Why is David Foster Wallace such a joke on /lit/? I was never

>>10002899
he's not. You're repeating what everyone who is being ironic about him says. Which is really sad.

>>10002899
Not really related to your question, but can someone please explain to me why exactly IJ is so highly acclaimed? I'm about 200 pages in and so far I'm not impressed. I constantly have to force myself not to just skip entire sections because he goes off on so many tangents and unnecessary details that don't add anything to the story. Am I missing something? Should I just keep reading?

>>10002931
A decently funny trap to set people up for considering DFW's thoughts on irony for its own sake

>>10003033
It gets very good after 200-something pages. That's the general consensus and I found it to be true when I was reading. Though if you hate tangents and unnecessary details than the book is probably never going to be for you

>>10003033
It does get much better but if you're not enjoying it now then I'd probably just put it down. If you're not dying to know about the cartridge and etc. then why bother

>>10003033
You're a pleb my friend. Like most of the last man on this board who have grouped together in their big meme as to justify their lack of understanding and capalitiy as readers.

>>10003033
>but can someone please explain to me why exactly IJ is so highly acclaimed?
The structure of the storyline is unique in its execution.
>I'm about 200 pages in and so far I'm not impressed.
Nothing really makes sense until about 300-400 pages in. Stop now if you're hating the experience, but you'll have completely missed the point of the book by doing so.
> I constantly have to force myself not to just skip entire sections because he goes off on so many tangents and unnecessary details
Then chances are you've skipped over a lot of minor details that add to the story later.

>>10002899
I read Infinite Jeat five years ago. Based on that fact alone, I consider myself superior to almost everyone on here who's reading it for the first time. Anyway, what do you think DFW was like as a person? I bet he was flawed but had moments of compassion and wholesomeness.

>>10003479
probably a combo of irrelevant chris fogle, david foster wallace from PK, and a tiny amount of the guy from good old neon and skip from suffering channel. But mostly the first two

>>10003033
>I randomly skip parts of a book I'm reading because I decide they're not related to the narrative in the book I haven't yet finished
>WOW WHY THE FUCK IS THIS BOOK SO BAD
gee anon, have you considered that you may be retarded?

>>10003479
>I bet he was flawed but had moments of compassion and wholesomeness.

Oh woah, so like practically every fucking person who ever existed?
Glad to see that heavy reading payed off with some cutting insights

>>10004298
I said "I force myself not to skip", meaning I don't skip parts. Have you considered that *you* might be retarded?

>>10003479
>Anyway, what do you think DFW was like as a person?
Well, he was kind of abusive to women, and a depressed substance abuser. But he was obviously extremely intelligent and, from interviews and his work, seemed to be an empathetic person and even humble. He wasn't a cynic, so that already puts him in a different position than the typical depressed, arrogant genius. I bet he was a genuinely troubled individual who tried in earnest to be a good person and artist, but eventually succumbed to his demons.

>>10004444
>>10003479
He was probably the kind of narcissist who cycled between acute self-consciousness/loathing and self-grandiosity, which is typical of creative and intellectual types.

>>10003479
he must have had amazing social skills, how did he meme the judaic publishing industry into turning him into a star?

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Was he a Gun N Roses fan?

>>10003033
>unnecessary details that don't add anything to the story
>reading for plot
just kill yourself at this point, there's no more redeeming you.

>>10004471
Read The Pale King as a metaphor of his autobiography. You may be surprised to see that he answered your question

>>10003479
Infinite Jest is without question the worst book in the meme trilogy.

>>10002899
Honestly, youre missing nothing of value if you skip IJ completely.

personally i dont believe his whole 'life is so hard and awful we all struggle to cope by getting addicted to things' meme philosophy is actually true, and i feel like his fans are people who hold up their mental illness as a symptom of their depth.

most of the people i met who like him seem to believe they are a tortured genius', rather than spoiled lazy kids not ready for responsibility.
in a word; childish.

>>10005351
I'm not surprised you dislike considering you completely misread the point of IJ. It wasn't about getting addicted to things to pass the time lol, do you understand anything about America

>>10005368

oh yeah whats the point of it then

also i'm not american

>>10003033
Drop it. You understand that it's vapid.
Ignore the pseuds.

>>10002899
What DFW books do you faggots recommend besides IJ?

>>10006564
oblivion and all of the essays. The Pale King is the best work but for admirers of the previous work only.

>>10005368
>lol
heh.. you're in deep water..

>>10005368
What exactly is the point then?

>>10002899
Any specific essays I should start with?

>>10004432
Shit anon, my bad plus. I was drunk and bad at reading. Maybe try the audiobook? It's still like 70 hours but his prose is less of a bitch to get through (and imo, a lot more enjoyable)

>>10007666
Thanks for the tip, I'll try it. Anyone know if there's a torrent or something out there for the audio version?

>>10007840
Never mind, disregard the last part. Someone put the whole thing up on YouTube.

>>10003033
I'm 100 pages in and I'm loving it, the stories may not be connected yet but that doesn't mean that they aren't interesting

>>10002899
this is why

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rwauudA6MNY

>>10003033

>skipping entire sections

this is bait

it has to be

>>10005379
>>10006626
>>10006651

look up his "this is water" speech and try to use your chicken nugget brain really really hard to see if you can connect the dots

>>10009050
Are you autistic or simply retarded? I'm commenting on the
>lol
not the speech. Shut your FUCKING mouth

Do people actually like DFW's prose? I'm about 60 pages into IJ and it reads like someone who learned all the grammar rules for writing good sentences, but has none of the soul or energy or anger or passion that makes the sentences of someone like Pynchon really jump off the page and scream across the sky. He has all the knowledge and none of the talent.

>>10003072

>first reply
>"it gets good after 200 pages"

Lol. Also it's actually after 450

>>10009145
>learned all the grammar rules for writing good sentences, but has none of the soul or energy or anger or passion
he does have all those things, but only for stupid shit

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>haven't read IJ
>have a very strong opinion on why it sucks anyway

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sXvAd7COpJY

>>10009145
>Pynchon writes good prose

haha. DFW ain't for you buddeh

>>10005285
What else is in the meme trilogy?

>>10002931
I can confirm that man is regarded as a joke amongst french readers. Most def a meme over here - and a bad one at that.

Well he wouldn't have killed himself if there wasn't something wrong with him

>>10003479
He played up a faux sense of humbleness
>Lied about being good at tennis. He was bang average
>Openly despised by his cronies in the halfway house. They knew he was trying to write a book
>Had a pretty bad reliance on weed and self consciously dosed with aphetamines.
>It was all part of building up this mystique as a "troubled genius"
>His suicide was the ultimate vanity letter to his ego. Cementing his status as a tragic literay hero.
>Was actually very Christian

I feel for the guy he is tortured by his own kistchness and killed himself because he realized no matter what he couldn't escape himself and couldn't be fixed.

>>10010891
Kind of like how no french writers after proust are taken seriously anywhere?

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>>10010572
Gravity's Rainbow and Ulysses

IJ is better than both, it's at least readable

>>10009145
He didn't want to embarrass himself I think. Most authors use much too much descriptive language. I think he was trying to get away from all that waste-of-time bullshit. Also, if you write a 1000+ page book and you are "angry", the reader is quickly going to get sick of your book.

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>>10006564

read Broom Of The System and the rest of his oeuvre (and his excessive womanizing followed by pathetic suicide) will make perfect sense: CE1990s 'merican youth raised on television are the spiritual/intellectual equivalent of Rick Vigorous waving his micropenis at a bimbo secretary funding a televangelist cocketoo who would rather shag a drunken faux cowboy than copulate with a tictac

>>10009145
Stopping 60 pages into a book so you can post your opinion on the internet is the most /lit/ thing ever.