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/lit/ - Literature

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7919303 No.7919303 [Reply] [Original]

I hate to start another fucking Infinite Jest thread, but I guess the sheer number of them is in turn the reason for one more. It seems like a huge chunk of this board read the book in their late teens and early twenties, ie the formative years of their life, and that it left a huge impression. As someone who didn't read it, still hasn't read it, I'm a little intrigued by the hold it seems to have over people here.

If you've read Infinite Jest, when did you read it? How did it affect you at the time?

>> No.7919310

I'd say it leads up to an inevitability it denies.

>> No.7919338

>>7919303
its very hard for me to put into words, but yeah it was the first sprawling post modern "masterpiece" i tackled and certainly opened up a pandoras box as far as realizing what a huge advantage the novel has over other mediums as a means of storytelling.

>> No.7919354

I read it a few weeks after my 16th birthday. I thought it was mediocre but entertaining at the time and I still feel the same

>> No.7919447

I think you're right that most people here read it in its prime demographic, early 20s suburban introspective male, and same with me. I appreciated the format and the humor, the insights into America that are pretty relevant for today, but most of all I was in the midst of depression and he has some of the most accurate depictions of depression than I had ever and have ever read in any novel.

>> No.7920241

>>7919303
Read it at age 24. It was pretty good. Not life changing, but definitely intriguing and fun.

>> No.7920520

Why would it be life changing? I'm quite content with my life currently and don't want to rock the boat. Saw this thought at the book store and it was drawing me in. Went for Don Quixote instead.

>> No.7920528

>>7919303
It gave me even more of an appreciation for style in writing than I already had. I liked it a lot.

>> No.7920533

I'm only aware of it's title, nothing else.

What's it about?

>> No.7920534

>>7919303
Extremely boring.

>> No.7920539

>Le troubled sexually quaint suicidal author.

>> No.7920543

>>7920533
tennis

>> No.7920567
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7920567

>>7920534
>OMG ITS SOOO BORRING why would you read a book if u never got any enjoyment out of it?

>> No.7920604
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7920604

>>7920567
I tip my hat to you sir. Your sagacity in dealing with these unwashed is admirable; they merely do not understand the joys of a supple prose, the greatness of Infinite Jest's formulation.

Your erudition is not lost on me, sir!

>> No.7920710

>>7919303
I read it when I was 26 or 27.
I would say it made me rethink how one can structure a novel. Obviously the time jumps, but also the footnotes and alien names of years, the shifting perspectives and unspoken conclusions... They broke up the narrative in new ways for me and opened the doors for even more experimental writing styles. each section of the book stands on its own very clearly, which makes the difficulty pretty low as far as comprehension, but the content of all the pieces together feels very complex and dense. It's worth reading. If you ever felt depression, addiction or American, it's a home run emotionally too.

>> No.7920724

>>7919303
I read it when I was 17 expecting a sprawling epic, NMH of literature type of thing and ended up quitting hallway because of how terribly boring I found it. I tried picking it up again recently but I just couldn't. I don't get the appeal.

>> No.7920747

I read it two months ago, I'm 23.
Honestly I enjoyed parts of it, but it felt like such a waste of time. It easily could have dropped 700+ pages and been a solid book, but there was so much pointless, inane bullshit that it ruined the good parts for me. The endnotes, the 'encyclopedic novel' shit, it bogs down the book.
You're better off not reading it.

>> No.7920753

>>7920724
>ended up quitting hallway because of how terribly boring I found it
yup

>> No.7920854
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7920854

>>7920567
>why would you read a book if u never got any enjoyment out of it?
Well, why would you?

>> No.7920860

>>7920533
Quebec

>> No.7920923

Ended up attempting suicide halfway through reading it and every time I pick it back up it puts me in a weird place. Still a great book though

>> No.7920939

I read it when I was 26. I thought it was funny. nothing life changing. 2 parts stuck with me though. the part where he predicts the rise and fall of video calling (facetime). then one chapter where a girl who tried to kill herself describes her depression. the description was so spot on. exactly the way I felt (I suffer from depression) when I'm depressed. made me feel good knowing I'm not a pussy bitch that tries to myself when I feel bad like that dumb whore. some people are so weak.

>> No.7920941

>>7920939
tries to off myself*

>> No.7920947

i read it at 22. i thought it was funny, incredibly sad, and overall one of the most emotionally connecting novels i have read. i was always entertained. dfw is quite clever. i suppose i connected to the novel more than any i had previously read.

>> No.7920958
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7920958

I haven't read it myself.

But I claim I did so I can blend in with the /lit/ crowd and do not feel like the low IQ chronically loner-NEET who I am.

Kill me.

>> No.7921030

>>7919447
Pretty much exactly this for me, only it was even more relatable because in the midst of my depression I was struggling with a marijuana addiction to the point that I was going to MA (marijuana anonymous (yes it is a thing)) meetings. It is only a year later for me, and things have changed a lot, but I still can't believe just how much I connected with the book, or that that sort of connection was even possible in the first place. I still keep it by my bed and read random parts from it every so often. I know that I'm probably a /lit/ meme personified, but holy fuck, Infinite Jest is my favorite book.

>> No.7921054

>>7919310
It's orgasm denial porn for grad students

>> No.7921089

>>7920533
entertainment