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+--- Thread: Do not read "Infinite Jest" (/thread-20174.html)
Do not read "Infinite Jest" - fredtoast - 05-02-2019
"Infinite Jest" is a critically acclaimed novel by David Foster Wallace. It is almost 1100 pages. It has 100 pages of footnotes some of which are several pages long and have footnotes themselves. It is called a "postmodern encyclopedic novel". It has some funny parts, but it mostly seems to be Wallace showing off his knowledge of various subjects. However the number one reason you should not read it is because it ends when he got tired of writing. There are three main intertwined plot threads and the book ends with not even a hint of resolution for any of them.
I have read plenty of books where there is not a clear resolution, but there is usually a hint of what possibly happened. In this case "nothing". And the worst part is that you have to read 1000 pages to get to the end and it is brutally difficult to read because the almost 400 footnotes constantly interrupt the flow.
I have never been so pissed off after reading a book. It is almost like Wallace was trying to play some sick joke on the readers.
I can't believe how many critics loved it. It reminds me of modern art critics who just make up stuff to say about artwork they think is hip or trendy. Wallace has a nice writing style, and parts of the book could have been turned into clever short stories, but as a novel it is garbage.