how abhorred in my imagination it is!
December 6, 2010 12:20 PM Subscribe
My SO started Infinite Jest in June, and is still persevering. He could use this.
posted by dumdidumdum at 12:56 PM on December 6, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by dumdidumdum at 12:56 PM on December 6, 2010 [1 favorite]
Oh dear. This is something that I wish to own.
Or, in the parlance of our times: DO WANT.
posted by davidjmcgee at 1:05 PM on December 6, 2010
Or, in the parlance of our times: DO WANT.
posted by davidjmcgee at 1:05 PM on December 6, 2010
A couple questions.
1) is it legal to sell this thing?
2) how do the links work? For example, Bobby C is connected to Pamela Hoffman-Jeep who is connected to Don. But Don is also connected to Bobby C directly (used to work with him), and I think he knew him before he knew Pamela Hoffman-Jeep (but maybe I'm wrong there) .. shouldn't every direct connection be represented as a direct link in the map?
3) how the hell did I not know that Madame Psychosis' real name was Lucille Duquette? Uh, waitaminnit ...
oh hell, the PDF's not searchable. boooooooooo.
posted by mrgrimm at 1:17 PM on December 6, 2010
1) is it legal to sell this thing?
2) how do the links work? For example, Bobby C is connected to Pamela Hoffman-Jeep who is connected to Don. But Don is also connected to Bobby C directly (used to work with him), and I think he knew him before he knew Pamela Hoffman-Jeep (but maybe I'm wrong there) .. shouldn't every direct connection be represented as a direct link in the map?
3) how the hell did I not know that Madame Psychosis' real name was Lucille Duquette? Uh, waitaminnit ...
oh hell, the PDF's not searchable. boooooooooo.
posted by mrgrimm at 1:17 PM on December 6, 2010
I know what I want for x-mas now!
posted by fantodstic at 1:18 PM on December 6, 2010
posted by fantodstic at 1:18 PM on December 6, 2010
My SO started Infinite Jest in June, and is still persevering. He could use this.
I'm not sure this would help.
My best advice is when you get to the big party and Mario's film, skip ahead 100 pages. (Yes, I know, it's classic and funny, but it's totally extraneous and bogged down in futuristic nonsense politics.)
posted by mrgrimm at 1:20 PM on December 6, 2010
I'm not sure this would help.
My best advice is when you get to the big party and Mario's film, skip ahead 100 pages. (Yes, I know, it's classic and funny, but it's totally extraneous and bogged down in futuristic nonsense politics.)
posted by mrgrimm at 1:20 PM on December 6, 2010
Just mailed this off to my best friend for Christmas. It's perfect for him. He dug the book, likes posters/art, and just bought a new house.
posted by lover at 1:21 PM on December 6, 2010
posted by lover at 1:21 PM on December 6, 2010
I'd buy it for the Eschaton submap alone. Cool find!
posted by Schlimmbesserung at 1:26 PM on December 6, 2010
posted by Schlimmbesserung at 1:26 PM on December 6, 2010
I read through 'Gravity's Rainbow' last year, which was incredibly challenging, but rewarding. After a brief break with a few graphic novels, I decided to tackle 'Infinite Jest'. About 300-400 pages in, I found that no one in this book knew how to smoke pot like a normal person and I just could not give a FUCK about tennis. It has languished on the shelf ever since.
posted by FatherDagon at 2:14 PM on December 6, 2010 [6 favorites]
posted by FatherDagon at 2:14 PM on December 6, 2010 [6 favorites]
I've been reading IJ on and off for about a year. At first I thought this was a bad technique, to put the book down for a few weeks and then pick it back up again. I don't think it's really impeded any potential enjoyment of the book. Parts of it seem to be a slog, other parts are really entertaining, some is just . . . wtf-type-stuff. Kind of like life in general. Having this chart will help me to reorient myself when I dip back into IJ again.
posted by quadog at 2:32 PM on December 6, 2010
posted by quadog at 2:32 PM on December 6, 2010
A collection of my coworkers are standing in front of my computer, staring at this PDF. They have been doing so for almost 18 hours. Several of them have soiled themselves and the stench is unbearable.
posted by benzenedream at 2:44 PM on December 6, 2010 [20 favorites]
posted by benzenedream at 2:44 PM on December 6, 2010 [20 favorites]
I'm re-reading IJ and taking notes this time. I'm amazed at how much I missed & how many references to semiotics are scattered throughout.
posted by Dmenet at 3:44 PM on December 6, 2010
posted by Dmenet at 3:44 PM on December 6, 2010
About 300-400 pages in, I found that no one in this book knew how to smoke pot like a normal person and I just could not give a FUCK about tennis.
Hate to say this, but you're doing it wrong. Not giving a particular fuck about tennis and not really knowing anything about it, I finally caught on that DFW was pulling my leg when he described the tennis academy students using Lemon Pledge on their skin, with dried scraps of the stuff littering the locker rooms. (If that hadn't tipped me off, the Les Assassins des Fauteuils Rollents probably would have done the trick.) Taking anything in the book at face value may be a mistake; people make the same mistake with Chuck Palahniuk's stuff, as well.
posted by Halloween Jack at 4:24 PM on December 6, 2010
Hate to say this, but you're doing it wrong. Not giving a particular fuck about tennis and not really knowing anything about it, I finally caught on that DFW was pulling my leg when he described the tennis academy students using Lemon Pledge on their skin, with dried scraps of the stuff littering the locker rooms. (If that hadn't tipped me off, the Les Assassins des Fauteuils Rollents probably would have done the trick.) Taking anything in the book at face value may be a mistake; people make the same mistake with Chuck Palahniuk's stuff, as well.
posted by Halloween Jack at 4:24 PM on December 6, 2010
AWESOME. I just finished IJ Saturday; now I'm off to see how wrong I was about how many things, before I start reading it again.
posted by fiercecupcake at 4:25 PM on December 6, 2010
posted by fiercecupcake at 4:25 PM on December 6, 2010
I've read IJ three times and there's still connections on here I've missed. Impressive find.
posted by dephlogisticated at 5:25 PM on December 6, 2010
posted by dephlogisticated at 5:25 PM on December 6, 2010
I am sensing that the poster makes some assumptions about connections that I would not make. Not sure why there are no connections between Avril, Mario and Oren.
Arguably, there should be some type of connection between Avril and these two.
I haven't looked at other parts of it that closely yet, but his just jumped out.
posted by mygoditsbob at 4:47 AM on December 7, 2010
Arguably, there should be some type of connection between Avril and these two.
I haven't looked at other parts of it that closely yet, but his just jumped out.
posted by mygoditsbob at 4:47 AM on December 7, 2010
Oh, I knew full well that the whole 'tennis' thing was actually a double blind cover for the actual message of the piece and used as an illustrative metaphor for the blah blah blah blah. That was very easy to figure out. I still could not muster up the effort to CARE, however. The device just wore on me very quickly. Eschaton was definitely a more engaging hook, but by that time my give-a-fuck-itude had been drawn to it's thinnest and then snapped.
posted by FatherDagon at 7:48 AM on December 7, 2010
posted by FatherDagon at 7:48 AM on December 7, 2010
I found that no one in this book knew how to smoke pot like a normal person
I guess I'm not a normal person. I'm not as neurotic as whathisname at the beginning (CHART!) ... Ken Erdedy, but I've smoked plenty of secret one-hitters like Hal (though again, not as obsessive about the teeth brushing and mouthwash).
Also, Don knows how to smoke pot like a normal person. He just doesn't anymore ... I'd bet dollars to donuts Marlon Bain smokes pot like a normal person.
I've read IJ three times and there's still connections on here I've missed.
Agreed on this. I'm still trying to remember how Erdedy and Viney & Veals are connected. Maybe he was a child actor?
Related?
That was pretty cool. I missed it the first time. The chart also makes some perhaps unconventional assumptions.
posted by mrgrimm at 11:21 AM on December 7, 2010
I guess I'm not a normal person. I'm not as neurotic as whathisname at the beginning (CHART!) ... Ken Erdedy, but I've smoked plenty of secret one-hitters like Hal (though again, not as obsessive about the teeth brushing and mouthwash).
Also, Don knows how to smoke pot like a normal person. He just doesn't anymore ... I'd bet dollars to donuts Marlon Bain smokes pot like a normal person.
I've read IJ three times and there's still connections on here I've missed.
Agreed on this. I'm still trying to remember how Erdedy and Viney & Veals are connected. Maybe he was a child actor?
Related?
That was pretty cool. I missed it the first time. The chart also makes some perhaps unconventional assumptions.
posted by mrgrimm at 11:21 AM on December 7, 2010
This time I will refrain from snarking in a DFW/Infinite Jest thread. You lucky people.
posted by Decani at 1:03 PM on December 7, 2010
posted by Decani at 1:03 PM on December 7, 2010
I read IJ on an iphone screen using the Kindle app. Is that why I want the poster and won't settle for the PDF on my netbook?
posted by drowsy at 9:44 AM on December 8, 2010
posted by drowsy at 9:44 AM on December 8, 2010
I did this in college, drawing all the characters, but didn't document it well. YOU HAVE TO BELIEVE ME.
posted by limnrix at 7:31 PM on December 9, 2010
posted by limnrix at 7:31 PM on December 9, 2010
Here's a photo of the character drawings I did, mapped as closely as I could. I kind of fizzled out on a higher-resolution composite, but I'm proud of it and glad this reminded me. I love that even with a book that's concerned with having no "figurants", there are still unnamed characters we don't know a lot about. I also like that nonhuman entities and organizations are included.
posted by limnrix at 8:11 PM on December 9, 2010 [2 favorites]
posted by limnrix at 8:11 PM on December 9, 2010 [2 favorites]
Here's a photo of the character drawings I did, mapped as closely as I could.
Avril is the real wild card, eh. That's not how I pictured her at all (I saw her skinnier/taller (she is about 6'5", I think), and perpetually in slacks), but she's still jumps out.
She's the most interesting character to me. I wonder why she gets no personal narrative/pov. She does get around, however.
posted by mrgrimm at 8:42 AM on December 10, 2010 [1 favorite]
Avril is the real wild card, eh. That's not how I pictured her at all (I saw her skinnier/taller (she is about 6'5", I think), and perpetually in slacks), but she's still jumps out.
She's the most interesting character to me. I wonder why she gets no personal narrative/pov. She does get around, however.
posted by mrgrimm at 8:42 AM on December 10, 2010 [1 favorite]
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Very good, gwint.
posted by Lutoslawski at 12:23 PM on December 6, 2010