Infinite Jest – David Foster Wallace discussion

This thread is for discussion of pgs. 157-226 in Infinite Jest. Page 226 → Kindle location 5395 (21%)

Just finished reading the book. And, all I want to know is, who the hell filed that accident claims report from page 176??? Funniest thing EVER and A THOUSAND PAGES LATER I STILL don't know how it ties into the story!

It was one of the ennet house residents, it does get referred to but cant remember where... Ill try to find it.

Jerry wrote: "It was one of the ennet house residents, it does get referred to but cant remember where... Ill try to find it."

Oh, man! If you can help me find where this gets referred to, I will sleep so much better! LOL! Thanks!

Yes - that's the one. I was laughing so hard I had tears! Jerry says it was mentioned somewhere else - and clearly I missed it. If you happen across it, keep me in mind! I'd really like to know WHO filed that claim!!!

That State Farm claim vignette is actually a joke/lyric from a traditional Irish song. The song is much more baroque. Wallace borrowed some of that lyric for that part of the story. THIS IS NOT A PLAGARISM DIG, I just think it shows the breadth of his sources. He was willing to hang out in pubs to get source material.

Sunny in Wonderland wrote: "Yes - that's the one. I was laughing so hard I had tears! Jerry says it was mentioned somewhere else - and clearly I missed it. If you happen across it, keep me in mind! I'd really like to know..."

It features on page 139 in my IJ copy and yes! it's hilarious. And here's a link that will throw some light on that part: http://infinitesummer.org/archives/608

Well, that's interesting! I especially liked someone's comment about whether or not someone used the legendary story to explain his accident because he was too drunk to remember what really happened. LOL!

Sunny in Wonderland wrote: "Jerry wrote: "It was one of the ennet house residents, it does get referred to but cant remember where... Ill try to find it."

Oh, man! If you can help me find where this gets referred to, I will..."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=66cxc9...

if this doesnt work, go to "the sick note" on you tube and listen to the song.... I think the atrist is Sean Cannon.... amazing where DFW got his stuff!

NMC wrote: "Sunny in Wonderland wrote: "Yes - that's the one. I was laughing so hard I had tears! Jerry says it was mentioned somewhere else - and clearly I missed it. If you happen across it, keep me in mi..."

thats it!!!!

LOL! Hysterical!!!

Sunny in Wonderland wrote: "Yes - that's the one. I was laughing so hard I had tears! Jerry says it was mentioned somewhere else - and clearly I missed it. If you happen across it, keep me in mind! I'd really like to know..."

Hope you're still interested in knowing this Sunny! So the claim was filed by Mr. Doony R. Glynn and there is a mention of the accident on page 543.

That letter was hysterical. Doony Glynn is mentioned as a resident of Ennet House on pg. 206, so I expect he'll be back in the story at some point. He has the dotted tattoos around his neck with instructions on how to remove his head tattooed on his scalp.
Reading IJ is like reading a mystery. There are clues (or maybe red herrings) and allusions to secrets and horrors throughout. I'm not sure which to believe at this point.
In the chapter from 1960, when James' drunken father is talking to him about Marlon Brando, his mother & tennis, there's a mention of a broiler door:
"Ever see your mother with a broiler door? It's carnage, Jim, it's to cringe to see it...".
Could this comment and any trauma caused by it (or this entire conversation or the life it portrays) be the reason for James using a microwave later in his life? Could the broilers of 1960 be the microwaves of YTSDB?
I really enjoyed the selected transcripts of the resident-interface. I recognized two of the residents by their rants. Makes me kind of want to go back and try to match up the others to their rants.