why do we like it so much?
99% of authors give you a book that when you reach the last page, that's it, it's over, and you put it back on the shelf. Wallace, though, gave us an infinite jest, that goes round and round, never ending, never reaching a conclusion. So I'd say it's his generosity.
Because of that oracular foresight he stole from DeLillo.
>>7894652
LMand but s O
Because it's so all-encompassing. Infinite Jest, much like the other two members of the Meme Trilogy, discusses a huge range of subjects and exhibits an enormous vocabulary. We feel like Real Smart People for reading it, and can't wait to write to mom and pop about this cool big book.
>>7894652
What books need to be read before Infinite Jest? Should I read stuff by Pynchon first?
>>7894691
hamlet and that's pretty much it.
>>7894699
Why Hamlet?
>>7894706
because Hamlet is referenced throughout. you don't have to read it to understand the novel, though.
>>7894691
None books. DFW is gross fraud.
If you read Pynchon you are already lightyears beyond anything Wallace was doing.
>>7894730
we're all frauds
>>7894806
deep
>>7894730
There's emotion prevalent throughout IJ that you just don't get in Pynchon works. Pynchon is nice and all but a lot of his work is him just showing off how clever he is.
Because it's smarter than us, but doesn't make us feel inferior. The ones that hate it are the ones jealous who realize it's better than anything they could write. It's genuinely clever and insightful into humanity. Is it perfect? No. But it's lightyears beyond most literature.
>>7894839
the people that hate it haven't read it
>>7894825
I think Pynchon is a much better novelist than Wallace, but this is a fair point. While I wouldn't say Pynchon's work is devoid of emotional connection with the reader, it certainly isn't as... Touching, as DFW is.
We don't. Y'all like it because you're plebs.
>>7894725
Such a newfag, lurk more before posting. The title is a reference to a line in Hamlet.
>>7894865
nice ad hom bucko
Unlike most of the retards here, I've actually read it instead of just claiming I have. And it sucked. It would have been good if it cut out 700+ pages of 'encyclopedic' novel bullshit and the pointless endnotes, maybe.
>>7894847
>not being able to relate to bananarama
What are you, some sort of faggot?
>>7894691
you best have a solid foundation in ancient and modern literature before you start reading postmodern shit
>>7894672
>>7894847
DFw's "emotional" content is facile at best, hallmarky at worst. He certainly can build up a good deal of pathos for his characters, but it is too messy and cheap. He invites you to revel in the patheticness of his characters, proposing that it too is your patheticness, and all of mankind's patheticness as well, and then offers an absolution of sorts, something which is roughly mirrored in his philosophy.
It's
Just
Plain
Fun
:-]
>>7895017
>It's
>Just
I
J
IJ
Infinite Jest
>>7894672
You forgot it's almost as hilarious as gravity's meme. Not many things make me laugh but the beginning after that eloquent inner monologue and then he speaks up and they tackle him for going full autist.
>>7894649
Honestly, it's not even good compared to a lot of his other work. The Broom of The System and Brief Interviews With Hideous Men were better in every way.
>>7895039
everyone's gonna respond to this bait
>>7894869
More than just the title, retard.
>>7895032
>after that eloquent inner monologue and then he speaks up and they tackle him for going full autist.
Wait, to me it seemed like he was having a seizure or something, and it only seemed to him like he was talking, while he actually was flailing his arms and making noises.
>>7894672
I've never told anyone in person who hasn't asked that I've read Infinite Jest.
>>7894872
>responding to b8
>>7894672
Finnegans Wake is better than Ulysses. GR is admittedly Pinecone's best, but Brief Interviews with Hideous Men is DFW's strongest work as a whole. If I were to propose a revised meme trilogy it'd be Finnegans Wake, Gravity's Rainbow, and Brief Interviews with Hideous Men.
>>7894936
>DFw's "emotional" content is facile at best, hallmarky at worst. He certainly can build up a good deal of pathos for his characters, but it is too messy and cheap. He invites you to revel in the patheticness of his characters, proposing that it too is your patheticness, and all of mankind's patheticness as well, and then offers an absolution of sorts, something which is roughly mirrored in his philosophy.
if your talking emotion, when compared to pynchon hes william wordsworth
Because you're all pompous faggots
>>7895023
JUST
>>7894649
The masses, Reddit etc, like this book so much because it is Pynchon made accessible via transfiguring the pop culture obsessed plebeian's struggle with life. Everyone can identify with a mediocre man feeling empty and failing to rise above his cultural milieu.
>>7894825
>he didn't get his heart ripped out by Roger and Jessica in GR and the ending of Mason and Dixon
Maybe you're just not a proficient enough reader to catch when Pynchon should be pulling on your heartstrings.
did hal watch IJ and what did he say to the people at the beginning?
>>7895166
You just did.
>>7896689
>did hal watch IJno, he ate the mold.
>what did he say in year of glad (I take it you're referring to year of glad)nothing comprehensible
>>7896699
>in person
>>7896667
This. There's a lot of emotion in Pinecone's work. It's just not as banal and gooey as what DFW does because Pinecone realized how vapid the American impulse to retreat into sentimentalism was.
>>7896716
>no he ate the mold
Is this the definitive theory? There's also speculation thatJ.I.'s wraith put DMZ on Hal's toothbrush
>>7896667
I understand when he is trying to do this. it is my opinion that DFW does it better. It is also my opinion that pynchon is a better novelist
I had to bring it back to the library before I could finish it
When I start reading it again I am not sure if I should sludge through 500 pages again to refresh my memory or just keep going from there. Are there any key characters I should know for sure?
>>7897391
I think what happened was thatJ.I.'s wraith found a way to get Hal to ingest DMZ, and this catalyzed some reaction with the dormant mold. Keep in mind that DMZ is synthesized from a mold
>>7897391What was in the vial that Pemulus or whoever had? wasn't it that which brought out Hal's mold symptoms?
>>7894699
>not The Brothers Karamazov
>>7894649
why the fuck do y'all?
no, really. i haven't read it. pray tell me.
