Almost every person around my age that I've talked to about

>>9973213
I legitimately have trouble believing that IJ is anybody's favorite book. It's incredibly "meh" at best, and to me it's just another one of those books that I can say I've read, and that's about it.
>Is it really worth it?
Depends on how much you value your time.

>>9973213
I read the whole thing. Parts of it are some of the best reading I've ever done in my life. DFW really was a genius with words. But the way it comes together in the end leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

I'd say overall it's worth a read.

>>9973213
>Almost every person around my age that I've talked to about books has told me their favorite author is DFW and their favorite book Infinite Jest

Why lie about this? You know you're lying.

>>9973228
That's what stops me from reading it, I know I should read at least 300-400 pages to decide if I like it or not, but I immediately think of other things I could be reading instead that don't make me feel so doubtful. I guess I'm gonna try soon.

>>9973231
I'm 21 and I'm talking about people from 20 to 26, maybe, but also older.

>>9973249
I'm not, but I'm talking about middle class/rich Literature students or "young writers".

>>9973213
Most people don't even know what IJ is

it's objectively good, it's not the be all end all of literature.

>>9973243
I've read other things by him, mostly essays, and I really liked it. Glad to know you actually read it all, anon.

>>9973252
Don't get me wrong, it's not as shitty as /lit/ pseuds make it out to be, but I'm reluctant to say that the book itself is anywhere above "okay" in terms of quality. At the very least, you'll finally be in on all the /lit/ memes.

>>9973252
I mean if you're not that interested then there's nothing forcing you.

>>9973287
I am, but I'm also not. One of those books that make me feel attracted and uninterested 50/50.

I read it, I enjoyed it, and thought it was pretty good. I could imagine someone that never read anything outside of high school or college could think it's the greatest thing they ever read, but it doesn't come close to the best, not even compared to other long, hard novels. It's worth a read though.

It's worth the reading

Yes, I read it in a week. The experience of reading it was quite intense, but I am not sure that it would have the same effect upon me nowadays.

It is a book for teenagers and those whose minds have not yet being properly educated in the realm of the aesthetic.

Ignore it. Read Milton and Keats instead, then learn some Italian in order to meet real writers: Dante, Guido Cavalcanti, Leopardi. If you want to experience proper literature, you have to go Mediterranean. Literature can't be made by the Anglophone mind. Shakespeare is sort of inspired, but nothing much, and has a terrible sense of humor.

It's complicated. I don't think I would have read the whole book if i tried to read it in my spare time, i read about 80% of it on my hour long lunch breaks in a casino basement that had 0 cell service or WiFi so there wasn't much else to do. The book goes all over the place, some parts are incrediblely boring, some are very entertaining, it can be funny and sad, insightful and borderline retarded. I'm glad I did read it though, it contains some of my favorite writing of all time even if it also contains a fair amount of garbage. I wouldn't just go out and read it though, read one of his short story collections and one of his other novels to see if you actually like his writing because there's parts of IJ that make you wish you read a different meme book.

I had a friend who works at SIU in Carbondale, he was always trying to get me to read it. I love Moby Dick and other big tedious books, because often enough they are worth the hassle-- but IJ was like if Kurt Vonnegut wrote a 4 volume book while robotripping.
It's like-- almost clever, almost funny, almost interesting.
And wayyy to long to be so ALMOST.

>>9973257
read the book anon you might like it

and if you don't, at least try to come up with something original to say about it

imo the best book i've read to date

I don't know anyone who honestly likes infinite jest. I'm sure they're just trying to be cool

I read it, really enjoyed it overall. There were some off topic sections that were pretty boring but they were few and far between, I don't know why the book has a reputation for being challenging and intellectual, its easy to read and deals with very real and understandable human problems we all face in a really beautiful way. For example, the way it talks about addiction is probably the best way I've ever seen it portrayed in media.

>>9973213
It's a great book and I would recommend it to anyone.
The best book? No, not even close.

>>9973264
uhhhh in what world? even people who read a single book every five years know about IJ

>>9973443
>read Milton and Keats
>Literature can't be made by the Anglophone mind

Is it only poetry when you say Literature? It is not hard to find and know 1800s English writers, especially Poets with the Romantic movement.

>>9973249
He's absolutely massive within that (my) age group. I can vouch for what he's saying. He's an impressive writer to young writers. His work feels very "of the time" and his prose is out-there (whether it's good or not is a whole other question) and still readable.

I live in Boston. He's popular for college students and 20-somethings. Maybe it's because IJ takes place around here.

And OP, I think it's worth it. I've read everything by him. He used to be a favorite of mine. I still admire a lot of what he wrote. People get too caught up on who he was. Just think of it as any old book and read it. It's a fun book to talk about.