should I start with Infinite Jest or one of his essay collections? or his first novel?
watch and listen to interviews
then read a supposedly fun thing i'll never do again (the book)
then read infinite jest if you want
>>7678400
Sounds good, but should I read Although Of Course You End Up Becoming Yourself as part of the interviews or save that for when and if I decide I'm that invested in the guy?
Dive into Infinite Jest. It's the only way to find out if you like David or not.
>>7678388
I'd say its enough to read Oblivion, it is a great introduction into his style and main topics and issues he addresses in IJ
>>7678388
Just read IJ. It's not that hard, just long, and it'll satisfy your curiosity instead of dancing around it. You'll be happier to just do it.
>>7678762
This. I would also suggest watching his interviews while in the process of reading IJ.
>>7678762
Again, this. it doesn't really matter what order you read shit in, even if you worked your way into it perfectly in order something would still go wrong and ruin your "experience"
Read whichever book you can get your hands on first
Hi, I just started to read IJ and I have a few questions. I'm about 7% through according to my Kindle.
I don't read that often, about 2 chapters per week and I have to say that I find it difficult to maintain a coherent storyline in my mind. So far I kind of know what;s going on around the ETA, but I don't understand the chronology at all. I don't know where to locate each chapter in relation with the others. I know each chapter starts with the year, but what is the order of the years? Additionally, there have been some chapters that have no relation with anything so far. The chapter about the black girl, the chapter about the guy waiting for the weed dealer, the guy sitting in his special recliner, etc.
I know I could read more about each character and a table of the years online, but I'd rather try to build the book in my mind by myself (if that makes sense). Does the book get more linear later?
I'm enjoying the style a lot so far, it's really funny and I like the overly thought-out and introspective descriptions along with a lot of compound words I'd never seen before.
>>7679867
The order of the years is listed in one segment. Most of the book takes place during YDAU, which is the second to last year of subsidized time. The first chapter in Year of Glad takes place after the rest of the book.
>>7678388
His essays are great. His fiction maybe not so much
>>7678400
>A supposedly fun thing I'll never do again
>(the book)
with the other essays? about television and calculus and tornadoes?
>>7678409
yeah sure
>>7680610
What about the movie?
if i just finished listening to IJ
>read (on) audio
what should I get next that is pithy, humorous, and lengthy. Bonus points for sad and/or enlightening
>>7681200
What the fuck
How do endnotes work on audiobook?
>>7680962
The movie is fantastic and I highly recommend it
>>7678388
just read some retrospective i agreed with that divides DFW into 3 camps: the novelist, the essayist, and the reluctant journalist. I personally prefer his nonfiction.
>>7681210
On end notes I paused the narration and read the note
Anyone think
Underworld
might be worth a listen?
Gravity's rainbow?
D F W
F
W
>>7678388
DFW like Delillo?
>>7681245
Do I think two fabulously celebrated novels are worth a listen? I don't know man, I really doubt any new shit is going to come to light, regarding the worth of reading those, in this thread.
>>7678388
his essays and essay collections and IJ are brilliant. DESU i wouldnt touch his short stories and broom or pale for that matter until you read those
>>7678388
im roughly a third of the way through pale king
did i fuck up
>>7681226
I actually like all of his stuff. And isn't it more like Novelist, reluctant essayist/journalist, and short story writer?
My preferences w/r/t his work are Novels=Nonfiction>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Short Stories.
It just seems like he put all of his most grating and tedious ideas into his short stories. Oblivion and The Suffering Channel were the worst.
>>7681245
The Gravity's Rainbow audiobook is great. Though you should actually read it first and listen to it afterwards, you catch a lot of things you missed the first time.
>>7683249
There's no "right" or wrong order with most authors, including DFW so no. It's unfinished though, so it might leave you unsatisfied.
>>7678388
Rob? I'm told Infinite Jest is worthwhile. An alternative suggestion was Oblivion.
>suggested by author
I fancy the thought of authors who can write collective stories
>>7678776
This is exactly what I've been doing and it works. Gets you immersed in his way of thinking I guess you could say
