gf bought it after seeing that John Green movie. Its an intimidatingly huge book good luck to you sir
gf bought it after seeing that John Green movie. Its an intimidatingly huge book good luck to you sir
John Green movie?
All I know is that Mr. Wallace could have made that book a little shorter. It doesn't take 1000+ pages to tell a good story. But I guess if you are David Foster Wallace and everybody already knows you are awesome and they will buy your **** regardless, you can get away with that kind of stuff.
I enjoy Wallace quite a bit.
But I ain't got time for dat.
On what page did you start to feel that way? Even 300 pages in I still feel like it's very well edited.
I hold the belief that a writer has a duty to write stories that are not overly burdensome for the reader, both in length and complexity. Not all of us have the free time to read novels of that length. But I know that Wallace was such an amazing writer and a few friends whose opinions I respect have wonderful opinions of Infinite Jest. So I think that I'll take another stab at some point.I respectfully disagree. People tends to forget that literature is a form of art. The artist have (or should have) no commitment with the reader, but with the story he/she wants to tell.
I hold the belief that a writer has a duty to write stories that are not overly burdensome for the reader, both in length and complexity. Not all of us have the free time to read novels of that length. But I know that Wallace was such an amazing writer and a few friends whose opinions I respect have wonderful opinions of Infinite Jest. So I think that I'll take another stab at some point.I respectfully disagree. People tends to forget that literature is a form of art. The artist have (or should have) no commitment with the reader, but with the story he/she wants to tell.
Of course we live in a world that thinks that a book that don't sell is a worthless book. Still, that's why some publishing houses have the strategy of selling best sellers to subsidize those more artistic books. I can't say about publishing in the US, but that's how it works here in Brazil. I myself am a soon-to-be-published writer, I had to learn all that stuff.
Of course you are free to dislike a book - for example: I hate Ulysses, by James Joice. I didn't read Infinite Jest yet, but from the critics I read, it could be smaller and could have way less footnotes. Still, it's funny to see literary critics praising a book that, objectively speaking, is science fiction (considered a "genre literature", in the US and in Brazil). :cool:
I enjoy Wallace quite a bit.
But I ain't got time for dat.
Yea, that's exactly how I feel. His short stories and nonfiction essays are amazing, though. If you don't feel like reading Infinite Jest, at least do yourself a favor and read the shorter stuff.On what page did you start to feel that way? Even 300 pages in I still feel like it's very well edited.
Within the first dozen pages. Then I had to return the book to the library.
I hold the belief that a writer has a duty to write stories that are not overly burdensome for the reader, both in length and complexity. Not all of us have the free time to read novels of that length. But I know that Wallace was such an amazing writer and a few friends whose opinions I respect have wonderful opinions of Infinite Jest. So I think that I'll take another stab at some point.
Send me your copy when you are done. I'll pay a rental fee.
Just kidding.
But kinda not really.
It is one of my favorite books, and I'd be okay with it being twice as long. I've gone through all of DFW's writings and honestly get a little bit sad knowing I'll never get to read anything new from him. I know I'm not the first person to have the sentiment that he is the type of writer that you read to simply glimpse into someone else's mind, not so much for a story/plot.
edit:
Also, I really enjoy hearing him read his own works. There are quite of few of his writings that he narrates the audiobook.
I read it once a year, have for the past 5 or 6 years. It definitely takes more than one read to appreciate, even enjoy in some cases.
David Foster Wallace's essays are really, really top notch too. Highly recommend checking out a few of those, especially to those that haven't ever read anything by him before.
Oh, and his This is Water speech is incredible.
Fine, you've convinced me, I'll give it another shot.
Fine, you've convinced me, I'll give it another shot.
Oh well I'm glad that once lsb says it's good then you say you wanna read it. That's OK. Totally cool. Not hurt. cool.
cool
I understand the sentiment but I think Infinite Jest is the exception. Even at 1,000 pages there isn't a single sentence that isn't carefully crafted.The individual sentences are very carefully crafted. The whole book is a rambling mess, like what you’d get if you took a Simpsons episode plot and tried to extend it to a trilogy of three-hour films. But that’s kind of its whole point – what plot it has is a collection of intertwined shaggy dog stories (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shaggy_dog_story) – so YMMV. Sometimes you might need some extra rambling mess in your life.
If I remember correctly when I flipped through the book, I noticed what seemed like dozen of pages without a paragraph break. What I wonder is how that sort of writing affects the reader experience.
I understand the sentiment but I think Infinite Jest is the exception. Even at 1,000 pages there isn't a single sentence that isn't carefully crafted.The individual sentences are very carefully crafted. The whole book is a rambling mess, like what you’d get if you took a Simpsons episode plot and tried to extend it to a trilogy of three-hour films. But that’s kind of its whole point – what plot it has is a collection of intertwined shaggy dog stories (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shaggy_dog_story) – so YMMV. Sometimes you might need some extra rambling mess in your life.
Personally I found some particular passages hilarious, and several hundred of the pages fairly boring. Some sections managed both at the same time.
I like DFW’s other work better, especially his nonfiction essays.
Fine, you've convinced me, I'll give it another shot.
Fine, you've convinced me, I'll give it another shot.
It's definitely a tough read. And you are a jackass if you read it once and think its the greatest thing ever :p Its just not possible to digest in one read, imo.(It's also hilarious to see people reading it in public, where then is a quasi rant in the intro about how it is not a book to read out haha). Reading is much like music for me though, I rarely like anything the first time around, and when I do its usually just a fleeting romance. When I have to work to like something, those are the pieces that really stick with me forever.
Consider the Lobster, a collection of his essays, is a fantastic place to start with him though, and can easily make its full impact in one read through.