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Couldn't get into Infinite Jest. Still sitting on my bookshelf; ~50 pages in, I really just didn't care. DFW's Kenyan commencement speech is what got me intere
by smaddox 10y ago
Couldn't get into Infinite Jest. Still sitting on my bookshelf; ~50 pages in, I really just didn't care.
DFW's Kenyan commencement speech is what got me interested in his writing. I'd like to go back and finish Infinite Jest at some point, but I don't see it happening any time soon.
- johnloeber 10y agoThe first 100 pages are by far the hardest. They contain the stylistically most challenging passages, and DFW introduces nearly all characters and settings within those 100 pages, in a non-linear fashion to boot. For that reason, it takes a while to get into. You'll get the hang of it between page 150 and 250, and from there on, it's an absolutely riveting read.
- laxatives 10y agoI'd mostly agree, but say that it took me more like 300 pages to "get" his style and an additional 200 pages to actually enjoy. Its a serious investment, but absolutely worth it. Easily one of my two favorite books of all time, next to GEB. I finished it and had a strong urge to start reading it from the beginning again immediately.
- tomgp 10y agoA good place to start is a collection of his essays -- short enough to read in a sitting but will help you get into his style. "A supposedly fun thing..." was my gateway