Why i cannot recommend the infinite jest audio book was the title of a post. I felt compelled throughout to read it aloud, such was the almost poetic quality of it. Infinite jest is a gargantuan, mindaltering comedy about the pursuit of happiness in america. In 2006, little brown published a 10th anniversary edition of david foster wallaces infinite jest that featured a foreword by dave eggers. Plus, youll get an additional audiobook per month after trial. Wallace offers huge entertainmentonly gaddis and pynchon have this range. Part i with a foreword by dave eggers audiobook by david foster wallace. On reading the first chapter of infinite jest sally allen. Infinite jest is a cult book that became a phenomenon right from its publication day in 1996. Infinite jest by david foster wallace audiobook 27 duration. Cdroms were becoming a popular way to distribute software and preinternet computerized encyclopedias and atlases when infinite jest was written, and even then it was predicted that dvdroms or some other videodata disk would eventually supplant them.
Some early listeners have been disappointed that the novels endnotes are currently available only in text form, to be read. I remembered seeing this author in interviews and wanting to dive in this book. Lets jump back in time a little and discuss the first carlislessmg publication. In a sprawling, wild, superhyped magnum opus, david foster wallace fulfills the promise of his precocious novel the broom of the system. Infinite jest audiobook by david foster wallace, read by sean pratt. Tell us a little about how elegant complexity came to be greg carlisle. David foster wallace was a brilliant author, and infinite jest is my favorite audiobook. Audiobook hd audio david foster wallace infinite jest 17. Once i had warmed to it, the encyclopedic style was an enjoyable a part of the book, wallace wants the reader to work a bit in order to encourage engagement reading him in interviews with his not quite manifesto as an antiironist, you. 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. Paused youre listening to a sample of the audible audio edition.
Equal parts philosophical quest and screwball comedy, infinite jest bends every rule of fiction. 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. It has inspired a generation of imitatorsas well as sourgrapes detractors, including wallaces formerly close friend jonathan franzen fans of infinite jest mostly love it for its wildly. What its like to record the audiobook version of infinite. Infinite jest is a 1996 novel by american writer david foster wallace.
The government needed money to cover its ludicrous new spending projects and drew inspiration from the corporate sponsorship of the bowl championship series. Unquestionably, infinite jest required great ambition and focus to write, and requires a bit of ambition and focus to read as well. Given the importance of the notes to the novels structure and plot, it was not a decision that the publishers took lightly. It was like i was having a transformative experience while reading it.
Im sure many people reading this felt similar to the the way i did while reading infinite jest. When i was asking my friends on what i should read next, they suggested infinite jest by david foster wallace. But if you are seeking something other, then this book will not disappoint. 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. Why i cannot recommend the infinite jest audio book. Thinking about giving it a shot but dont want to waste the money if its just as hard to follow as read. Infinite jest audiobook by david foster wallace 9781609418120. Equal parts philosophical quest and screwball comedy, infinite jest bends every rule of fiction, features a huge cast and multilevel narrative, and questions essential elements of american culture our entertainments, our addictions, our relationships, our. Part i with a foreword by dave eggers, david foster wallace. 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. Heres how i finally read infinite jest and how you can, too. While i cant read the book not even the end notes for you, i. Infinite jest is notoriously known for being a long book its just shy of 1100 pages. I cant recommend the purchase of the what at first appears to be the amazing ive heard good things about the audio.
Wallace wrote to a friend that the fuckers cut by 600 pages from the first version. Infinite jest by david foster wallace audiobook 17 youtube. Whats the deal with the names of years in infinite jest. 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. The final joke of infinite jest is that the book is intended to be almost as endless and mirthful as the addictions it depicts. But wallace never finished the book indeed, couldnt figure out how to weight its different ambitions. 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. David foster wallace, sean pratt, hachette audio uk.
If one of your reading resolutions is to finally finish infinite jest, david foster wallaces mammoth novel, im here to help. It appears regularly near the top of best novels of all time lists such as time magazines. Eggerss introduction observed that infinite jest was 1,067 pages long and there is not one lazy sentence. To miss the desperate worshipping hidden beneath the strange, erudite, bellydeep joy of infinite jest is to fall prey to its pleasure. Buy infinite jest 01 by foster wallace, david isbn.
Navigating its maze of relationships and 400 footnotes could drive even the most seasoned literary disentanglers up the reading room wall. Equal part philosophical quest, romantic adventure, and screwball comedy, infinite jest bends every rule of fiction without sacrificing for a moment its own entertainment value. Stephen kings the stand uncut edition and george r. In infinite jest, david foster wallace wrote that within the reality of the book, videophones enjoyed enormous initial popularity but then after a few months, most people gave it up. When the book was first published in 1996, the audio version wasnt available and to be honest, i was having too much fun in the 90s to be reading. Its explained in the book via a film made by mario.
Infinite jest by david foster wallace part 12 unabridged version. David foster wallaces 1996 novel infinite jest is, for my money, the greatest novel ever written. Infinite jest by david foster wallace audiobook 17. When you buy the audio edition of ij, you get the novel sans footnotes. Infinite jest in the age of addiction the millions.
But, in a move that might give some fans a case of the howling fantods, hachette decided not to record audio of the book s 388 endnotes. Download and keep this book for free with a 30 day trial. David foster wallaces magnum opus is definitely one of the most polarizing popular novels in recent memory. The audio book club on david foster wallaces infinite jest. Stream and download audiobooks to your computer, tablet or mobile phone.
Diving into the riches of infinite jest is an exhilarating, breathtaking experience. Joi also created dmz as part of an attempt to undo the effects of hals eating. Natures nightmare interview part 1 critical analysis. Infinite jest goes on to the screen books the guardian. A book that has shaped popular culture despite or because of its length which demands a bit of. The one thing id like to tell new readers of infinite jest is that the end of the book is not the end of the story the first few chapters are the end.
Written by david foster wallace, narrated by sean pratt. 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. What its like to record the audiobook version of infinite jest. The recently announced iphone 4 includes a feature called facetime.
It is an exuberant, uniquely american exploration of the passions that make us human and one of those rare books that renews the very idea of what a novel can do. It all started with a post called 1088 reasons you should read. Infinite jest works well in audiobook form and this is in no small part helped by sean pratts fantastic reading complete with impressive changes in accent, tone and characterisation. The book teems with so much life and death, so much hilarity and pain, so much gusto in the face of despair that one cheers for the future of our literature. Read the whole thing, then go right back to the start and keep reading.
It has been categorized as an encyclopedic novel and made time magazines list of the 100 best englishlanguage novels published between 1923 and 2005. Tom bissell and the editor michael pietsch discuss infinite jest. Steven asin infinite jest is the perfect book for the kindle paperwhite. The book is drumtight and relentlessly smart and, though it does not wear its heart on its sleeve, its deeply felt and incredibly moving. Listen to infinite jest by david foster wallace at. Later, the audiobook publishing company hired the narrator back to just read the footnotes, which you need to buy as a separate title. For the most part i can only locate book mostly about romance with black female and most are erotic,which i am not looking for.
Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. Part i with a foreword by dave eggers audible audiobook. Equal parts philosophical quest and screwball comedy, infinite jest bends every rule of fiction without sacrificing for a moment its own entertainment value. Imma throw a few readings of infinite jest at you and see what you think. David foster wallaces infinite jest is an audiobook.
Incandenza is the star of wallaces seminal novel infinite jest the 1,000page book centres on the missing master copy of his film of the same name, so. This is long listen but the chapters are well paced, and as mentioned, sean pratt reads with a deep sensitivity and knowledge of the text and the author humour is particularly effectively conveyed. 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. Beyond the ease with which one can lookup footnotes, consider the following. While the pale king features a few sections of dfws brilliance, it is unfinished and would have looked extremely different had he lived to finish it.
Part of what makes this publication hard are generous undefined phrases deliberately. Martins storm of swords are longer this, but i was able to clear those books much quicker than david foster wallaces second novel. The ease of access to satisfaction in the digital age, from smart phone to. The way the footnotes were handled in infinite jest was that they werent. 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. David foster wallaces infinite jest, a favorite book of many, is the kind of genrebender that will thwart your mind with its convoluted narrative, plethora of allusions and cultural references, and multilateral connections between the characters. Is there no ending to infinite book because there couldnt be. In the real world, best known in the name of the nonmusic version of compact discs cdrom.
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