Steven Asin answers “Has anyone read this on a Kindle...”

asif khan asked this question about Infinite Jest:

Has anyone read this on a Kindle Paperwhite? I'd like to know how easy the footnote navigation would be with this particular touchscreen Kindle.

Steven Asin Infinite Jest is the perfect book for the Kindle Paperwhite. Beyond the ease with which one can look-up footnotes, consider the following: (a) It is a…moreInfinite Jest is the perfect book for the Kindle Paperwhite. Beyond the ease with which one can look-up footnotes, consider the following: (a) It is a weighty text that is difficult to carry around, as well as just hold and read, in its printed forms. (b) Wallace indulges in lacing his text with words that are outside the vocabulary of most educated readers. While I appreciate that devotees of IJ have lugged unabridged dictionaries along with the IJ volume itself, it is not something I could have managed. Moreover, words I never new existed pop up with sufficient frequency that looking them up in a separate volume would be both disruptive to the books narrative flow and significantly increase the amount of time needed to read this book. The Kindle allows you to just press on the unknown word to get a definition. (c) IJ is a long book with multiple plot lines, and if you have a limited time to devote to reading it on a daily basis you can loose track of narrative details and characters. The Kindle "X-ray" feature allows you to click on a character's name and get a brief summary to refresh your recollection of the character or plot development. I would have found it impossible to read IJ, despite how appealing I find it, without the advantages offered by reading it on the Kindle.(less)

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