pynchon-l-digest V2 #4786

[dchristensen]

On the great novel: Infinite Jest.

Well, a novel fundamentally about instituted slavery (amongst other things)
of young sporting prodigies does not get a vote. Even if this is the only
thing you get from Infinite Jest it is something worthwhile. But this big
book does not register.
Too clever of course is Wallace. The footnoting, the extensive film lists
etc, etc, brushing up on the effects of opiates and alcohol withdrawal.
 Of course at times it gets out of control and ends rather limply. But it is
the best book I have read to just get my late 20th century/early 21st
condition. Its also incredibly funny. Not many laughs coming out of the
others on the list. Of course we have not seen the follow up to this large
novel. We have other brilliant essays from Wallace of course. Perhaps the
exhaustion factor of creating such a book takes time to recover. For me its
briiliant sections outweigh its ridiculous length and pretensions. Its never
going to be in a college course. But it is the most dazzling use of the
english language I have encountered. Always remarkable.