I've embarked on a similar "project," although I'm a bit behind you (having begun 7/20 and through p. 486 at this point), and I found this site because when I reached this section, I just had to converse with someone(s) about it. (NB: for some reason, I stalled out each prior -- approx. 3-4 -- attempt at IJ, after purchasing it almost immediately upon publication, having become a DFW fan via ASFTINDA. Don't know why it "took" this time & not previously; sure, I'm older, but I was hardly young -- at 28 -- when it was published, and my attention span has probably diminished in the interval, if anything, and my knowledge-base for "getting" DFW's many references, intellectual, pop-cultural, and otherwise has not appreciably increased, either.)
regardless of all that, I found this section to be:
(1) hysterical to a laughing-out-loud, waking-the-kids-at-1:00-AM degree; and,
(2) a key joinder-of-elements-previously-dimly-understood (which happens with increasing frequency, it appears -- see, e.g. pp. 215-16 and pp. 484-88).
whether or not Hal's "revelations" to the grief counselor are genuine or merely feigned to satisfy the finally-understood expectations of same, they are darkly comic to an absurd degree. the final ("something smells delicious") payoff had me gasping for breath.
stylistically, I agree w/ above that it is interesting the way Hal & Orin are, in many ways, talking past each other rather than responding directly to each others' comments. But it's more than that -- there is something of a code, an Incandenza slang, a shared language at work, so that they are both, if effect, commenting on the topic(s) of discussion in a somewhat abstracted way, rather than engaging directly with each other. But they are on the same turf, Inc-alese-wise, so it doesn't feel like two people failing to engage each other, but still lacks a direct emotional contact as you might expect between two brothers (but not, as here, where there has apparently been an estrangement of 2+ years etc). It's a subtle and effective way of showing that Hal can decide to meet Orin at a neutral, familiar territory conversationally, while remaining emotionally disengaged. Skillful piece of writing, as well as hilarious.
|