Infinite Summer

Just an FYI. "Himself "is a common Irish appellation for the head of a household. We always referred to my father as "Himself"

Given that tidbit, we should consider it significant that a tall, alcoholic named Jim (James) is stalking this novel as the mysterious and dead father of the Incandenzas, a book which has been compared to Ulysses by many reviewers. This is another of DFW's intertextual references. This time, of course, to Joyce.

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"It is easy to put on a show & be cocky. . . Or I can show you some really fancy movement. But to express oneself honestly, not lying to oneself. . . now that, my friend, is very hard to do." --Bruce Lee

Cool fact to know.. thanks

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Good point tomj. Also, though, my Irish in-laws use it to denote a person who actually is important. That is to say, it is used both mockingly, and not (and in Ireland, usually both at once.)

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The dorks are saving the nation, and this book proves it.

tomj and bluestocking --thank you for adding to this. My parents were 1st generation Irish and I can clearly hear my mother calling my father Himself in a teasing manner. And she would also describe someone else as Himself when she thought the guy "was full of himself." Also appreciated the link to Ulysses. The depth and layering of this book is clearly Joycean so no doubt DFW would pay homage to Joyce. ( a Himself if there ever was one!)