I've been posting on /lit/ for about 2 years now, but I have yet to read anything by DFW. Should I jump straight into Infinite Jest or is there a better starting point? I watched the German Interview and the 2003 Charlie Rose interview; I identified with him immensely.
maybe read some non-fiction before but you don't really have to. Just jumping into Infinite Jest is fine
Read good old neon and save yourself 1000 pages
>>7463849
Thank you for a serious response. Something like A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again?
>>7463863
Thank you for the warning. I am going to read it eventually though, I never consider a book a wasted experience. Identifying bad literature is almost as important as enjoying good literature.
>>7463866
He said non-fiction. He's telling you to read Good Old Neon
>>7463873
You're quite adamant aren't you? Okay, I will pick up Oblivion.
>>7463826
DFW's other works don't really work as primers for infinite jest, it is better to just start reading infinite jest
Just read Girl with Curious Hair, only good thing he ever wrote
>>7463891
This anon is rusing hard. But he's being tricky about by only giving the second worst thing he ever wrote instead of the worst.
Read DFW chronologically
Just fucking Infinite Jest you faggot you don't need to 'prepare' for fuck sake
>>7463826
Start with the greeks
>>7463920
Faggot is a pejorative for homosexuals. You are free to use such words, but may I request that you no longer use it? It is extremely triggering to me.
Feel free to turn this into a DFW thread. Many people simply assert without giving reasons. I know that 'preperation' is largely a meme, but some authors require it. My first Henry James book was The Golden Bowl (read it when I was 14) and it nearly turned me off him entirely.
>>7463920
This. Just start reading it and try to absorb what you can and enjoy the ridiculous writing style.
>>7463935
Don't worry babe. I am currently doing just that. Currently reading Aristotle's Metaphysics and it is like a glass of water, for lack of a better simile. I am no philosopher, so cannot adequatly describe it beyond an aesthetic response.
>>7463902
Not even rusing, Little Expressionless Animals>>>>>>>>>>>everything else he did
I used to identify with his mindset, concerns, and way of thinking.
I'm better now.
>>7463939
Fuck off, faggot
>>7463826
IJ as long and, while not overly difficult, has some features that take some getting used to. I recommend a short-story collection (like Oblivion) or essay collection (like A Supposedly Fun Thing) to get used to his style.
>>7463954
Good for you anon! I hope you do not kill youself. We live in an unhappy world and I am glad that you are improving.
>>7463967
I offer a gif as a peace settlement.
>>7463982
Seriously, that's all it is. If you are curious about what it's like to be a depressed guy who thinks too much, read DFW, otherwise skip it.
DFW ruined my life. I am hanging myself as I type this.
this thread is fucking awful.
>>7464014
My post was entirely sincere.
I will inevitably read DFW as I doubt that is all that is to be found in his work. Thank you for the warning though.
>>7464014
Is there really such a thing as thinking too much?
>>7464020
How so?
>>7464026
quality over quantity
>>7464026
I suppose it depends on the kind of person you are. Thinking about life makes some suicidal, whereas others are born observers.
>>7463994
Trap/10
This shit doesn't work because /lit/ is not /b/
>>7464035
Quality is a result of quantity.
>>7464043
Definitely a dude. Not very convincing.
>>7464043
I'm not trying to hide the fact that I am a man. I just like dressing as a woman.
>>7464047
It never is very convincing, I've seen probably one half decent trap. Otherwise they have horrible manface. Once again, this isn't /b/ so the trap baiting doesn't work
>>7464060
Being convincing isn't the point, it is hottest when a man looks feminine but you can still tell he is a man.
>>7464038
Why is suicide bad? If someone comes to the conclusion as a result of his own thinking, doesn't this mean the person has a personality that will, eventually, lead to suicide or a morbid existence?
Wallace's short fictions blows, his long fiction is very long, and his nonfiction is mostly good. Avoid the posthumous stuff except for The Pale King--it's okay.
Infinite Jest requires no real primer, and there isn't much of one in his writing unless you count Brief Interviews with Hideous Men, which blows.
>>7464070
I don't think that suicide is bad. I may commit suicide one day. I want to travel, read and live before I do so though. Suicide is a human right imho.
>>7464069
No its hottest when it looks like a woman that happens to have a dick. Like most futa doujins.
Aside from that. I've seen plenty of convincing ones. Yo u guys haven't seen much tranny porn.
>>7464100
>No
Penile stimulation is entirely subjective. I dislike chicks with dicks. Femboys are what I like. Flatchested slender femboys.
>>7464096
> I want to travel, read and live before I do so though
What's stopping you?
>>7464119
Nothing, that is what I am doing.
>>7463826
Just jump into Infinite Jest. Nothing else will really prepare you for it.
>>7464096
what do you mean that suicide is a human right?
>>7464056
alright, poor tony
>>7464571
this, plus his nonfiction and other stuff is very different from the feel of IJ so reading that won't give you a good idea of whether you'll like his novels or not
>>7464596
Your life is your own and you should be allowed to end it if you want. I find it worrying that you don't agree.
>>7463826
>>7468069
All I did was ask you what you meant. What you said is pretty fucking obvious so I was wondering if you had anything more to it. Maybe next time you can tell us that slavery is bad.
Read his works in this order:
A Supposedly fun thing
Infinite Jest
Brief Interviews
Oblivion
The Pale King
>>7468267
He was asking me why I thought suicide was bad. I was only affirming my opinion, I wasn't attempting to be profound. It helps to follow the chain of conversation so you don't seem like a fool.
>>7468312
I don't like talking about being bisexual. It is boring.
/lgbt/ is a snoozefest.
