified by a little circle, similar to 28 days in a lunar continue reading matt bucher. I am seated in an office, surrounded by heads and bodies. And the bouncing backandforth is a feature, not a bug. Pdf infinite jest book by david foster wallace free. 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 good news is that it is not a thousandpage paragraph or even a thousandpage story. It languishes on many a toread shelf alongside joyces ulysses and pynchons gravitys rainbow. Having only read the first extremely exhausting chapter, i cant tell you whether i would feel this way after two or more.
Since its publication, the world has moved past the events and years of the novels shaky mid2000s dystopian world. The book was published in multiple languages including english, consists of 1088 pages and is available in paperback format. Listen to infinite jest audiobook by david foster wallace. But the most addictive force in infinite jest is a seemingly innocuous videotape referred to simply as the entertainment. Set in an addicts halfway house and a tennis academy, and featuring the most endearingly screwedup family to come along in recent fiction, the novel explores essential questions about.
Infinite jest audiobook by david foster wallace, read by. Thats okaythis is 23 times the length of an average audiobook, and im not. Its been something like two years since i finished listening to infinite jest. The infinite jest community note includes chapterbychapter summary and analysis, character list, theme list, historical context, author biography and quizzes written by community members like you. To talk about infinite jest means you have to bring up the length of the novel, the immense use of end notes there are 388some spanning several pages, and atypical use of grammar and punctuation. This is a cold room in university administration, woodwalled, remingtonhung, doublewindowed against the november heat, insulated from administrative sounds by the reception. Its like wallace was trying to ward off any potential readers.
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. 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. Infinite jest iv, zero gravity tea ceremony, the medusa v. Some readers have found it useful to rip the book in half for easier reading on the subway or on the beach. Featured software all software latest this just in old school emulation msdos games historical software classic pc games software library. Need help with chapter 1 in david foster wallaces infinite jest. Infinite jest by david foster wallace the lengthy and complex work takes place in a semiparodic future version of north america. Aug 25, 2015 without endnotes, the audiobook version of infinite jest ends up being around 56 hours. Infinite jest chapter 1, year of glad, and chapter 2. Jun 29, 2009 thousands of socially networked bibliophiles have pledged to tackle david foster wallaces infinite jest over three months this summer, endnotes and all, as part of the infinite summerchallenge. Did you know that theyre releasing a new collection in november both flesh and not not sure about an audio release. Infinite jest audiobook by david foster wallace, read by sean pratt. The audiobook is in three parts, with part three just being the notes.
Infinite jest is a 1996 novel by american writer david foster wallace. Would you consider the audio edition of infinite jest. Apr 03, 2011 i read pages 110 of infinite jest and talk about great first lines in novels. What its like to record the audiobook version of infinite jest. Today, i turned the last page of infinite jest, around a week late for my deadline. Theyre only getting infinite jest preloaded on mp3 players, so it will be worth spending the credits to get that one downloadable. The subtitles are a massive part of this book and i listen to audio books when im. In short, if finnegans wake was a rancid fart that was proudly left to rip, infinite jest is a weak one, lacking sound and odor. Because of his schedule, pratt had to record it in sections.
I love infinite jest, but im not sure if i want to listen to it. Feb 26, 2016 12 if you think infinite jest at 1,100odd pages is a long book, be advised that it started longer. Equal parts philosophical quest and screwball comedy, infinite jest bends every rule of fiction without sacrificing for a moment its own entertainment value. This performance by sean pratt is really humorous, sad and entertaining. Audible decided to split this titanic volume into two audiobooks. If youve never read it, starting infinite jest can be a little intimidating. Listen to infinite jest by david foster wallace at. 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. David foster wallace, sean pratt, hachette audio uk. The lack of physicality is a bummer, but i feel its vastly compensated by having access to everything id like to read in seconds. It has been categorized as an encyclopedic novel and made time magazines list of the 100 best englishlanguage novels published between 1923 and 2005. Audiobook hd audio david foster wallace infinite jest 17.
The novel touches on the topics of tennis, substance addiction and recovery programs, depression, child abuse, family relationships, advertising and popular entertainment, film theory, and quebec separatism. Infinite jest in the age of addiction the millions. Start a free 30day trial today and get your first audiobook. The main characters of this fiction, classics story are hal incadenza, joelle van dyne. To miss the desperate worshipping hidden beneath the strange, erudite, bellydeep joy of infinite jest is to fall prey to its pleasure. Heres how i finally read infinite jest and how you can, too. My personal information the new yorker may earn a portion of sales from products that are purchased through our site as part of our. Check out our revolutionary sidebyside summary and analysis.
Incandenza filmography interpretations and other infinite jest inspired works online. Thats in part because wallace, its fair to say, if one thinks about the life and the work as two expressions of the same impulse as biographers tend to do. Part ii thats 28 hrs and 54 mins, and then finally the third being infinite jest, part iii. Infinite summer blog archive how to read infinite jest. So, you need only buy parts one and two and then consult the kindle version as you go. But, in a move that might give some fans a case of the howling fantods, hachette decided. Infinite jest 20th anniversary edition special edition. Absolutely, for the novice to this type of literary fiction, i cannot tell you how many times i have started and given up on the actual book. Stream and download audiobooks to your computer, tablet or mobile phone.
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