it's fricking good. but patience is key for getting through some of the denser parts. don't get frustrated and quit just because he starts describing a building or something for a long time in a seemingly overcomplicated way
use three bookmarks, one for where you are, one for footnotes, and one for the page that has the years once you get there. It will make more sense when you see it, and it helps your understanding of the timeline much more.
some great chapters (Jim Incandenza and dad with the bed springs, Joelle Dan V overdose, Poor Tony withdrawals, Eschaton, Randy Lenz killing cats, madame psychosis and MIT radio introduction) and everything gately is good but ultimately IJ is overhyped (i read it 6 years ago and am just past halfway now). wallace kind of lazily reuses descriptions sometimes and repeats situations. a lot of the jokes don't land and are excessive. it shows that he wrote it in his early 30s as his second novel, imo
also the endnotes are kind of pathetic and annoying. the showing of 'erudition' with the chemical names of drugs and whatever isnt really cool anymore with the smartphone supercomputers we all have in our pockets that could spit the same info out. i don't want to hear that it was predictive. only ones worth keeping are the v long ones
i basically agree with this, there are various exceptional and quite memorable sections but overall the book hardly justifies its gargantuan length. i still can't say i regret reading it but i would agree that it is overhyped.
Know you're about to waste your time
Really though? It’s shit?
Just read Pynchon.
No anvil 😉
Pickme
it's fricking good. but patience is key for getting through some of the denser parts. don't get frustrated and quit just because he starts describing a building or something for a long time in a seemingly overcomplicated way
DFW is the smartest guy he knew
The Pale King is better and would've been his magnum opus if he'd finished.
Drugs are bad, m'kay?
Escapism is bad, m'kay?
Tennis is fun, m'kay?
Literally all true
I don't see any problem with this. I love playing tennis, and drugs are for brainlets
use three bookmarks, one for where you are, one for footnotes, and one for the page that has the years once you get there. It will make more sense when you see it, and it helps your understanding of the timeline much more.
If you haven't read hamlet, now is a good time.
Chainlink privileges revoked.
If you're not feeling it just put it down.
It's meant for multiple readthroughs. Don't worry about trying to put all the pieces together the first time. Pynchon sucks.
some great chapters (Jim Incandenza and dad with the bed springs, Joelle Dan V overdose, Poor Tony withdrawals, Eschaton, Randy Lenz killing cats, madame psychosis and MIT radio introduction) and everything gately is good but ultimately IJ is overhyped (i read it 6 years ago and am just past halfway now). wallace kind of lazily reuses descriptions sometimes and repeats situations. a lot of the jokes don't land and are excessive. it shows that he wrote it in his early 30s as his second novel, imo
also the endnotes are kind of pathetic and annoying. the showing of 'erudition' with the chemical names of drugs and whatever isnt really cool anymore with the smartphone supercomputers we all have in our pockets that could spit the same info out. i don't want to hear that it was predictive. only ones worth keeping are the v long ones
i basically agree with this, there are various exceptional and quite memorable sections but overall the book hardly justifies its gargantuan length. i still can't say i regret reading it but i would agree that it is overhyped.
Read Hamlet
It's not that good.