/lit/ - Literature

>>16042453
Are you new here? You must be new here. Check the archive.

/lit/ will shit on it because they haven't read it, or say some shit like "it gets good after 300 pages" which is laughable as it's engaging and the narrative voice is extremely seductive starting on page one. It's a literary masterpiece, which because of the time of its release and shifting public reception of real literature, was made the butt of endless jokes (wink). It's great. Read Soul is Not a Smithy from Oblivion for peak DFW. Pale King is also good, Broom of the System is dogshit. Can't really go wrong with any of his essays, tho.

Good book, overpraised by its adherents, is to one generation of neurotic readers what Maddox and Tucker Max were to the kids before them, though in place of their cynicism or raunchiness you have DFW arriving just in take for the anti-depressant generation with a bucket's load of sentiment and feelings.

I don't regret reading it but I wouldn't recommend it to anyone. Just too lengthy. Oblivion stories is where it's at.

>>16042453
I'm in the middle of it right now and I adore it so far. the commentary on entertainment is brilliant. the writing is amazing and in particular the dialog. wallace's descriptions are great and a lot of the shit in the book is hilarious. the part when Hal is talking to his therapist about his father smelling delicious had me on the verge of tears.

>>16042667
His therapist? He's talking to his brother Orin, no?

I read Infinite Jest at the beginning of this year, and I'm thinking about reading it at the beginning of every year.

>>16042832
Yes technically he speaking to his brother Orin, but he was relating what he told to a therapist because he was baiting the therapist into thinking he was recovering from trauma.

>>16042832
If I recall right, his grief counselling therapist was going to hold him back academically if Hal couldn't prove he had come to terms with his father's death. The dude had really tiny hands too.

>>16042834
That’s quite the time commitment. U read anything else along side it?

>>16042847
I spent a full month reading it, but I think I could do it a litter quicker. I read the full thing on my phone too, and it messed up my eyes for a little bit. I recently purchased a paperback for the shelf.

>>16042858
Jesus, why didn't you just buy a physical copy the first time around?

>>16042862
It's funny, I turned 25 this year, but I got my very first smartphone last Christmas. I decided to try out the kindle app, and quickly got hooked on it. I only very recently switched back to reading paper books. A few weeks ago an anon recommended pic related. It seems to be about 10,000 pages long. Reading IJ gave me a taste for long books, so I wanted to try a real challenge. Besides it's only available as an ebook. I read it at night when I don't want to keep the lights on.

>>16042892
fair enough. I've been wanting to go back to a dumb phone for a while. My phone is uber distracting.

>>16042476
Why's that short story only in one elder scrolls game?

>>16042453
Read it as a teen and absolutely loved it. Nowadays i see it as a pretty good post modern book that's a little overrated.

I liked it. It took me much longer to read than I expected.

>>16042453
its too long for me to even start and looking at the synopsis I'd rather just read this niggas short stories and essays any how

>>16045736
I'm gonna say this and I know it's going to get me in hot water, but I genuinely believe his interviews and speeches are his most illuminating projects. I feel like his writing is good, clever, learned, etc., but I've never felt closer to him as an artist than while watching him wince at his inability to form a competent sentence properly explaining his thoughts.

Fucking amazing book and it had some genuinely hilarious segments. Also, reading through it convinced me to quit doing drugs and to majorly moderate my drinking habits. Shit hit home pretty hard.

>>16042858
>I read the full thing on my phone too
What the...

I'm surprised by /lit/'s reaction to this thread, I thought it'd turn into a meme fest.

>>16045940
That whole wincing thing was part of his gimmick, anon. It was used to rope in sales and college pussy.

>>16042453
Most of criticism of this book from /lit/ degenerates into memes
Insteado of trying to filter them, just go read this

>>16047128
oh god why does this exist? can you post some interesting exerpts?

ij was a gigantic misfire but it has one or two interesting ideas

>>16047165
Link to the full interview?

>>16047229
https://www.salon.com/2013/05/23/mary_karr_infinite_jest_was_unkind_partner/

>>16045736
Essays yes, short stories no.

>>16047108
Youre a clown buddy

>>16047128
Hahah. The irony. That is the antithises of one of the novels major themes, avoiding what is difficult for short sided gains.

>>16047678
Why no to short stories?
Good Old Neon was fantastic and got me into DFW

>>16047850
Don't get me wrong, they're good. I just think his essays and IJ are far better.

>>16042567
>to one generation of neurotic readers what Maddox and Tucker Max were to the kids before them
what timeline is this?

>>16047969
>what timeline is this?
Its not, most likely bait, possibly just midwit understanding.

>>16047996
What's your understanding?

>>16048255
That they are a midwit?

>>16048334
Lol inpenetrably stupid. Nice!

>>16048255
My understanding of what? The book or its place in the culture of my generation?

>>16047996
>>16048334
DFW fangirls are so faggy, goddamn. Worse than Twilight and Harry Potter fans. The point was DFW is an idiot who's only popular with retards who think they're smarter than the sheep/NPC/masses, a fact brilliantly illustrated by the use of 'midwit.' Kill yourself like your hero, nerd.

>>16047317
Thanks, holmes.

>>16047759
You're an easily baited bitch. 24? 23? Anybody beyond 25 should be embarrassed for buying into the gimmick.

>>16049305
So, you have not read it.

>>16049336
I love this little song and dance. I've read it and I own it. But fill me in on how you get it whereas I (those insufferable midwits, not like me!) and so many others have failed. Also, tell me the last time you've seen a pussy.

>>16049375
I was refering to the comparison with Maddox/Max and neurotic generations regarding the possible midwittery, but as I said, most likely bait, which you are confirming by going after any and all responses regardless of content. You seem to think that the culture that builtup around IJ reflects the original readership.

>>16049335
>man shows external signs of internal struggle
>kills himself
>no bro it was a marketing ploy

Youre an idiot

>>16042476
Don’t listen to this clown, OP. Read Stirner instead.

It's amazing how, after finally reading this thing, I could see through /lit/'s bullshit. I've been here for five years and seen countless DFW threads, Infinite Jest threads, all manners of stuff. None of them contain actual discussions about the fucking novel.

>>16051341
Most DFW threads turn to shit around breakfast time or dinner time in the US, we have some good DFW discussions while most of the US is asleep. I have no idea if any nationality is to blame here, I am just in the US so go by US time.

>>16051341
like half the people here don't read but just enjoy the idea of being a "reader" and most of the actual readers are the losers who see a 'greatest works of literature' list as something to power through, becoming incrementally more cultured as they go. neither of them have anything to say

>>16051369
But youre different?

>>16051361
It has everything to do with nationality. US powerhour is always a shitfest.

>>16051476
That hour is a mix of burgers getting home from work and bongs wasting some time before bed.

>>16042567
>is to one generation of neurotic readers what Maddox and Tucker Max were to the kids before them
Absolute savagery

>>16042892
10k pages isn't a lot though. If you aren't a nomralfaggot being a poser you can easily ready 100 pages a day and read 1k pages a week or a week and a couple of days.

>>16042476
Yeah, really enjoy his essays. They have helped me to use better sentences in my mind.

>>16049544
>Maddox
man that guy you were replying to was a fucking moron.

>>16047798
I wonder if this person understands not getting help is what killed DFW.

I think this is ironic

I thought it had a handful of nice sections with a lot of waste surrounding it along with many things I dislike about postmodern literature. I don't think it was a waste of time but I probably won't look at it again.

>>16042892
I want to read this badly

>>16051659
Yeah, he was trolling. That is actually my only response to him, the rest were other anons.

>>16051666
He spent the last 16 months of his life desperately trying every option available to him all the way to the extremes of ECT and had dealt with the problem for the past 20 years. But I suppose you are one of those people who think that all such things can be talked out, no one is born with faulty brain chemistry.

>>16043018
Lmao no fucking way. I loved reading the books in Skyrim it was fun

Which dense impenetrable meme book should I read first? Infinite Jest or Gravity's Rainbow

>>16052036
I read GR first and I really enjoyed it. Took me 3 weeks to read it. First 2 weeks for the first 200 or so pages and in the 3rd week I really got into it and read the remaining 550 pages

>>16051435
Read because you enjoy reading, read what you enjoy reading, if a book doesn’t capture your interest after 20 pages put it down for another day. Read because of beauty. Never read to satisfy self image, because by wrapping yourself in a papier-mâché of intellectualism and false identity you stunt that unchanging inner person which grows with time.

It's cryptoprotestant nonsense and DFW fanboys are insufferable, self consciously "nice" retards.