Nutso, deep, deep dive. Summarizes each section and then summarizes the summary! The perfect companion for spelunking into a rereading of Infinite JesNutso, deep, deep dive. Summarizes each section and then summarizes the summary! The perfect companion for spelunking into a rereading of Infinite Jest. Carlisle unravels the riddle of the structure and makes so many amazing connections that I felt compelled to return dive into IJ, and then, in a delicious immersive cycle, back into Elegant Complexity to lose myself once again. Carlisle's book is required reading (and rewardingly so) for any study of Infinite Jest. ...more
Although this book suggests from its beginning that it intends to be a hand-holder for those readers who are on the verge of giving up Infinite Jest bAlthough this book suggests from its beginning that it intends to be a hand-holder for those readers who are on the verge of giving up Infinite Jest because of its complexity and difficulty, I'd recommend slapping this hand away and toughing out your first time through IJ on your own. For one, the reading of a difficult book is its own reward. For two, way too many spoilers, way too early in the structure of this reader's companion. It's like they just can't help giving it all away at the earliest possible moment. For three, this type of comprehensive summary, makes infinitely more sense after you have already read IJ. It's a great companion and sparring partner for your second reading....more
Much of the pleasure reading Infinite Jest is putting the puzzle of its structure and timeline together so my strong recommendation is to not read thiMuch of the pleasure reading Infinite Jest is putting the puzzle of its structure and timeline together so my strong recommendation is to not read this until you've read through IJ once because that's a focus of this reader's guide: describing the structure and the chronology. The other big chunk of the analysis is teasing out some of the themes and allusions, so if you like to do that yourself the first time through, come to this book second. Burn provides a lot of context around the novel with chapters on Wallace's poetics, reviews of books DFW published after IF, and a discussion of some writers who've been influenced by DFW. Good guide to have for re-reading and digging deeper into studying IF....more
Equally brilliant and annoying. Not really a book you read, it's one you have to study. And, now, going on 25 years since it was published, an industrEqually brilliant and annoying. Not really a book you read, it's one you have to study. And, now, going on 25 years since it was published, an industry of commentary has flourished, including The Journal of David Foster Wallace Studies. Future students of 20th Century American Literature will no doubt have to read this. I did read this when it was published in 1996, after having previously read the chunks of it that were first published in literary journals, but confess to not having read it closely then. This time I read slowly, word for word, with pencil in hand to mark things, as if I were back in grad school, and continuously back tracked and reread sections. It's akin to assembling a jigsaw puzzle when you don't know what the picture looks like. Once you get through it the first time and you know what all the pieces look like, you can start putting some of it together. Then it's time to start rereading. Aside from that structural challenge, it is encyclopedic, philosophic, and a full-on cultural critique. DFW's mastery of free-indirect discourse is on par with James Joyce and Virginia Woolf, and he uses that narrative technique to capture the unique voices and experiences of multiple characters. It is grueling reading at times, but also full of slapstick scenes, and some of the speeches and conversations sound like stand-up routines. Most surprising to me on this reading was how often his descriptions would shift from clinically precise and concrete to stunningly beautiful lyricism. ...more
As with nearly all the books in this Conversations with . . . series you have to wade through a lot of repetition because basically you get two or thAs with nearly all the books in this Conversations with . . . series you have to wade through a lot of repetition because basically you get two or three interviews from each book tour and the same intro info and basic questions are covered and in this case DFW was giving his stock answers pretty much in every interview. The McCaffery interview is pretty much worth the price of the book though because it has an extended version that includes about 2000 words not in the originally published interview. McCaffery was well-prepared and had the intellectual heft to hang with DFW and that allowed for a more nuanced give and take - a true interview....more
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