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Infinite Jest
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Infinite Jest by D.F. Wallace WEEK 10
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Zulfiya wrote: "I know some of you mentioned that you have found this book virtually unputdownable."That only applies to some sections, for me ...
Is it really the matter of pride, a certain badge of literary accomplishment for whose who have read the novel?
I think probably it is, partly. Like any challenging book, e.g. War and Peace.
Reading them both at the same time must be a very special accomplishment :-)
Are you going to take a crack at WaP as well?
P.S. As for the 'unputdownable' part, I meant part 9, not the whole book :-)
Zulfiya wrote: "What are your feelings? Are you also in hate/love relationship with this novel? Is it really the matter of pride, a certain badge of literary accomplishment for whose who have read the novel?"I don't feel at all that I'm in a hate/love relationship with this book. I'm definitely enjoying it, although there are some slower parts that are more of a struggle **cough**puppetshow**cough**. But I do like the sense of accomplishment with finishing any sort of large literary work, if only to know what it's all about when it comes up in conversation or articles or whatever. Not in the sense of being able to brag about having read it. I just like to know what "all the fuss" is about and be able to have an opinion about it. :)
I finished week 10 last night. Week 9 was more intriguing to me, but week 10 does have its moments - Avril + John Wayne?!!! (Someone, Rosemary?, mentioned in a previous thread about the possibility of those two together...)
Also, what was up with all the blue things pointed out in the ETA admin office? And is there some connection with the blue carpet in the offices and the blue carpet in the home of James O.I. that we read in week 9?
The section on Randy Lenz started off kind of dry for me, and I was turned off by the animal mutilations. But by the end of his section I enjoyed it a bit more - mostly his entire conversation (one-sided as it may be) with Bruce Green after Lenz had taken cocaine at the AA meeting. I love those "stream-of-consciousnesses say-whatevers-on-your-mind" ramblings.
Hi all! I am back! I have actually been reading, but not posting. I was not very enthralled by the past two weeks sections, so I just let them sort of slide by.Zulfiya wrote: "I know some of you mentioned that you have found this book virtually unputdownable."
Ugh, I WISH this was the case for me! Like I mentioned before, I just have the hardest time picking up this book every time. I don't even know why! I don't dislike the book at all!
Zulfiya wrote: "What are your feelings? Are you also in hate/love relationship with this novel? Is it really the matter of pride, a certain badge of literary accomplishment for whose who have read the novel?"
At this point, absolutely. Although week 10 is picking up for me again, I know that even if it doesn't I will slog through to have read this book.
Anyways, the John Wayne and Avril scene was amazing. Just. Amazing. To whoever called that one, major kudos. I also love the way it was written...with Pemulis obviously knowing what was going on just taking his time. Great scene! And really, REALLY adding to the story! Yay!
Some other notes I have for this part:
On pg 529 there is another mention to murder by railway spike (the Antitoi brothers was the first). What on earth is up with THIS particular method for killing? It seems more trouble than it is worth.
Pg 538, Joelle is again mentioning that she might be TOO beautiful. I can't wait to figure out what the real story is behind this situation.
We have the introduction of Glynn here...a guy on workers comp for taking bricks to the head....sounds like that one random story from way earlier in the book is maybe finally a little bit tying in here?
And I love this quote (535): "Lenz will use cocaine in the very interests of sobriety and growth itself."
So this section of the book used a line here or there or a short section here or there to start hinting that things are going to start tying together. I really, REALLY hope this keeps up!
Kaycie wrote: "the John Wayne and Avril scene was amazing. Just. Amazing. To whoever called that one, major kudos. I also love the way it was written...with Pemulis obviously knowing what was going on just taking his time."I loved the part where Pemulis says "I won't waste anyone's time asking if I'm interrupting anything." Ha ha! Perfect.
I also picked up the other small bits you did, Kaycie - the railway spike method of murder, Joelle commenting that she is too beautiful, and the workers comp guy.
Zulfiya wrote: "Are you going to take a crack at WaP as well?"No, I read it a couple of years ago - it's too soon for a reread!
Linda wrote: "(Someone, Rosemary?, mentioned in a previous thread about the possibility of those two together...)
Ha. Yes, it reminded me of a scene from Evelyn Waugh's A Handful of Dust
(view spoiler) (spoiler is for A Handful of Dust, not IJ).
DFW was an English professor, I think? so he might have read that, or it might be pure coincidence.
Did anybody else think it was a little disturbing that John Wayne is dressed as a football player? When Orin is a football player? (and in the same scene we have Dolores Rusk going on about Oedipal references to Ortho Stice, when right next door...)
I don't know what is the point of all the blue things in the office. It does mention in a later section that something in the river turns the water blue, and it's something to do with annulation, so could that be related to J.O.I's interest in blue?I just finished the last little bit of this section and noticed p 562 "north of where yrstruly and Green strolled". So Randy Lenz is yrstruly?
Rosemary wrote: "I just finished the last little bit of this section and noticed p 562 "north of where yrstruly and Green strolled". So Randy Lenz is yrstruly?"I remember thinking the same thing when reading this section, Rosemary. But then when I was looking something up online (unrelated), I'm not so sure now (so hard to look something up without seeing some type of spoiler!). But from reading that sentence it makes it seem yrstruly is Randy Lenz. So, I'm a bit confused...
We can leave that as an open question, then, and keep an eye open for clues!
Hi all, just caught up to this point!Rosemary wrote: "So Randy Lenz is yrstruly? "
I don't think that "yrstruly" was Randy...Poor Tony seems to have given us yrstruly's name on page 299:
"And Emil still had him marked for de-mapping as a consequence of that horrid thing with Wo and Bobby C last winter." (299)
...C was the one who died, so I'm assuming "Emil" was the narrator "yrstruly" in that chapter. Could this be Emil Minty from the Ennet House? I don't think we've heard much detail about Minty, have we?
Some quick thoughts because it's 2330h and I have to get to bed:
- I am loving the conversations between Joelle and Don! They have a really good chemistry and, like Hal and Orin's phone calls, the dialogue is natural and highly entertaining. Not to mention I'm happy to see Joelle's character developed past the "broken love interest" stereotype. HOWEVER! I am in a tizzy about her comment about really, literally being not deformed. The idea that she is "so beautiful that it's a deformity" just seems trite and stupid in the extreme, and I can't imagine how DFW could pull it off in a way that I would not hate. I mean, it would certainly make a good statement about our society's feelings toward beauty, but it would be at a drastic cost to Joelle's character. She deserves more than to be a bit of social commentary. DFW could, of course, prove me wrong...
- Randy Lenz has jumped up to maybe my top 5 favorite characters. Yeah, the animal de-mapping is horrible, and he is a loathsome human, but as a character I find him hilarious and likable. He is over-the-top horrible which makes him funny :) (incidentally, I have cast Johnny Knoxville to play him in my movie.)
-"I won't waste anyone's time asking if I'm interrupting anything." -- YES! Another laugh out loud line. Pemulis is fantastic. That scene followed by him eavesdropping on Stice's therapy session makes it seem like he may be "collecting dirt" on people to use against them? I noticed that, IIRC, the chapter cut off in mid-interruption, we never saw Pemulis' reason for interrupting. I assumed it was arbitrary, and the interruption itself was the point, but do you think maybe there was more to it?
Rosemary wrote: "Did anybody else think it was a little disturbing that John Wayne is dressed as a football player? "
Yes. Definitely caught this. And Avril was dressed as a cheerleader, which is what Joelle was. The Moms has some 'splaining to do.
Regarding the murder by railroad spike: Don't the Wheelchair Assassins chop off their legs by sitting on train tracks? Maybe railroad violence is just a theme with them.
There were a lot of great character moments in this section. I really loved the interaction between Hal and his Moms in the waiting room. Again, very "real". It was great to see more of Tavis' personality too. His failed interview with the little girl was quite funny.
Oh and also! I was happy to find out about "Lateral Alice Moore". Such a strange nickname which has been unexplained up to this point. Occasionally DFW's humor reminds me of something that Douglas Adams might have written, and Lateral Alice's condition is a perfect example.
Kaycie wrote: "So this section of the book used a line here or there or a short section here or there to start hinting that things are going to start tying together. I really, REALLY hope this keeps up! "
Could. Not. Agree. More. I think this is what's keeping me lagging behind in this book -- I'm enjoying it immensely, but I feel a little disappointed every chapter that the two worlds don't come together. When Hal and Gately finally meet, as the first chapter suggested they would, I am literally going to cheer.
I'm also getting impatient for the DMZ-consuming. Another thing that has been set up for so long and is just being ddrrrawwwnnn out...the fact that the story is so good in the meantime keeps it from getting too unbearable, though.
Zulfiya wrote: "This is the thread to discuss the next selection from the humongous book by D.F. Wallace. I know some of you mentioned that you have found this book virtually unputdownable. I am reading the mate..."
Hmmm... I wouldn't use the word "pride" to describe the aftermath of my wanting to finish reading this book. It's more along the lines of feeling enriched by the experience, it's about the process, for me...It is about the big picture, but mostly the process. It's still too soon to say I love it, even though I've mentioned at least twice in some of the threads that I do. I probably should have clarified, I love the journey I've been on while reading "Infinite Jest." Does this work? I'll have to revisit this question.
The part I disliked was starting late and always coming in on the tail end of the conversation. As many of you have mentioned, the reading is dense in content, and certain sections required more than the average time spent on reading something else of equal, or lesser value. I couldn't, for the life of me, catch up, and when I did, the posting lagged. LOL! Jeesh, tis my plight. I understand this ruins the dynamics of a group read, trust me, I know. But there are a couple of you who continuously go back to these previous threads; if not for your own curiosity, to be inclusive, or maybe both, and I thank you for that-you've been most gracious.
John wrote: "Hi all, just caught up to this point!Rosemary wrote: "So Randy Lenz is yrstruly? "
I don't think that "yrstruly" was Randy...Poor Tony seems to have given us yrstruly's name on page 299:
"And E..."
Rosemary wrote: "We can leave that as an open question, then, and keep an eye open for clues!"
Linda wrote: "Rosemary wrote: "I just finished the last little bit of this section and noticed p 562 "north of where yrstruly and Green strolled". So Randy Lenz is yrstruly?"
I remember thinking the same thing ..."
Yrstruly..Randy Lenz...Emil Minty
I'm sure you've already figured it out by now; but to your point about Emil Minty, John...
Randy Lenz was a cokehead with severe psychopathic tendencies, Yrstruly was a heroin addict who mugged people. Also, both men have completely different vernaculars which is obvious in their individual narratives
Linda wrote: "Zulfiya wrote: "What are your feelings? Are you also in hate/love relationship with this novel? Is it really the matter of pride, a certain badge of literary accomplishment for whose who have read ..."My colors are two shades of Blue ...and Blue :P
Also, what was up with all the blue things pointed out in the ETA admin office? And is there some connection with the blue carpet in the offices and the blue carpet in the home of James O.I. that we read in week 9?
I took a literal and symbolic approach to equating the color blue, seen throughout this novel, as an overwhelming presence of depression. So I don't think it's representative of any one Incandenza, or even C.T. for that matter...It's a compilation, perhaps.
There's also something to be said about the direct parallels which can be drawn from the Head Master's Office and Mario Sr.'s bedroom...Both rooms are overwhelmed with the color blue, the squeak (Pemulis' bobbing in his chair, C.T.'s seagrass chair, and the infamous bed) and the stressed/overtly anxious people who occupy these rooms.
There's also (view spoiler) which sheds some light, but doesn't answer the question in it's entirety.
Deformities and Beauty...Everybody Else and JvDThe majority of these characters are either riddled with addiction, to one thing or another, or afflicted with some type of deformity, and sometimes both. There's a long list, but just to name a few: Himself has a huge head, Gately and his square head, there's Mario, Orin has mis-sized arms and legs, Pat M. has facial paralysis, C.T.'s eyes aren't the same size, Marathe's wife is born without a skull, prodigal tennis player with cranial issues and multiple eyes in various stages of development...I think we get the picture. This brings me to my next point regarding JvD and her statement along the lines of "her beauty is her deformity."
We're still under the impression she's hiding a face disfigured from a "potential" misguided acid toss; but is it really so far fetched what she belts out to be her truth during the exchange with Gately couldn't be true-I don't think it's such a stretch compared to the majority who are afflicted with actual deformities-She could be the minority? It sounds "trite" sure, but look at who she kept company with ...Those with severe deformities. I'm not saying she's not physically deformed in the traditional sense... It wouldn't surprise me "if" Wallace made her beauty a deformity, that's all.
I found their banter interesting. He would keep asking her what she was hiding waiting for her to ask him to stop asking, but she wouldn't. I thought she was enjoying the hyper focused attention from Gately, she didn't want him to stop asking. There's a part later in their exchange where Gately says, do you have like really bad skin under there even though your skin everyplace that isn't hidden looks-- and she continues with Looks what? My unhidden skin looks what? (537)...She want's to prolong the conversation. I think the fact that she sought Gately out instead of vice versa speaks volumes; especially when Gately questions her Why come in here? Did I come to you to talk...Didn't you waltz on in and it down and come to me(538).
Ami wrote: "I took a literal and symbolic approach to equating the color blue, seen throughout this novel, as an overwhelming presence of depression."OK, duh. I don't know why that explanation never entered my mind, but it totally makes sense.
Avril Politeness RouletteAs passive as she thinks she may be with her child rearing style, she sure does know how to bear down in the most simplistic of manners rendering her quite overwhelming-I feel her eyes glaring at me when I read her sections.
The interaction between Avril and Hal seemed typical enough between a mother offering her child an apple to eat, but soon unfolded the means to Avril's madness in the fun game of The Politeness Roulette. Coined by both Orin and Hal, the Moms would make them feel terrible because to report any sort of need or problem was to mug her. I loved the family trivia bit parodying the Moms...Please, I'm not using this oxygen anyway...What this old limb?
Of course, Orin didn't think she acted this way on purpose because that would be too simple. Instead, according to him, she went around with her feelings out in front her with an arm around the feelings' windpipe and a Glock 9 mm. to the feelings' temple like a terrorist with a hostage, daring you to shoot (523). Now that was an interesting visual!
What a piece of work, I don't think labeling her as passive-aggressive does her justice..No, that would be too simple. I need a brand new type of lingo to describe this woman. It's almost as if the space and freedom she gives her children actually creates a situation in reverse, where she's constantly on their shoulders, or bearing down, in general.
Rosemary wrote: "Zulfiya wrote: "Are you going to take a crack at WaP as well?"No, I read it a couple of years ago - it's too soon for a reread!
Linda wrote: "(Someone, Rosemary?, mentioned in a previous thread ..."
Orin, Avril & FN 110
No, this actually cements for me something went on between Orin and Avril at some point. They both seem to be obsessed with one another in some shape or form, and not in the most healthy way. In W2 Orin's dreaming of his mother's head, FN 110 (I think in W6) the conversation between Orin and Hal was all about Avril, not the Separatist movement...
He's obsessed with women who have children...
Hal to Orin The Subject just happens to be married herself, often with small children, putting her directly in your crosshairs...This is even sicker. The fake ring and fictional spouse. It's like you're inventing somebody you love just to seduce somebody else into helping you betray her
He uses Emily Dickinson poems and sings them to the tune of "Yellow Rose of Texas" (So funny!) to pick up women...Avril did her undergraduate thesis on Emily Dickinson (1005-1010).
The Oedipal references in the same section...And on and on.
Orin is on some sort of mission to cut Avril out of his life, but in doing so, he acts out in remembrance of her which doesn't seem to create the distance he initially desired. Avril is always on his mind.
Ami wrote: "He uses Emily Dickinson poems and sings them to the tune of "Yellow Rose of Texas" (So funny!) to pick up women...Avril did her undergraduate thesis on Emily Dickinson (1005-1010).Avril is always on his mind."
Great observations on the Avril/Orin relationship, Ami!
Linda wrote: "Ami wrote: "He uses Emily Dickinson poems and sings them to the tune of "Yellow Rose of Texas" (So funny!) to pick up women...Avril did her undergraduate thesis on Emily Dickinson (1005-1010).Avr..."
You think so...Did you feel the same at all?
Ami wrote: "You think so...Did you feel the same at all?"I don't know if I had picked up on it during this week's reading or not, but looking back at some of the weird stuff, most certainly. For example, at the time I found out that Orin liked to pick up women who had small children, I just thought it was a disturbing weird fetish. I didn't think about where that urge had come from, but now I see that it's because these women remind him of his mother.
You certainly picked up on a lot more references to his infatuation with his mother than I did, such as the Emily Dickinson link.
Zulfiya wrote: "This is the thread to discuss the next selection from the humongous book by D.F. Wallace. I know some of you mentioned that you have found this book virtually unputdownable. I am reading the mate..."
I don't feel in the least obligated to love a novel because of its length, even less than because of the time it took to read (because the length of a book is often not reflective of the time it took me to read). I feel a sense of accomplishment mostly due to the trouble I had. I didn't feel much of a sense of accomplishment when reading War and Peace, or Middlemarch, or Anna Karenia or Gone with the Wind or Pillars of the Earth or any big book because I read very quickly when a book is easy to read as all of the above were. Possibly a little more for War and Peace because the characters annoyed me so much I enjoyed it a lot less than the others, so finishing it was a little (a very little) bit of a chore.
As far as love/hate goes that doesn't apply to me here either. I love this book. Love it more than any book I think I've read in about 20 years. I can't remember when I read Catch-22. But I don't consider it unputdownable. It seems to be made to be the opposite to give you time to digest. On the other hand I prefer to read it in big chunks as it takes a while to get into the flow and then I hate to put it down before I'm ready to.
I'll consider it a small badge perhaps when I'm done but really I don't find this book difficult at all. It's got layers an it's very well written so it stimulates the mind. But it can be enjoyed and understood on at least the surface without much effort. Now, compare that to Ulysses which I'm currently reading... That will be a badge I think!
So this weeks selection opened with a weird fixation on the colour blue. And it was catchy because everyone had caught it, from the interior decorators to the tennis school uniforms. Weird.Then we had some more rather sweet family moments between Avril and Hal. I had to laugh at the term 'politeness roulette'; reminds me of the early days with my sister-in-law. She was so incredibly nice and it made me feel rather uncomfortable for ever putting her out. And then was there an on the spot urine test? I'm not sure what happened at the end of that section.
Then we have a rather playful conversation between our man the Dan (Don) and Joelle who refuses to explain why she wears the veil. Is she deformed from the acid attack? She makes a comment about being so beautiful it's deforming but I don't know if she's serious or not. Anyway those two characters are a lot more enjoyable to me than Lenz. As an animal lover I am wanting very badly to hurt him!
Is 'The Darkness' trying to seek some help regarding his belief in some sort of physic power? And getting about zero assistance with his concerns.
Then Pemulis walks in on.... Hah! I knew he was a creep! It's always the quiet ones. Ok, there was much that was seriously disturbing about that scene so I'm just going to mention the obvious. Cheerleader? Football player? Oh yeuch! And now Pemulis knows and I think he is one heck of a sneaky and manipulative guy. I wouldn't want him knowing any of my deep dark secrets that's for sure!
Anyway that is later followed by this peculiar incident where Hal and John stare at each other for a bit, neither saying anything.
John wrote: Kaycie wrote: "So this section of the book used a line here or there or a short section here or there to start hinting that things are going to start tying together. I really, REALLY hope this keeps up! "Could. Not. Agree. More. I think this is what's keeping me lagging behind in this book -- I'm enjoying it immensely, but I feel a little disappointed every chapter that the two worlds don't come together. When Hal and Gately finally meet, as the first chapter suggested they would, I am literally going to cheer.."
The worlds are starting to collide now you can see it happening. For some of them (the wheelchair assassins) I'm rather worried about the impact they are going to have on my endearingly crazy freak zoos.
Ami wrote: "Also, what was up with all the blue things pointed out in the ETA admin office? And is there some connection with the blue carpet in the offices and the blue carpet in the home of James O.I. that we read in week 9?I took a literal and symbolic approach to equating the color blue, seen throughout this novel, as an overwhelming presence of depression. So I don't think it's representative of any one Incandenza, or even C.T. for that matter...It's a compilation, perhaps."
There's a lot of blue on all of the covers of the books as well - the blue of the sky and that's not a colour of depression. Just a thought - a different side to the same coin perhaps?
Ami wrote:The interaction between Avril and Hal seemed typical enough between a mother offering her child an apple to eat, but soon unfolded the means to Avril's madness in the fun game of The Politeness Roulette. Coined by both Orin and Hal, the Moms would make them feel terrible because to report any sort of need or problem was to mug her. I loved the family trivia bit parodying the Moms...Please, I'm not using this oxygen anyway...What this old limb?"I don't see that as madness (although she certainly has other issues), I know people like that.
Ami wrote: What a piece of work, I don't think labeling her as passive-aggressive does her justice..No, that would be too simple. I need a brand new type of lingo to describe this woman. It's almost as if the space and freedom she gives her children actually creates a situation in reverse, where she's constantly on their shoulders, or bearing down, in general. I don't see her as passive aggressive at all. Or not yet. She's a bit of a mystery to me is Avril, more so than Joelle and her 'Madame Psychosis' persona. That was more obvious but Mrs Incandenza seems to be hiding nothing but actually might be hiding a lot...
Hal's a bit similar - he seems so withdrawn even though it's not obvious that he is. I'm not sure that I'm not imagining it actually.
Ami wrote: "Rosemary wrote: "Zulfiya wrote: "Are you going to take a crack at WaP as well?"No, I read it a couple of years ago - it's too soon for a reread!
Linda wrote: "(Someone, Rosemary?, mentioned in a..."
Orin is so obsessed with his mother it's astounding he can function as a normal human being!
Oh, wait...
Nicola wrote: "Ami wrote: What a piece of work, I don't think labeling her as passive-aggressive does her justice..No, that would be too simple. I need a brand new type of lingo to describe this woman. It's almos..."I find, with the characters who choose one extreme over another (i.e. creating distance from somebody, the alternative, wanting to be close and understand somebody, giving somebody freedom to make their own choices) end up having the reverse occur instead of the desire outcome (i.e. lack of distance from that somebody because all you're doing is thinking about them in creating the gap between, creating more distance between you and the other person because all you're thinking about is forging the relationship and suffocating those you think you're giving the freedom and space because you actively make it a point to give this freedom)-they are all consumed with the very thoughts they are attempting to make, or break (an ongoing theme, to me).
If you recall, Orin's recurring dream about the Moms...In it she is affixed to his head, every which way he moves attempting to rid himself of her head, it remains constantly present-I felt it represented a subconscious asphyxiation (another ongoing theme, to me).
These occurrences are further illuminated, in hindsight, by Lyle's sections; teaching to remain, essentially, very middle of the road in all situations versus afflicting yourself with the consequences of choosing an extreme in the given situation. Lyle says to be careful of objects, to not pull the weight of anything towards you that exceeds your own weight-it's about the consequences of extremes (drugs use, thoughts, the entertainment, absolutely anything and everything). Another example of this recurring phenomenon, in the most literal sense, can be seen in the instance with Dooney Glynn (I think this is his name), the inebriated construction worker who had a ton of bricks fall onto him-the weight exceeded his own weight. This is how I came to my assessment about Avril and some of the other characters, these aren't obvious examples, but examples I drew from the narrative.
Nicola wrote: "Anyway that is later followed by this peculiar incident where Hal and John stare at each other for a bit, neither saying anything."I thought this moment was a great touch of characterization -- John, in as subtle a way as the average teenager can, was trying to gauge whether Pemulis had told Hal what he had seen.
Nicola wrote: "Now, compare that to Ulysses which I'm currently reading... That will be a badge I think!"Speaking of which, did DFW make a lot of references to Ulysses in IJ? I swear, I keep happening upon them, whether intentional or not. All the Hamlet references, of course, but also I read of "Lenehan's yachting cap" (in the Aeolus episode) and Milly's full name is Millicent (how may times do you come upon that name in literature?). Oh, and then the Aeolus episode is written with newspaper headlines, similar to that one section in IJ. Plus just the different writing styles for different sections.
Maybe this is already a known observation, but I just found it a coincidence that I happen to be reading these books at the same time and keep picking up on these little tidbits.
John wrote: I thought this moment was a great touch of characterization -- John, in as subtle a way as the average teenager can, was trying to gauge whether Pemulis had told Hal what he had seen. Yes, typical boys not using words when an intense stare can do the job.
Ami wrote:If you recall, Orin's recurring dream about the Moms...In it she is affixed to his head, every which way he moves attempting to rid himself of her head, it remains constantly present-I felt it represented a subconscious asphyxiation (another ongoing theme, to me). "I do and in the footnote for the next section he talks about (view spoiler)
Nicola wrote: "There's a lot of blue on all of the covers of the books as well - the blue of the sky and that's not a colour of depression. Just a thought - a different side to the same coin perhaps?"Nice! I was wondering about the blue sky on my book, how that's a happy thing, not depressing.
Linda wrote: "Nice! I was wondering about the blue sky on my book, how that's a happy thing, not depressing. "Isn't Hal staring up at the sky while he lays on the stretcher in the opening scene? I wonder if the cover is supposed to represent his view.
John wrote: "Isn't Hal staring up at the sky while he lays on the stretcher in the opening scene? I wonder if the cover is supposed to represent his view."And I guess this is one reason people start to read this book again immediately after finishing. I don't remember this part! But it would be very fitting.
I wonder if at the end of the book, we are going to loop back to the beginning somehow? Or if it's all going to end in the YADU.
John wrote: "Linda wrote: "Nice! I was wondering about the blue sky on my book, how that's a happy thing, not depressing. "Isn't Hal staring up at the sky while he lays on the stretcher in the opening scene? ..."
The idea of a clear blue sky to me brings to mind the vast scope of human potential and the white clouds the joy of imagination (I used to imagine shapes in clouds all of the time). It's reflective and dreamy but definitely those are optimistic covers. And, considering they are all nearly the same it's not a coincidence. They mean something.
Reading the Chunksters
Books mentioned in this topic
A Handful of Dust (other topics)War and Peace (other topics)
The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry (other topics)
Infinite Jest (other topics)
I know some of you mentioned that you have found this book virtually unputdownable. I am reading the material for week 7, so I do feel how things are very slowing forming into something bigger, but obviously I am behind you.
Is this week as gravitationally strong as the previous one?
P.S. Yesterday, I finished listening to The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry and enjoyed numerous though slightly cheeky and tongue-in-cheeky comments about IJ. The narrator makes interesting observations about the novel, its size, and significance in the literary world.
Among other things, the main character mentions that everyone feels obliged to love the novel because an average reader spends weeks reading the novel, and there is a special bond between a reader and this novel. So it is similar to love/hate relationship,, but it is always viewed as an accomplishment for a reader. As a result, it is the most coveted accomplishment among readers - I have read and finished Infinite Jest.
What are your feelings? Are you also in hate/love relationship with this novel? Is it really the matter of pride, a certain badge of literary accomplishment for whose who have read the novel?