Infinite Summer

Category: Summaries

  • Infinite Summary – Week 11

    Milestone Reached: 812 (82%)

    Sections Read:

    Page 736: Joelle cleans her room, ponders her relationship with Himself and the movies she starred in, and recollects the Thanksgiving she shared with the Incandenzas.

    Page 747: Marathe speaks to Pat. M. regarding admittance to Ennet House. A discussion about discovered cartridges piques his interest. Marathe ponders his various options (rush off to alert the AFR, kill Pat M. outright, etc.)

    Page 755 – 11 NOVEMBER / YEAR OF THE DEPEND ADULT UNDERGARMENT: Mario wanders around E.T.A. with a camera strapped to his head, collecting footage for a documentary. He ends up interviewing his mother, and asking her how one can tell if someone is sad. The Moms launches into an extended monologue about disassociation, engulfment, and suppression.

    Page 769: Hal and Mario are again sharing a room. They discuss their childhood dog S. Johnson, liars (Orin and Pemulis in particular), and whether it even occurs to Mario that people might lie to him. Hal admits that he would have failed the urine test, if Pemulis hadn’t extorted a 30 day reprieve.

    Page 774: Kate and Marathe chat in a bar. Marathe tells Kate about how his met and married his wife, and Kate is disappointed in the “love” story.

    Page 785 – 17 NOVEMBER / YEAR OF THE DEPEND ADULT UNDERGARMENT: Hal arrives at Ennet house, and asks for a schedule of NA meetings.

    Endnote 324: In the lockeroom, Pemulis consoles his little buddy Possathwaite, who is weeping and declaiming “nothing is true”.

    Page 784: Under interrogation from Rodney Tine, Molly Notkin tells everything all knows about Madame Psychosis and J. O. Incandenza, including the disfigurement of Joelle during Thanksgiving when her mother had flung acid at her father, the father (and Orin) had ducked, and Joelle had gotten it in the face.

    Endnote 332: Wayne does some “candid sharing” on Troeltsch student broadcast; deLint tells Pemulis that he can either finish the term or hit the trail now, but that his tenure at E.T.A. is effectively over.

    Page 795: Hal tries to go to an addicts meeting, but somehow winds up at it “Inner Infant”.

    Sources consulted during the compilation of this summation: JS’s Infinite Jest synopses, Dr. Keith O’Neil’s Infinite Jest Reader’s Guide, and Steve Russillo’s Chapter Thumbnails.

  • Infinite Summary – Week 10

    And welcome to week 10.

    Milestone Reached: 738 (75%)

    Sections Read:

    Page 666 The Tunnel Club searches the catacombs under E.T.A. for rats.

    Page 673: Thierry Poutrincourt joins Steeply and deLint in watching the Hal Incandenza v. Ortho Stice match.

    Page 682 – 14 NOVEMBER / YEAR OF THE DEPEND ADULT UNDERGARMENT: Matty Pemulis, prostitute and brother to E.T.A.’s Michael, recalls sexual abuse at the hands of his father.

    Page 686 – 11 NOVEMBER / YEAR OF THE DEPEND ADULT UNDERGARMENT: After the Stice match, Hal first runs into deLint, then spends the evening watching his father’s films.

    Page 689 – 14 NOVEMBER / YEAR OF THE DEPEND ADULT UNDERGARMENT: On the way to Antitoi Brothers’, Poor Tony Kraus considers snatching the purse of the two women in front of him.

    Page 692: Geoffrey Day ruminates on how male Ennet residents have names for their members, and fond reminiscences about Lenz’s “Hog”

    Page 692: A general discussion of depression, alternating between Kate Gompert (thinking about her Ennet House friend who is addicted to train sets) and Hal (watching The American Century as Seen Through a Brick).

    Page 698 – 14 NOVEMBER / YEAR OF THE DEPEND ADULT UNDERGARMENT: Newer resident Ruth van Cleve leaves E.T.A. in the company of Kate Gompert; P.T. Krause follows, eying their bags.

    Pages 700-701Five brief vignettes:

    • Jim Troeltsch prepares to narrate a wrestling cartridge in his room.
    • Michael Pemulis moves a panel in the ceiling with a handle of a racquet.
    • Lyle sits in his usual spot, atop the towel dispenser in the weight room.
    • Coach Schtitt and Mario “tear-ass” down the road in Schtitt’s BMW.
    • Arvil Incandenza calls a “journalistic business”.

    Page 702: While Hal watches Blood Sister: One Tough Nun, other E.T.A. members invade the common room. Joelle attends a cocaine Narcotics Anonymous meetings, hears about a man who walked out on his wife and child.

    Page 711: Blood Sister: One Tough Nun conclusion.

    Page 714: P. T. Krause gives into temptation and snatches Kate Grompert’s purse.

    Page 716 – 14 NOVEMBER / YEAR OF THE DEPEND ADULT UNDERGARMENT: Lenz, meanwhile, high on cocaine, plans to rob two Asian women.

    Page 719: The Wheelchair Assassins search Antitoi Brothers’, looking for The Entertainment master copy.

    Page 719 – 14 NOVEMBER / YEAR OF THE DEPEND ADULT UNDERGARMENT: P. T. Krause flees Ruth van Cleve.

    Page 721: How the Wheelchair Assassins came to center their search on the Antitoi Brothers’ shop.

    Page 723: Fortier and his prosthetic legs.

    Page 723 – 14 NOVEMBER / YEAR OF THE DEPEND ADULT UNDERGARMENT: Joelle Van Dyne worries about her teeth, dreams of Don Gately.

    Page 724: Fortier goes to the Antitoi Brothers’ shop, where an Entertainment cartridge as been found. It turns out not to be the master, however.

    Page 728: Lenz robs the Asian woman and hides out in a back alley.

    Page 729: Marathe arrives at Ennet house.

    Characters The characters page has been updated.

    Sources consulted during the compilation of this summation: JS’s Infinite Jest synopses, Dr. Keith O’Neil’s Infinite Jest Reader’s Guide, and Steve Russillo’s Chapter Thumbnails.

  • Infinite Summary – Week 9

    Milestone Reached: 664 (67%)

    Sections Read:

    Page 575:: Randy Lenz and Bruce Green continue strolling around Boston. We learn that Green’s mother died of fright after opening a novelty snake-in-a-fake-can-of-nuts gift that young Bruce had given her at his father’s urging, and that Green’s father went insane (and was executed for sending out deadly exploding cigars) sometime thereafter. Green and Lenz are separated; when Green next sees Lenz, the latter is killing a dog belonging to some partygoers. The partygoers see the killing and give chase, but Lenz manages to evade them.

    Page 589: Mario’s nineteenth birthday approaches. He strolls near Ennet House, and we learn: (1) he “can’t feel physical pain very well”, (2) he can no longer read Hal like he once was able, and (3) Mario doesn’t understand why the E.T.A. students are embarrassed by genuine emotion.

    Page 593: Don Gately’s Ennet House duties, divided into the “picayune and the unpleasant”.

    Page 596: Orin answers survey questions from a man in a wheelchair, while the “putatively Swiss hand-model” hides under sheets of the bed.

    Page 601: As Gately supervises the reparking of the cars in front of Ennet House, the partygoers arrive in search of Lenz. A confrontation ensues, and Gately is shot while apparently beating several of the assailants to death.

    Page 620: An engineer for WYYY is kidnapped by a man in a wheelchair.

    Page 627 – 11 NOVEMBER / YEAR OF THE DEPEND ADULT UNDERGARMENT: E.T.A. students in the cafeteria, discussing a Hal / The Darkness match that Stice nearly won, and debating whether the milk is powdered.

    Page 638 – 1 MAY Y.D.A.U. / OUTCROPPING NORTHWEST OF TUCSON AZ U.S.A.: Steeply reveals that his father had a literal and life-destroying obsession with the television show M*A*S*H.

    Page 648 – 13 NOVEMBER / YEAR OF THE DEPEND ADULT UNDERGARMENT: At Ennet House, Geoffrey Day describes a dark, billowing shape that he accidentally summoned as a child, the shadow of which left him bereft of hope.

    Page 651 – 11 NOVEMBER / YEAR OF THE DEPEND ADULT UNDERGARMENT: Steeply and deLint watch the Hal / Stice match. Steeply pushes for an exclusive interview with Hal, but is rebuffed.

    Pages 663, 664, and 665: A correspondence between Steeply and Marlon Bain of Saprogenic Greetings. Endnote 269 contains extended excerpts from Bain’s replies.

    Characters The characters page has been updated.

    Sources consulted during the compilation of this summation: JS’s Infinite Jest synopses, Dr. Keith O’Neil’s Infinite Jest Reader’s Guide, and Steve Russillo’s Chapter Thumbnails.

  • Infinite Summary – Week 8

    Milestone Reached: 590 (60%)

    Chapters Read:

    Page 528 – PRE-DAWN AND DAWN, 1 MAY Y.D.A.U. / OUTCROPPING NORTHWEST OF TUCSON AZ U.S.A., STILL: The Marathe and Steeply show continues. Steeply argues that America is not the only culture in which people are drawn to things that could “entertain them to death”.

    Page 531 – 0450H., 11 NOVEMBER / YEAR OF THE DEPEND ADULT UNDERGARMENT / FRONT OFFICE, ENNET HOUSE D.A.R.H., ENFIELD MA: Don Gately tells Joelle Van Dyne of a bar fight in which some of his friends “messed with a guy’s girl”; he also asks about the purpose of the veil and her membership in the Union of the Hideously and Improbably Deformed (U.H.I.D.).

    Page 538: How Randy Lenz became a Steel-Sak-wielding animal killer. (Aside: “Randy Lenz and his Steel Sax” is the name of my new light-jazz quartet.)

    Page 548 – EARLY NOVEMBER / YEAR OF THE DEPEND UNDERGARMENT: Rodney Tine, Chief of U.O.U.S. and compulsive pecker checker.

    Page 550 – LATE P.M., MONDAY 9 NOVEMBER / YEAR OF THE DEPEND ADULT UNDERGARMENT: Michael Pemulis walks in on John Wayne (N.R.) and Arvil Incandenza in the middle of … something. “‘I probably won’t even waste everybody’s time asking if I’m interrupting” rockets to the top of the “Best Lines in the Book” list.

    Page 553 – WEDNESDAY 11 NOVEMBER / YEAR OF THE DEPEND ADULT UNDERGARMENT: Lenz and Bruce Green stroll around town. Lenz regales Green with stories, all while wondering how he can ditch his companion in time to do his nefarious deeds. Eventually he manages to get away, and Green observes the dog-killer in action.

    Page 560: Troeltsch, Pemulis and Wayne visit Hal in turn, each for just a few moments.

    Page 563 – SELECTED SNIPPETS FROM THE INDIVIDUAL-RESIDENT-INFORMAL-INTERFACE MOMENTS OF D. W. GATELY, LIVE-IN STAFF, ENNET HOUSE DRUG AND ALCOHOL RECOVERY HOUSE, ENFIELD MA, ON AND OFF FROM JUST AFTER THE BROOKLINE YOUNG PEOPLE’S AA MTNG. UP TO ABOUT 2329H., WEDNESDAY 11 NOVEMBER Y.D.A.U: As advertised.

    Page 565: Orin gets it on with a Swiss hand-model. Endnote 234 is a long interview between Steeply and Orin, in which much light is shed on Orin’s relationship with his parents and the mold-eating incident.

    Page 567: Michael Pemulis explains annulation to a blindfolded Idris Arslanian.

    Page 574: Orin sees his first wheelchair-bound “punting-groupie” since Ms. Steeply left.

    Characters The characters page has been updated.

    Sources consulted during the compilation of this summation: JS’s Infinite Jest synopses, Dr. Keith O’Neil’s Infinite Jest Reader’s Guide, and Steve Russillo’s Chapter Thumbnails.

  • Infinite Summary – Week 7

    Milestone Reached: 516 (52%)

    Chapters Read:

    Page 442 – YEAR OF THE DEPEND ADULT UNDERGARMENT: Gately ponders his relationship with a possibly fictitious Higher Power, and remembers his mother’s alcoholism / cirrhosis.

    Page 448 – VERY LATE OCTOBER Y.D.A.U: Hal has the “losing your teeth” dream; Mario continues to listen to “Sixty Minutes More or Less”, even without Madame Psychosis.

    Page 450 – 9 NOVEMBER / YEAR OF THE DEPEND ADULT UNDERGARMENT: Early morning drills at E.T.A.; Schtitt delivers the “second world within this world” lecture (i.e., “suck it up, whiners”).

    Page 461: Pat Montesian, and Gately reckless driving in her husband’s car.

    Page 450 – PRE-DAWN, 1 MAY – Y.D.A.U. / OUTCROPPING NORTHWEST OF TUCSON, AZ U.S.A., STILL: Steeply and Marathe discuss the “pleasure centers of the brain” (p-terminals) experiments.

    Page 475: Gately continues cruising in Pat M.’s car; the Wheelchair assassins kill Lucien and Bertraud of Anitoi’s Entertainment.

    Page 489 – PRE-DAWN, 1 MAY – Y.D.A.U. / OUTCROPPING NORTHWEST OF TUCSON, AZ U.S.A., STILL: Steeply and Marathe discuss the possibility of an Entertainment “master”; Steeply asks if Marathe has ever been temped to watch it.

    Page 491 – WINTER, B.S. 1963, SEPULVEDA CA: James Incandenza helps his father isolate and fix a squeak in a box spring.

    Page 503: At a Narcotics Anonymous meeting, Ken Erdedy gets hugged by Roy Tony.

    Page 507: Marathe admits to Steeply that some interns were “lost” while there were experimenting with the Entertainment.

    Page 508 – 10 NOVEMBER / YEAR OF THE DEPEND ADULT UNDERGARMENT: Hal and others await punishment for the Eschaton disaster; an introduction to “Lateral” Alice Moore’s.

    Characters The characters page has been updated.

    Sources consulted during the compilation of this summation: JS’s Infinite Jest synopses, Dr. Keith O’Neil’s Infinite Jest Reader’s Guide, and Steve Russillo’s Chapter Thumbnails.

  • Infinite Summary – Week 6

    Milestone Reached: 443 (45%)

    Chapters Read:

    Page 343 – 8 NOVEMBER / YEAR OF THE DEPEND ADULT UNDERGARMENT INTERDEPENDENCE DAY / GAUDEAMUS IGTUR: Mario’s semi-fictional film “The ONANTiad”, which documents (a) the rise of Johnny Gentle from Famous Crooner to head of the Clean U.S. Party and then President of the (then) United States; (b) the establishment of the Organization of North American Nations; (c) the creation and subsequent expatriation of the Great Con(cav|vex)ity; and (d) the origins of subsidized time.

    Page 394: Lyle dispenses advice to students down in the weight room, including “don’t underestimate objects”.

    Page 395: Descriptions of the James Incandeza films The Medusa vs. the Odalisque and THE JOKE.

    Page 407: The story of E.T.A. Eric Clipperton, who won tennis matches by threatening to kill himself if he loses. (And then does so anyway when he wins.)

    Page 410: The origin of InterLace Entertainment.

    Page 418 – 30 APRIL / 1 MAY YEAR OF THE DEPEND ADULT UNDERGARMENT: Marthe and Steeply have the “single-serving sized cup of soup” discussion (how do people weigh deriving their own pleasure against inflicting pain on others).

    Page 434: Gatley and Stavros Lobokulas clean the Shattuck Shelter.

    Characters The characters have been given their own page, which will be updated weekly.

    Sources consulted during the compilation of this summation: JS’s Infinite Jest synopses, Dr. Keith O’Neil’s Infinite Jest Reader’s Guide, and Steve Russillo’s Chapter Thumbnails.

  • Infinite Summery – Week 5

    Milestone Reached: 369 (37%)

    Chapters Read:

    Page 306: An overview of the prorectors’ weekend courses (including “The Toothless Predator: Breast-Feeding as Sexual Assault”!), plus a description of some anti-O.N.A.N. activity by the separatists (mirrors across the road). This section includes the 14 112 17-page “endnote 110”, a conversation between Hal and Orin regarding the true motives of the separatists.

    Page 312: The birth and life of Mario Incandenza.

    page 317 – 30 APRIL / 1 MAY / YEAR OF THE DEPEND ADULT UNDERGARMENT: Marathe and Steeply discuss the American concept of freedom (e.g., freedom from, not freedom to).

    Page 321 – 8 NOVEMBER / YEAR OF THE DEPEND ADULT UNDERGARMENT INTERDEPENDENCE DAY / GAUDEAMUS IGTUR: The E.T.A. students play Eschaton, The Atavistic Global-Nuclear-Conflict Game™.

    Page 343 – 8 NOVEMBER / YEAR OF THE DEPEND ADULT UNDERGARMENT INTERDEPENDENCE DAY / GAUDEAMUS IGTUR: An exhaustive description of the Boston AA chapter and a meeting in which several speakers relate unthinkable horrors.

    Characters The below is an abridgment of the Wikipedia Infinite Jest “Characters” section (with all spoilers stripped out):

    The Incandenzas

    • James Orin Incandenza: Filmmaker, founder of the Enfield Tennis Academy, committed suicide by putting his head in a microwave over. Nicknames include Himself, The Mad Stork, and The Sad Stork.
    • Avril Incandenza (née Mondragon): Jame’s Widow, heavily involved in the running of E.T.A., affiliated with the Militant Grammarians. Nickname: The Moms.

    • Hal Incandenza: The youngest of the three Incandenza children. One of the novel’s protagonists.

    • Mario Incandenza: The middle child. Born with deformities; also a filmmaker (like his father).

    • Orin Incandenza: The elder Incandenza. A punter for the Arizona Cardinals, serial womanizer, and cockroach killer.

    • Charles Tavis: The head of E.T.A. since James Incandenza’s death. Avril’s half- or adoptive brother.

    The Enfield Tennis Academy

    • Michael Pemulis: Hal’s best friend; prankster, drug dealer, undisputed Eschaton champion, and not destine for The Show.

    • John “No Relation” Wayne: The top-ranked player at ETA. John Wayne was discovered by James Incandenza during interviews of men named John Wayne for a film.

    • Other Prominent E.T.A. Students: Ortho “The Darkness” Stice, Jim Troelsch, Trevor (“The Axhandle”) Axford, Ann Kittenplan, Ted Schacht, LaMont Chu, U.S.S. Millicent Kent (tried to seduce Mario!).

    • Lyle: Sweat-licking guru who lives in the E.T.A. weight room and dispenses advice.

    The Ennet House Drug and Alcohol Recovery House

    • Don Gately: Former thief and Demerol addict, now counselor in residence at the Ennet House.

    • Joelle Van Dyne (a.k.a “Madame Psychosis and P.G.O.A.T, The Prettiest Girl of All Time”): Radio talkshow host; former lover to Orin, starred in many of James Incandenza films; wears a veil.

    • Kate Gompert: A cannabinoid addict who suffers from extreme unipolar depression.

    • Pat Montesian: The Ennet House manager.

    • Ken Erdedy: A cannabinoid addict.

    • Bruce Green: Ex-husband of Mildred Bonk-Green.

    • Tiny Ewell A lawyer with dwarfism who is obsessed with tattoos.

    • Other Prominent Ennet House residents: Randy Lenz, Geoffrey Day, Emil Minty.

    Others

    • Hugh Steeply (a.k.a. Helen Steeply): Agent for the Office of Unspecified Services; currently in disguise as a female reporter profiling Orin.

    • Remy Marathe: Member of the Wheelchair Assassins (separatists) and quadruple-agent who secretly talks to Hugh Steeply.

    • Poor Tony Krause (P.T. Krause): Almost killed by Drano-spiked heroin, accidentally steals a woman’s artificial heart, has a seizure while in withdrawal.

    Sources consulted during the compilation of this summation: the Infinite Jest Wikipedia page, the Infinite Jest Character Profiles (author unknown), JS’s Infinite Jest synopses, Dr. Keith O’Neil’s Infinite Jest Reader’s Guide, and Steve Russillo’s Chapter Thumbnails.

  • Infinite Summery – Week 4

    Milestone Reached: Page 295 (30%). A third of the way there, people.

    Chapters Read:

    Page 219: Joelle Van Dyne (a.k.a, Madam Psychosis, who dated Orin and starred in many of James Incandenza’s films (in addition to whatever other relationship they may have had), attends a party and attempts suicide by overdose in the bathroom.

    Page 223: The chronology (cue voices from on high):

    Year of the Whopper
    Year of the Tucks Medicated Pad
    Year of the Trial-Size Dove Bar
    Year of the Perdue Wonderchicken
    Year of the Whisper-Quiet Maytag Dishmaster
    Year of the Yushityu 2007 Mimetic-Resolution-Cartridge-View-Motherboard-Easy-To-Install-Upgrade For Infernatron/InterLace TP Systems For Home, Office, Or Mobile (sic)
    Year of Dairy Products from the American Heartland
    Year of the Depend Adult Undergarment
    Year of Glad

    Page 227: Helen P. Steeply’s (Putative) Curriculum Vitae.

    Page 240: A description of Enfield.

    Page 242: Hal and Orin speak on the phone. Hal describes the bizarre mechanics by which their father committed suicide, and his horror upon discovering the body.

    Page 256: ETA plays Port Washington in a tennis match.

    Page 270: Don Gately, now on staff at the Ennet House Drug and Alcohol Recovery House, councils the newest resident Geoffrey Day.

    Page 281: Having defeated Port Washington, the ETA gang returns home on a bus.

    Page 283: All about Orin: how he made the transition from tennis to football, and his relationship with the PGOAT, Joelle Van Dyne.

    Page 299: Poor Tony undergoes a week of withdraw (most of which is spent in a library restroom), culminating in a seizure while riding the train.

    Characters: We get the sense that almost all of the major characters have been introduced by this point (fingers crossed!). We’ll do a complete rundown next week.

    Sources consulted during the compilation of this summation: the Infinite Jest Character Profiles (author unknown), JS’s Infinite Jest synopses, Dr. Keith O’Neil’s Infinite Jest Reader’s Guide, and Steve Russillo’s Chapter Thumbnails.

  • Infinite Summery – Week 3

    Milestone Reached: Page 221 (22%)

    Chapters Read:

    Page 151: Drug tests at E.T.A; Mike Pemulis sells sterile urine.

    Page 157 – WINTER B.S. 1960 — TUCSON AZ: Himself’s father (Hal’s grandfather) prepares to teach Himself how to play tennis, tells of the incident that ended his own tennis career, and drinks heavily.

    Page 169 – 4 NOVEMBER YEAR OF THE DEPEND ADULT UNDERGARMENT: Michael Pemulis acquires some “incredibly potent” DMZ.

    Page 172 – TENNIS AND THE FERAL PRODIGY, NARRATED BY HAL INCANDENZA (etc.): Hal narrates a film made by Mario. The narration consists of a series of how-to instructions “Here is how to do individual drills …”)

    Page 176 – SELECTED TRANSCRIPTS … WEDNESDAY, 4 NOVEMBER — YEAR OF THE DEPEND ADULT UNDERGARMENT: A series of statements made by recovering addicts at Ennet House.

    Page 181 – LATE OCTOBER YEAR OF THE DEPEND ADULT UNDERGARMENT: Madame Psychosis begins her show at 109-WYYY FM; Hal and Mario listen at the Headmaster’s House.

    Page 193: A description of the Ennet House Drug and Alcohol Recovery House and the other six buildings on the Enfield Marine Public Heath Hospital complex (down the hill from ETA).

    Page 198 – 6 NOVEMBER YEAR OF THE DEPEND ADULT UNDERGARMENT: ETA weight room; introduction to Lyle, the sweat-licking guru.

    Page 200: An overview of the residents of Ennet House, including a long discursion on Tiny Ewell and his fascination with tattoos.

    Page 211: Michael Pemulis hypes up the DMZ to the other members of ETA.

    New Characters: Really just one: Madam Psychosis, the host of “Sixty Minutes More or Less with…” on M.I.T.’s student-run radio station 109-WYYY FM, a program to which Mario listens religiously.

  • Infinite Summery – Week 2

    Milestone Reached: Page 147 (14%)

    Chapters Read:

    Chapter Beginning Page Synopsis
    YEAR OF THE DEPEND ADULT UNDERGARMENT 85 Tiny Ewell travels to the Enfield Marine VA Hospital Complex via cab.

    A list of people gathered in the living room of the medical attaché house watching the Entertainment.
    30 APRIL — YEAR OF THE DEPEND ADULT UNDERGARMENT 87 Remy Marathe of the Assassins des Fauteuils Rollents (wheelchair assassins) and M. Hugh Steeply of the Office of Unspecified Services (OUS) converse on a bluff outside Tucson, AZ.

    A herd of feral hamsters rampages in the Great Concavity (which used to be Vermont, and is now owned by Canada)
    YEAR OF THE DEPEND ADULT UNDERGARMENT 95 Banter and exhaustion in the ETA lockeroom. Present: Hal Incandenza, John (N.R.) Wayne, Jim Troelsch, Michael Pemulis, Ted Schacht, Ortho Stice, Jim Struck, Keith Freer.

    Marathe and Steeply continue their conversation through sunset.
    3 NOVEMBER Y.D.A.U 109 Big Buddy meetings: first Hal (with Kent Blott, Idris Arslanian, Evan Ingersol), then Wayne, Troelsch, Struck, and Stice.
    MARIO INCANDENZA’S FIRST AND ONLY EVEN REMOTELY ROMANTIC EXPERIENCE, THUS FAR 121 Mario is seduced by USS Millicent Kent.
    30 APRIL — YEAR OF THE DEPEND ADULT UNDERGARMENT 126 Marathe and Steeply discuss the Entertainment, and possibility of an antidote (the anti-Entertainment).
    30 April — YEAR OF THE DEPEND ADULT UNDERGARMENT 127 “Lyle”, the sweat-licking guru who lives in the ETA weight room.

    yrstruly, Poor Tony, and C go on a crime spree, acquire heroin from Dr. Wo. The heroin is laced with Drano and C dies after shooting up.
    3 NOVEMBER Y.D.A.U. 135 Orin speaks to Hal by phone.

    Background of the Ennet House Drug and Alcohol Recovery House.

    Bricklayer story.

    Hal’s paper on active and passive heroes.

    Steeply’s article about the woman who had an artificial heart in her purse when it was snatched.

    List of Anti-O.N.A.N. groups.

    Why videography never took off.

    Characters:

    Characters in bold appear to be major.

    YEAR OF THE DEPEND ADULT UNDERGARMENT (page 85)

    • Tiny Ewell: Diminutive recovering alcoholic, being driven to the Enfield Marine VA Hospital Complex.

    30 APRIL — YEAR OF THE DEPEND ADULT UNDERGARMENT (page 87)

    • Remy Marathe: Member of the Assassins des Fauteuils Rollents (AFR); is working as a quadruple agent–that is, his superior, M. Fortier, thinks that Marthe is working as a triple agent (pretending to work with the Office of Unspecified Services, while in reality reporting back to AFR), but Marthe is actually collaborating with OUS to secure medical services for his wife.
    • M. Hugh Steeply: Agent the Office of Unspecified Services. Current operating in disguise as a large woman; Marathe’s contact.

    • MARIO INCANDENZA’S FIRST AND ONLY EVEN REMOTELY ROMANTIC EXPERIENCE, THUS FAR (page 121)

    • U.S.S. Millicent Kent: Girls 16’s Singles player who attempts to seduce Mario Incandenza.

    3 NOVEMBER Y.D.A.U

    • “Lyle”: Guru who lives in ETA weight room and apparently subsists off other people’s sweat.
    • yrstruly: Narrator of the “dopesick” chapter. Addict, criminal.
    • C: yrstruly’s companion who dies after shooting up with heroin laced with Drano.
    • Dr. Wo: Provide Poor Tony with the the heroin, laced with Drano to punish him (Tony) for past grievance.
    • Poor Tony: yrstruly’s companion, possibly suspected that heroin was laced but said nothing as C. shot up.

    3 NOVEMBER Y.D.A.U. (page 135)

    Guy Who Didn’t Even Use His First Name: So into the “anonymous” scene that he remained completely so. Founded the Ennet House Drug and Alcohol Recovery House.

Sources consulted during the compilation of this summation: the Infinite Jest Character Profiles (author unknown), JS’s Infinite Jest synopses, Dr. Keith O’Neil’s Infinite Jest Reader’s Guide, and Steve Russillo’s Chapter Thumbnails.