Kris’s Comments (group member since Aug 06, 2012)

Kris’s comments from the Infinite Jest – David Foster Wallace group.

How could I resist being a co-moderator with the two of you? :) Not to mention how great the group members are. :)

In this thread, group members can post links to their reviews of Infinite Jest.

I think that's very perceptive, Megha -- multiple narrators, multiple perpectives.

Jane wrote: "I'll be able to start in mid-January, probably will go with the 2 mos schedule and aim to finish with the 3-monthers. Must confess I am intimidated by the prospect."

I'm glad you're joining us, Jane and Jacob!

I'm closing in on the end now, and I can confirm my experience was similar to that of other IJ veterans -- once you get past the 300-450 page mark, the many threads of the novel start to come together, and as you get further in, it's easier to read and harder to put down. Just be prepared for a lot of characters and story lines in the beginning that don't seem to clearly relate to each other. We have online resources posted in the group that can help with keeping characters and acronyms and other details straight.

Yay Mary. :)

A group read with you is a great way to end 2012 and start 2013 .

Cynthia wrote: "I finally started today. I don't know how long this is going to take me since I'm also reading The Brothers Karamazov and plan to start some other really long classics in January.

But because my ..."

I'm so glad you're here with us, Cynthia! It will be fun, and we have lots of IJ veterans as well as first time readers -- a good mix.

Traveller wrote: "Jason wrote: "http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/1..."
Oops! Am i a lazy group navigator or what? I suppose i've been lax here bc this read was officially only supposed to start in Jan..."

Not at all, Trav -- a bunch of us started a month early bc of the upcoming Proust 2013 read. I've been swamped at work, but I am hopeful that after tomorrow I'll be through the worst of that, and can post more.

Mike wrote: "Jason wrote: "Mike wrote: "I'm using the new Kindle Fire HD 8.9--it shows the page (from the 1079 page edition, as well as the %). It makes it very easy when going back and forth from the Kindle to..."
Just sayin' (good god, I hate that phrase)--not to mention that xray feature, which I'm just learning about.


You can save the world while you are reading great literature!

Nathan "N.R." wrote: "Kris wrote: "http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/bo..."

Thanks, Kris. Which piece is included in Both Flesh and Not: Essays. A..."

Thanks, Nathan!

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/bo...

Thanks Garima! The last two weeks have been crazy -- I'm not sure which end is up anymore. :)

Kai wrote: "Jason wrote: "Kris, which edition are you basing these page numbers on? Is it the one that goes to page 1079? I just want to know because I'm reading on Kindle, and it will help me figure out which...

My version is the 1079 pages, but it looks like the threads only go to the main novel to 981, not including the notes and errata. "

That's right -- I was too lazy to add relevant page ranges for notes and errata. I'm assuming people will discuss notes in the sections for the relevant pages. If there's a better way to do it, please let me know!

Jason wrote: "I'm guessing it's 1079 which is the most popular edition (in both hardcover and paperback). So it shouldn't be too hard to find the right thread; I just wanted to confirm."

No worries -- I've been thinking I needed to confirm, especially since there aren't conventional chapters. I've been sick with sinus/migraine the last few days, but -- knock wood -- am feeling better today.

Jason wrote: "Kris, which edition are you basing these page numbers on? Is it the one that goes to page 1079? I just want to know because I'm reading on Kindle, and it will help me figure out which corresponding..."

Hi Jason --

My paperback version is at home. I'll go in tonight and provide some quotes to make it easier for people reading other versions to figure out where each discussion section ends.

Nathan "N.R." wrote: "Kris wrote: "I plead temporary insanity from NYC holiday crowds. :P"

I think we can make a more compelling case from the incidence of a malmanufactured keyboard."

Or finger-dyslexia brought on by being tired.

I plead temporary insanity from NYC holiday crowds. :P

Nathan "N.R." wrote: "Now the "DJW" puzzle? I'm not sure I can solve for it. . .. ; )"

Typo!!!!!!

I am loving this so much! I didn't have lots of time to read today, or I would have gotten farther. I did finish this first section, though.

First, what a great opening scene. I loved the pacing and the characters. And, speaking as an academic, I can verify that the characters are only somewhat exaggerated versions of some stock administrators found on many campuses. And what a great introduction to Hal.

More later....

Garima gets the credit!

This thread is to post your favorite unconventional words used by DFW in Infinite Jest, along with their meanings. Please include page numbers too!