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5 Minute Book Review (Part 2): Infinite Jest

By FracturedAcetabulum
Published: July 07, 2009

Suicide

A number of characters in the novel commit suicide; that is to say, in, DFW lingo, “eliminate their own maps.” The methods employed by these characters displays quite the creativity by the author.

Mr. James Orin Incandenza, the founder of Enfield Tennis Academy, father to Orin, Mario and Hal Incandenza, expert in optics and filmmaker offs himself in a rather creative way: he places his head in a microwave oven.

Kate Gompert. She tries to commit suicide but is unsuccessful in doing so.

Mrs Waite. This neighbor of young Don Gately who is presumed to be a witch by all of the neighborhood boys commits suicide by hanging (awkward foreshadowing?) after surprising Don with a birthday cake. It’s a blip in the complex web of stories presented, but it’s a heartbreaking event as the audience is left to assume the reason Mrs. Waite chose to “eliminate her map” is the lack of interest shown in her cake by the party-goers.

Eric Clipperton: Independent tennis player in the 16 He has a rather grim view on tennis and suicide. Each tennis match is played with him holding a gun to his head threatening to kill himself if he loses. So of course he wins, but the victories are hollow; he knows it, the other players know it and the officials who post ranks know it. Eventually Clipperton does himself in.

lawyergay posted the following on July 7, 2009 at 6:49 pm.
“Eliminate your/his/her map” is one of those phrases that has stuck with me in all the years since I’ve read Infinite Jest.

The “howling fantods” is another.

This book is its own world. I’ve always wondered why Wallace gave Infinite Jest a science fiction gloss. He’s clearly able to conjure up a completely new universe all by himself, without relying on what I have always thought of as the cheap conceit of setting his book in the “not too distant future.”
ChillbearLatrigue posted the following on July 7, 2009 at 6:57 pm.
Yeah, but 1000 pages, FA? Is there a chapter or set of pages (no more than 20) that you would recommend?
LipstickLibrarian posted the following on July 7, 2009 at 7:00 pm.
@CL: Pussy.
lawyergay posted the following on July 7, 2009 at 7:02 pm.
Chillbear: Just read the whole thing. It is one of the only books I have ever laughed out loud while reading.

If you’re new to DFW, start with “A Supposedly Fun Thing I’ll Never Do Again.” Essays…wickedly funny and sad.
BookishLookish posted the following on July 7, 2009 at 7:42 pm.
@LG: A Supposedly Fun Thing–I loved that one. Whenever a cruise is proposed by a family member, I quote it!
FracturedAcetabulum posted the following on July 7, 2009 at 7:47 pm.
@LG: a great phrase, isn’t it?

@CL: pussy. Do what LG suggested. If you’ve never read anything by DFW, start small, see if it fits your “style” of books you like; (ask LL, it doesn’t appeal to all). Or start with an article like Consider the Lobster or the McCain piece from 2000.

interested parties: John Krasinski made Brief Interviews into a movie. I haven’t seen it yet.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0790627/

And…
http://www.observer.com/2009/media/dueling-foster-wallace-two-bios-hit-market-one-sold
ChillbearLatrigue posted the following on July 7, 2009 at 9:35 pm.
Pussy? If you guys were here, I would kick your ass…at Nintendo. I’m not a violent person, but we can play Wii boxing or something. The book is on my list. I got two other book suggestions today that I moved to the top. A Supposedly Fun Thing I’ll Never Do Again will be third, only because I hold this company in such high regard. The other two came from a Wordsmoker as well.
poisonville posted the following on July 7, 2009 at 11:39 pm.
Mark Twain uses “fantods” in Huck Finn, in the scene where Huck meets up with Jim:

But by and by, sure enough, I catched a glimpse of fire away through the trees. I went for it, cautious and slow. By and by I was close enough to have a look, and there laid a man on the ground. It most give me the fantods. He had a blanket around his head, and his head was nearly in the fire. I set there behind a clump of bushes in about six foot of him, and kept my eyes on him steady. It was getting gray daylight now. Pretty soon he gapped and stretched himself and hove off the blanket, and it was Miss Watson’s Jim! I bet I was glad to see him.