2009

The Archives

Guides, Miscellaneous
Amanda French: ∞/2
08.02.09 | Permalink | 4 Comments

The midpoint of Infinite Jest is rapidly approaching (next Thursday, according to the schedule). What better time to organize meet-ups, so that readers in various cities can discuss their progress through the novel? Militant Grammarians in the audience will notice a conspicuous lack of actor in the preceding sentence. Specifically, we did not say that [...]
Summaries
Infinite Summary – Week 6
08.01.09 | Permalink | 6 Comments

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) [...]
Guests
Matt Earp: Standing Witness
07.31.09 | Permalink | 20 Comments

Matt Earp lives in San Francisco and creates electronic music under the name Kid Kameleon. The Basics ’97: I’m 18, a freshman at Wesleyan in Connecticut. My best friend gets me to read A Supposedly Fun Thing. I go to see DFW speak at the Harvard Film Archive. I fall in love. ’99: Coming back [...]
Avery Edison
I Am Not Enjoying this Book
07.30.09 | Permalink | 122 Comments

(Note: This post was not a reaction to Kevin’s post from yesterday, but works in tandem with it, I think. Although it’s safe to say that we each draw very different conclusions.) I am not enjoying Infinite Jest. Don’t get me wrong — I’m not going to quit. I’m going to read the whole thing [...]
Kevin Guilfoile
Cause I Got the Real Love, The Kind That You Need
07.29.09 | Permalink | 26 Comments

When I started writing my second novel,54 I imagined it would be structured like a teraktys, an ancient Pythagorean symbol that plays a role in the story. Specifically, the second section would be twice as long as the first, the third three times as long as the first, and the final section four times as [...]
Eden M. Kennedy
P.S. Allston Rules
07.28.09 | Permalink | 7 Comments

I have to admit, I had doubts that I would reach the point where I’d have the privilege of telling you that I have finally, really started loving this book. Speaking as a somewhat emotionally stunted adult, a lot of the ETA scenes are my favorites, how the gravely serious roots of an Eschaton scenario [...]
Matthew Baldwin
The Bully Pulpit
07.27.09 | Permalink | 25 Comments

A few weeks ago I was speaking to a journalist and struggling to explain how a novel so revered by people who have read it could also be so off-putting for those wading through it for the first time. I mentioned the length of course, and the endnotes, and the 84¢-words, and the sentences that [...]