Friday, June 22, 2012

Preparing for Infinite Jest: Reader's Companions and Guides

Infinite Summer talks about...
Infinite Jest: A Scene by Scene Guide

I found or I was pointed to...
Mr. K's Infinite Jest Blog
Words, Words, Words: The Infinite Jest LiveBlog
IJ Wiki

There are two books, that everyone seems to feel are the definitive IJ books...if you want to buy something...



Price:  $13.43 at BN
ISBN-13: 9781441157072
Publication date: 4/19/2012
Pages: 144
Product dimensions: 5.50 (w) x 8.40 (h) x 0.50 (d)
from Goodreads:
This is part of a new series of guides to contemporary novels. The aim of the series is to give readers accessible and informative introductions to some of the most popular, most acclaimed and most influential novels of recent years from The Remains of the Day to White Teeth . A team of contemporary fiction scholars from both sides of the Atlantic has been assembled to provide a thorough and readable analysis of each of the novels in question.

  • Price: $24.95 or $9.99 on the Kindle (it doesn't seem to exist on BN at all!)
  • Publication Date: 11/30/07 
  • ISBN-13: 978-0976146537 
  • Pages: 524 pages
  • Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 1.4 inches
from Amazon:
Elegant Complexity is the first critical work to provide detailed and thorough commentary on each of the 192 sections of David Foster Wallace's masterful Infinite Jest. No other commentary on Infinite Jest recognizes that Wallace clearly divided the book into 28 chapters that are thematically unified. A chronology at the end of the study reorders each section of the novel into a sequential timeline that orients the reader and that could be used to support a chronological reading of the novel. Other helpful reference materials include a thematic outline, more chronologies, a map of one the novel's settings, lists of characters grouped by association, and an indexed list of references. Elegant Complexity orients the reader at the beginning of each section and keeps commentary separate for those readers who only want orientation. The researcher looking for specific characters or themes is provided a key at the beginning of each commentary. Carlisle explains the novel's complex plot threads (and discrepancies) with expert insight and clear commentary. The book is 99% spoiler-free for first-time readers of Infinite Jest.


And, I've linked points of interest on my main page here at IS'12. Please know it is a work in progress and I post things as I find them and mention them on the blog.


In taking on the task of reading Infinite Jest, what have you found useful?

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