Hello, I'm Drew Ross
We got this party started Infinite Jest. I'm about a third of the way through. How are you doing with it?
I'm enjoying I'm really having a good time. She covers such a wide array of things
That it's it's kind of astounding really be covers drug addiction an addiction
to entertainment and
Turning your mind off and finding your destiny
she tackles things like
Performing in sports and the mentality that it takes to be in in the book a young tennis prodigy
and he takes these little snippets of life and
digs in and
starts
revealing a lot about the human condition in the context of
Well in one of the first scenes
There's a a guy who's trying to resist
his
Psychological
addiction to marijuana and
He goes for a while without it and then he will close himself off for a week or two
by a huge stash and then just
You know go to town and it sounds kind of goofy or weird
but when you really read what he's saying
the
acrobatics that we do in our mind whether it's a drug addiction or
any other type of addiction or
or
Obsessive behavior, he really did say to you some of the interplay that goes on behind your eyes
I thought that was fascinating
And even though he does go on and on about certain things
One of the things that shocked me about this book is how much?
While he's going through these
long diatribes about this topic or that topic
I'm laughing out loud
I'm stunned by his ability to
Recognize things about me and it's I'm just really enjoying it
another thing that I'd like is
That there is no central plot
obviously
That's not actually accurate. There is a central plot
But it's almost so ridiculous
That it is far down the list of what makes this book good or great for that matter
but if you think about the core of the book, which is
There is this piece of entertainment out there. It's called a cartridge in the book
and they call it the entertainment and
It is so addictive that once you've seen it
You can't think of anything else and your whole life?
Revolves around watching it. You don't want to eat or drink or anything and
That is really funny because if you look at popular fiction over the last 15-20 years
Even longer than that
It's all a lot driven
You know, you've got your John Christians Michael Crichton Stephen King these type of writers
John Sanford that don't get me wrong the other place I enjoy their books
but they've sort of logged people into
this way of looking at
fiction, especially
That is so plot oriented. You just want to find out what happens
You're not looking at the characters you're not looking at?
Any type of me your purpose in the work itself. You just want to find out what happens
and if any just
The main plot while you do kind of obviously want to see what happens
It is so secondary or tertiary
To why you're reading the book
Eventually as you're going through the book, at least I'm speaking for myself. I
Don't really care what happens in the plot. I
Wanna find out what do you have W has to say about the next topic and it's really refreshing
because you're free of the plot and
so
his book is about this my numbing addiction to
Entertainment and at the same time it's pulling us away
from that addiction to just let me see what happens next and
It's inviting us to really dig into some meaty topics
Personally I'm fascinated by it. I am overjoyed that it's not boring me
Don't get me wrong. There are
Certain times where
It kind of goes longer than it needs to about this topic of that
And I find myself wondering if I'm just not smart enough to get how those things apply
Possibly. I don't know
But I am enjoying it
the endnotes I've been disappointed in the end us honestly, I thought they were gonna
Like
Integral to the story and
most of the time when I read the end merits I
find myself disappointed like he really
Didn't even to include them. They don't really add anything
I mean some of them do but the vast majority in my opinion
Hmm are are not even that important
So
Some of the themes that I've noticed that are the most meaningful to me and most profound
Are the themes of addiction?
depression
Suicide high pressure performance
Loneliness
Parental relationships and friendships
The environmental issues are definite theme
It's it's funny how David Foster Wallace and take such
serious issues and
Really?
cause you to
Look at them in a new way and even laugh about some aspects
There were a few times where I laughed and the humor was
so dark that
I felt embarrassed that I had laughed at it
and I and that just made me love it more because that takes talent to
to kind of
roll you into this world and
and
Say such
powerful things about the human condition and then I'm still
Laughing about it and amused by it
It's great stuff
Reading a book like this. I feel like
You can't be all wrapped up in the plot and just looking to see what happens you
need to dig into the ideas the ideas or the key to this book the
Window into the in Seoul is really what this book is about
and if you're looking for plot
Actually, even if you're looking for characters
The only characters that I even have any affinity for at this point in the book are Don Gately
And a link and Enza those two
Are you know I care about them somewhat?
But I'm not
This is not a book that's got great characterization and great plot
Another thing that's kind of negative about it that bothers me so far is that
David Foster Wallace's voice is so powerful
It seems to be pouring out of everybody's mouth
Now, what do I mean by that? I mean that
Is razor-sharp
Observance is ability to observe what's going on in the human heart?
It is so rare in human beings and yet in multiple characters even
Characters that are not well educated you
See that razor-sharp
wit and
Observations about the world
That your average person doesn't make and yet multiple characters are making these observations
It's sort of
Shows us that this book is really about David Foster Wallace
I think that's a weakness in my opinion if he had add
Maybe a central character like ow
Be that voice that is actually his voice and then other characters would contribute things
That didn't have that
level of I
Don't even know what to call that that incisive ability to kind of
Figure out what's going on in someone's heart what they're motivated by
Instead what we have is several characters with that same ability
And it seems to me to all point back to the author
And that kind of takes you out of the book
at least
in
A fiction sense if you look at it in a nonfiction sense
you know, I think it kind of is a little a
Little more palatable and and that's honestly the way I look at this book. I'm not looking at it the way I look at other
Fiction books. I'm actually reading it
looking for
Human perspectives on life so and that's usually how I read nonfiction. I
mean I read fiction that way too but not as much as
Nonfiction. All right, so I've talked to myself into a freaking circle here
Just pontificating about this book. The point is I'm enjoying it. I hope you are too
Please leave some comments
Send me a message about what you're thinking on the book
Observations that I didn't pick up on or didn't have time to go in to
Share on and let's all enjoy
reading this together
That's all I got. See you next time take care of yourselves
