Infinite Jest – David Foster Wallace discussion

This thread is for discussion of pgs. 375-450 in Infinite Jest. Page 450 → Kindle location 10,742 (42%)

P.396-The idea of ghosts/wraiths is introduced! Pay attention DFW has given the clue.

Dr.James O Incandenza sure had a wicked sense of humour- the very titles of his  movies deserve accolades: Carnival of Eyeballs,The Medusa v.The Odalisque etc ( see the entire filmography in endnote 24). Hal remembers his dad's most hated film-THE JOKE ( & here DFW takes the mickey out of the typical pseudo,arty arty,high brow movie audience & their patronising critics alike!). P.396-98.
Mario's "Openly jejune version of his late father's take on the rise of O.N.A.N. and U.S. Experialism unfolds in little diffracted bts of real news and fake news and privately-conceived dialogue between the architects and hard-choice makers of a new millennial era."(P.385).

In a way,it encapsulates the political part of IJ in that it gives us an idea of what exactly happened to give rise to Quebecois seperatism,at the same time,as Mario's film is a parody & a mock presentation of events so Wallace gets away with a lot of nonsensical things- for example- why give away land to Canada when US can keep it & still use it for waste disposal ( or is it cause then dealing with that waste becomes Canada's responsibility?). Again think of the logistics involved - carrying the whole country's waste & then dumping it over the Great Concavity! Doesn't make sense. Maybe that's why this whole Qubecois part of the novel feels forced.

In the modern political context of the world ( think Middle east,Afghanistan), USA is seen as the country which makes a mess of things & then lets others deal with it. Maybe DFW was thinking along those lines- the stinking Great Concavity is thus symbolic of political mismanagement.

Marathe & Steeply continue their never ending,free- wheeling discourse atop the hill in the Tuscon desert- first on love (in the earlier section)& now on politics & the ramifications of the American Dream,then a "can of single-serving size pea soup" to test out those grand values that USAians swear by- I'm sure many big ideas are being explored here but it was so dull & droned on & on (coming so soon after Mario's very trying,arty parodic take on "territorial reconfiguration"), that I had a hard time of it.(P 418-30).

P 445- wallace's famous Fish joke makes an appearance- the same one he used in the memorable This Is Water lecture:

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB12217...

I loved THE JOKE. It's one of the films I would like to see being made or at least experimented. Though on a different note, I encountered arguments that suggests that the 'audience' in the JOKE are readers of IJ and James is DFW himself.

The filmography of J.O.I. is so elaborate & well thought out! I think many of them are great ideas for new films. The whole joke sequence brought out such a loveable,prankster side to the father that his loss was even more acutely felt! (U caught on to the David Lynch factor,no?).

As for the arguments- a book that's a labour of love,obsessively written over a period of four yrs- is it possible/rational to say that it was a joke on its readers!? Yes,the jest is a part of it (one way of looking at the ending) but not the whole of it.
You could share that link here.

David Lynch factor was the first thing that came to my mind..Yes! Here's the link: http://sites.la.utexas.edu/dfw12fall/...

It's a critical view of course but definitely one that I found interesting and with book this encyclopedic, there tend to exists varied thoughts and interpretations.

Garima wrote: "I loved THE JOKE. It's one of the films I would like to see being made or at least experimented. Though on a different note, I encountered arguments that suggests that the 'audience' in the JOKE ar..."
I have come to the same conclusion, but keep going... It's not the joke, but IJV and IJ... i shall say no more

"It's not the joke, but IJV and IJ.."?

This is killing me! I can't stop reading this book.

I'm stuck right around here. I need to either get my ass in gear or just drop this thing until I have more time for it.

Whats got you stuck?

Other books.

hmmmmm

Ok, I'm back. Thanks, month-long break!

Everything seems to have come together by page 442. The politics makes sense, the geography is clearer , the ETA and Ennet House characters are more developed. We seem now to have a basis for a plot. Right so now that the story is set up, let's begin!

Glad you decided not to give up, Shmuli. I'm liking it better now, too. :D

Shmuli wrote: "Everything seems to have come together by page 442. The politics makes sense, the geography is clearer , the ETA and Ennet House characters are more developed. We seem now to have a basis for a plo..."

You're sharper than I am...it didn't make sense for me until about 700 pages in(but then I devoured it!)

I just can't quite figure out the relationship between Gately and PGOAT if indeed there is one. In fact Gately seems at this moment to be merely a representative of someone in early recovery. So far there is nothing to suggest he has anything to do with the Entertainment plot line. Anyways, it's a fun read and I do look forward each day to my 10 pages of IJ.

Jason wrote: "Glad you decided not to give up, Shmuli. I'm liking it better now, too. :D"

Oh,that's front-page headline in its awesomeness :p

Shmuli wrote: "I just can't quite figure out the relationship between Gately and PGOAT if indeed there is one. In fact Gately seems at this moment to be merely a representative of someone in early recovery. So fa..."

Have patience,Gately & Joelle will get plenty of your attention in the latter half & their 'relationship' is one of the most beautiful ones in IJ!