How to Read Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace

[@gummymarkers]

Hello Mr. McEvoy, thank you so much for all you do! I'm 16 years old and about a year ago I was hospitalized for over three months and, to be honest, it wasn't the pain but the boredom that really got to me, as I was locked into the bed and literally could do nothing; it was here that I decided to try something new and I settled on reading The Stranger and The Picture of Dorian Gray, both of which I loved and got me wanting to read more and more, and so I stumbled upon your channel, which turned my budding interest in literature to something that I feel is my main passion right now! You make reading so interesting and after every one of your videos, even if it's not one that I'll be reading for a long time (Like Ulysses or Gravity's Rainbow or, now, Infinite Jest) I always come away from it feeling incredibly motivated and wanting more. I can't believe I'm saying this but after a while I started to take notes on my reading (making me feel like a true English professor LOL) and I've had some incredible experiences, biggest of all being Middlemarch which has got to me my favorite book of all time by a mile (though there are still so many books I've yet to experience!). So I just wanted to say thank you; to be honest I couldn't find your e-mail to write something like this so, while probably not appropriate, the KZbin comment section will do. None of my friends, or anyone I know for that matter, seem to be interested in these works, so your channel has now become a sort of solace for when I want to feel connected to people who share the passion; thank you so much and keep up the great work!

[@jagraj3344]

You brought a smile on my face. I love middlemarch too. It struck me really deeply that I will cherish for a long time. What a thoughtful message.

[@QuirkyGirl10]

You are so brave to have tackled Middlemarch at such a young age. I just purchased it a few months ago and have yet to read it. I am waiting for when the mood strikes. I hope I love it like you did😊

[@BenjaminMcEvoy]

Wow!! Thank you so much for reaching out with such a beautiful message. You have moved me so deeply. You are an absolute inspiration! I think it's absolutely amazing that you took such a traumatic life experience and turned it into something incredibly positive. Deep reading great writers like Camus, Wilde, and Eliot at sixteen is seriously impressive. I can't tell how how happy it makes me to hear how much passion you have for these life-changing works! Keep up the great work too with your reading. I'm grateful that you're here living these great books with us! 🙏☺️

[@user-vx8wp6is2k]

you are amazing and i am glad you are healed

[@janmariolle]

@gummymarkers, I enjoyed reading your message so much! You will find many people of all ages and backgrounds that share your enthusiasm in the Hardcore Literature Bookclub. Please consider joining us at the bookclub. I won’t be reading Infinite Jest at this time either, but I certainly will be diving into the back catalog. The book club is a great place for independent study with Benjamin’s excellent lectures to guide you. I wish you delight in your adventures.

[@Cognizens]

What I now notice - is that I have never seen an advert on Ben's channel. Wow. That just hit.

[@dellh86]

It feels bad that I never noticed this lol

[@24hourcoffee]

Thank you for never having ads on your videos. You do a great service to us bookworms.

[@brreezy421]

Read it in rehab. Great stuff. 2 years sober, not even an issue anymore

[@BenjaminMcEvoy]

Congratulations on your two years sobriety! That is absolutely incredible!!

[@marnasorensen988]

I surrendered completely to this book and loved every page.

[@BenjaminMcEvoy]

I'm so happy to hear that, Marna!! :)

[@garrettbryan2717]

Me too. This book is amazing. I could read it because it was tragic and funny. I could relate to the characters. My soul felt the desire to seek real meaning in life.

[@aayushdadateachesyou]

It is so good to find a channel dedicated to classical novels. Love you man.

[@BenjaminMcEvoy]

Aw, thank you so much, Sandesh! I appreciate you, my friend 🙏☺️

[@MariiaIsaeva-kj5kx]

I am Russian and would like to correct the author of the video just a little. ❤ "Samizdat" is not necessarily secretly published literature, although in the Soviet Union, where every literary work was strictly censored, this term could have been defined as such. But in general, it is an abbreviation of the phrase "Self-published", so, it refers to any work that was published by the author independently without the help of large publishing houses, in other words, an independent publication. This word is still widely used in modern Russian.

[@pranavroh]

I first read Infinite Jest when I was suffering from a horrific mental breakdown. I was an avid reader but I had never read anything postmodern and for some reason when my mind was rebelling against me and I was going through some of the darkest days of my life I decided to pick this book up and read it. I didn't read any guides, I didn't refer to any internet articles - I just read it all the way through. As I read it I was medicated and I healed - but when I think about it - this was the last challenging book I read for over a decade. I loved it but I was unable to attempt anything close to this ambitious again. My medication made it impossible for me to focus for a prolonged period of time and my relationship with reading felt brittle, a little like walking on thin ice. I am off meds now, reading again ( East of Eden) and spending my free time listening to your videos on KZbin. It is an absolutely wonderful treat to be able to read again and I am hoping to pick up Infinite Jest once more in the future. I would like to thank you and your videos for inspiring me to keep reading - it is a true balm for a troubled mind. Cheers!

[@voza-mj8hv]

By far the best exploration of IJ on this platform. Outstanding work Ben.

[@BenjaminMcEvoy]

Aw, thank you so much!! You have made my day! ☺️

[@voza-mj8hv]

@@BenjaminMcEvoy Right back at you mate.

[@aamnainfebruary]

You deserve all the praise in the world for making these hard books accessible to so many people. These are top quality resources and we are getting them for free. I never have the words to explain the impact you have had on my reading and life :’)

[@BenjaminMcEvoy]

Aw, thank you so much, Aamna. I really appreciate that so deeply 🙏☺️

[@nathalie4529]

Bonjour....Although not in a wheelchair, je suis une québécoise séparatiste. 😉I’ve been waiting for quite a long time to pick up this book. You picked my curiosity. When I first saw D. F. Wallace in an interview, I was so impressed with him, and he trully touched my heart. I read a few essays of his, and I loved Consider the lobster. Thanks for this great video. I really very seldomly interact on social media. It’s just not for me, but I wanted for the longest time to let you know how much your content brought to me. I really appreciate your personality and the knowledge you generously share. The last few years have been quite rough for me, but literature has given me wings. I’ve been on such an enriching journey. I've been a subscriber for around 3 years now. I’ve watched your channel grow to my greatest joy. You sincerely deserve it. Un chaleureux merci pour tout ce que tu m’as apporté Benjamin.🌼

[@BenjaminMcEvoy]

Bonjour, Nathalie :) Thank you so much for such a beautiful message! You have completely made my day. I'm so grateful for your incredibly kind words and for being here and reading with me from the early days of the channel! I'm so sorry to hear the last few years have been rough for you. I'm glad literature has been able to provide you with comfort through that. I know in my toughest times, it's been these great books, these writers, their stories and characters that have saved me. You have reminded me I need to return to Québec soon! I was fortunate enough to consider it home for a short while many years ago, and have been yearning to return for a long time :)

[@nathalie4529]

@@BenjaminMcEvoy I was not expecting any response. I know you have so many comments to read and respond to. Really, I was just glad to finally tell you how grateful I am. But, sincerely, thank you for taking the time, and a beautiful response as well. Yes, literature does wonders for the soul. My dad, whom I was really close to, just passed away a few weeks ago. He suffered from Alzheimer's and I saw his mental and physical health diminish for over three years. I cherish every moment I had with him, and all of our drives in the mountains which he enjoyed till the last weeks. Throughout these trying times, books and nature were my refuge as I also have a few health problems of my own that now keeps me from being the crazy hyperactive person I am at heart. Nevertheless, it’s what led me on this beautiful journey. “Quand je pense à tous les livres qu’il me reste à lire, j’ai la certitude d’être encore heureux. “ Jules Renard, journal, 1925. Encore une fois, merci pour tout. Hope I did not “overshare”. I’m no good at this. Hi Hi! And who knows, one day, I might bump into you in Montreal, or in Quebec’s wilderness. 🐻

[@TheMovieWatcher99]

This book completely invaded my life for 6 months and continues to haunt me through the subsequent days after finishing it. Though I felt I had understood a good portion of it (maybe 50%), reading some things - and after watching this lecture video - I believe myself to have understood maybe 15% of this mammoth of a novel. Cannot wait to re-read, this video has drawn me to pick up my copy and start flipping through it

[@Ericviking2019]

AA says your higher power can be anything except You. It's a great program that has been working for me for 40 years.

[@Multitudes-e5n]

These videos always make my days brighter. What you have done with this channel is extraordinary. No other creator on the website has inspired me so much. You’ve gotten me to read many books I never would have even dreamt of reading. Only just recently finished the Brothers Karamazov and now would rank it in my top 5 books. (Well the 40% I understood) Thank you for being such an inspiration!

[@BenjaminMcEvoy]

Wow! Thank you so much for such incredibly kind words, my friend. You have completely made my day. It makes me so happy to know you've been getting so much out of these great books! The Brothers Karamazov is a top-five book for me too. Life-changing stuff in there!! ☺️

[@gavinyoung-philosophy]

I literally just picked up a copy yesterday and have been binging interviews of DFW! What splendid timing!

[@BenjaminMcEvoy]

That's amazing timing!! DFW's interviews are incredibly bingeable, aren't they? We're lucky he did so many :)

[@mcd5478]

Illuminating lecture. You’re a fabulous teacher. I joined Hardcore Literature Book Club to specifically have someone hold my hand while reading this book. I can’t wait to start it! ✨⚡️💥⚡️✨

[@BenjaminMcEvoy]

Thank you so much! That really means the world to me :) I'm so thrilled that you're taking this journey through Infinite Jest with us! I can't wait to hear what you make of it!

[@MarysInks]

I joined for this book too! I’m so excited to start reading it.

[@guillermomedina7793]

Excellent video, Ben! I’ve read Infinite Jest twice. The first time was back in 1996 when it was first published. I was 23 and “got” about 50 % of what was going on. I read it again five years ago as an adult and inched up the comprehension scale to maybe 70 %😅 Your analysis has made me want to read it again. But alas, I just started The Tale of Genji based on your video so it’ll have to wait. Sigh.

[@BenjaminMcEvoy]

Thank you so much, Guillermo!! That's amazing you read it the year it was published :) I think 50% comprehension on first reading, then 70% on the second reading is absolutely incredible. It sounds like this is one that really resonated with you. And I'm thrilled you've just embarked on Genji - another incredible literary mountain there!

[@R.L.Kramer]

In my world, you doing a video on Infinite Jest is a big deal. Nobody in my life around me cares, but I am comforted by the thousands here with me. Kertwang, my friends.

[@yolandasilverio1205]

Good day Mr. McEvoy, I have been following you for quite some time. I have a long list of books to read based on your Channel. I am currently reading Proust, In Search of Lost Time, along with Austen's, Pride and Prejudice. Infinite Jest has caught my attention. I am interested in reading Infinite Jest someday. I consider myself fortunate to watch your Channel. Its almost as getting a Oxford Literature education without attending Oxford. I hope you will continue to educate me in the future. You are infinitely appreciated.

[@stefashaler8340]

Many thanks for this richly rewarding analysis of Infinite Jest, one of my favourite books. I've read it a couple of times, including all the endnotes, but I haven't done the work of piecing all the parts together. Mostly, I experienced the novel as a rollicking and rough ride over a vast human landscape. In light of your insights, I fear I've twisted my reading into more entertainment than edification, although the shades of sorrow, madcap extremism, heartbreak etc. inevitably seep into the experience of cruising the IJ mountains, valleys, alleys and plains. I'll reread and re-listen to you.

[@jasonallison76]

For me, the novel clicked at Eschaton. The world opened up after that.

[@charleswhite9242]

I was reading that chapter in bed and laughed so hard that my wife came upstairs to see if I was ok. Ha ha

[@ThaKid14]

The amount of work and effort you put into this video is stupendous! I finished reading Infinite Jest back in March (it took me just over 3 months to read) and watching this and reviewing the content was such a treat. You nailed the aspects of the novel without being pedantic and boring. Infinite Jest was one of the coolest and most unique reading experiences I've ever had in my life. I also read it the year I decided to get sober (I have a history of on and off meeting attendance so related a ton to all of the AA and NA material and humour). This book helped me stay clean during the early months of my recovery. I'll be one year sober in just under three weeks! "It occurred to him that he would disappear into a hole in a girder inside him that supported something else inside him” is the most accurate description of weed addiction I've ever read. IJ had me legit laughing out loud multiple times throughout the narrative, it took my head for a spin, it made me feel disturbed, and sad and even at times angry with its subject matter. It's hard to wrap into a few words what reading this behemoth and master piece is truly like. Being an obsessive type person with an "addict" brain, I was the type to consume this thing through and through, looking words and concepts up, re-reading sections, flipping back and forth between the front and End-notes, it was a true self-absorption experience. Another amazing line was here “You can’t induce a moral sensibility the same way you’d train a rat. The kid has to learn by his own experience how to learn to balance the short- and long-term pursuit of what he wants" p. 429 And just for fun this line had me cracking up "she eventually started telling Gately she couldn’t come close to coming unless he burned her with a cigarette, which marked the first time Gately seriously tried to quit smoking.” p.891. the NA chapter where Hal visits the remote NA meeting is one of the funniest things I've ever read in any context, I was legit near howling at aspects of that chapter, it was so cleverly and funnily written. Bravo on this video! Thank you for this!

[@jdparker9]

Been reading this about five to ten pages at a time for two years. It’s a journey.

[@patchanonmk7137]

Hello Ben! I've been waiting for this to come out! I picked this book up when I was in England at Waterstone and have been waiting to read it ever since. This is gonna be a huge challenge for me since 1. English is my second language 2. This far exceeds anything I've read in terms of both length and difficulty(The longest book I've ever read was The wind-up bird chronicle at about 600 pages, and I've held it dear ever since) And 3. I'm only fifteen... Which is probably too young to approach a work like this but I'll try anyway! I've join the bookclub a month ago after convincing my mother it's a good investment and have been enjoying your lectures and discussion. When I feel like listening to something I just pulled you lectures up(even about some books that I haven't read) and just enjoy it. I love hearing you being this passionate and talk about great literature, it makes me want to be as passionate as you some day too. Having you holding my hands through a work like this is very comforting and I'm looking foward to the lectures! Thanks again!

[@dom_mld]

Wow, congrats on finally making it through! I remember you said that this was one of those difficult novels you always hoped to finish someday.

[@mikeramsay5964]

I laughed out loud reading parts of Infinite Jest. I love it.

[@devil_pls]

My favorite book! Thank you Benjamin!

[@BenjaminMcEvoy]

I'm so thrilled to hear it's your favourite!! :)

[@llllemomn]

anytime i need help getting back into reading i know i could always come back to your channel. thank you for all that you do

[@BenjaminMcEvoy]

Aw, thank you so much. I really appreciate that :)

[@crystal3496]

You kind of transported back to my school days. In those days, english teacher potrayed Shakespears work as stolen piece of work from various authors. But in one video, you justified about it and cleared my doubts. Each and every video of your channel sparks a curiosity and your rich vocabulary motivated to pick a book. Thanks for that.

[@braddy808]

I just wanted to express my deep appreciation, Benjamin, for your video on “Infinite Jest.” It’s rare for me to commit to watching such a long video about that very novel, but your insightful analysis and engaging presentation made it absolutely worth it. Your video stands out as one of the few (on that novel) that managed to capture my attention for such an extended period. I thought: Benjamin sheds light on this complex novel - I am bound to watch it.

[@BenjaminMcEvoy]

Wow! Thank you so much, my friend. That means the absolute world for me to hear. You have completely made my day ☺️🙏

[@braddy808]

@@BenjaminMcEvoy Though I am not a native English speaker-being a native Russian and Ukrainian speaker born in Ukraine-I always find immense pleasure in watching your videos, which feature your impeccable command of English. Recently, I acquired a used copy of ‘Women and Men’ by Joseph McElroy. It is an incredibly complex novel, as I’m sure you are aware. Perhaps one day my heartfelt wish will be granted, and you will dedicate one of your videos to this remarkable work. Thank you, Benjamin, for your invaluable contributions!❤

[@idicula1979]

Man this is a fucking deep book, thanks for the review. As I am not as much a reader of books, but about books.

[@CrypticMusic]

Thanks for this wonderful introduction. Infinite Jest was my introduction to Wallace and I found it baffling, hilarious, moving, profound, frustrating, and heartbreaking. I also realize I had an incomplete reading of it, as I listened to it in audiobook format and didn't realized that I missed all of the endnotes which were included as a separate PDF. I'm ready for a second reading now on paper. My biggest takeaway was that the structure mimicked the feeling of being addicted and not being able to reach that ultimate high: so many scenes build to a crescendo of maximum tension (I'm thinking of the street fight outside of the halfway house) but they never give you the resolution or release of dopamine that your body is crying out for. It is like Wallace is training you to be comfortable living without closure, which is something we only get in stories (whether literature, TV or movies) and rarely in real life.

[@MisterWondrous]

So excited about this. I once lived in Brighton, which was the model for his Enfield, I think he called it, but I forget the corporate sponsor of those years. Seem to recall a bit of overlap of our times there. I was more into squash, but am fair at the tennis. Back to your video...

[@TheMikenanners]

What a book. What a man. Not enough is said about the level of empathy and sincerity in his work vs his commonly cited inspirations. Even if his intentions could sometimes backfire, I believe he kept a pure heart amidst a lifelong struggle with things often out of his control. For a guy who had to work harder than most to find genuine ‘noiseless’ moments of peace or joy, it seems to me the immensity of his intellect did not help, was not to be envied and ate away at him until the end. EDIT: I don’t wish to deify the man or paint him as an overall good person I somehow knew - I didn’t, and I should’ve been more careful in my appreciation of his work to point out that the ‘pure heart’ I’m referring to is from what I know of most of his writing; not his light of day, real world actions. He acted towards women in ways I would condemn anyone else for, anyone - period, that a ‘good person’ would not, and did so without ever explicitly mentioning or apologising later on and as relatively recent as the late 80s and 90s, in this sense making it harder to justify than if we were talking about some 1800s author. Thanks to @tescomealdeals in the replies for inspiring me to reflect on this.

[@tescomealdeals]

The guy was at best incredibly emotionally unstable and at worst a serial abuser and manipulator. If ever there needed to be separation between the art and the artist it would be with David Foster Wallace and his work

[@TheMikenanners]

@@tescomealdealsI can’t say I agree with your ‘at best’, though with your ‘at worst’ I guess there might be a few confirmed details I’ve not retained knowledge of that deservedly paint him in a worse light than my overall sentiment (apologies if this is the case - I’m aware of some of the inexcusable instances and patterns of behaviour, but maybe not enough for me to attempt to define the entirety of him with such confidence). Not saying he’s some special case that shouldn’t be scrutinised, but does seem a bit farfetched labelling him enemy #1 in terms of authors who should maybe be separated from their art.

[@Carvaka]

​@@tescomealdeals Your "at best" is grossly reductive, and the way that you assert it comes off incredibly smug. You gotta love anonymous keyboard warriors, who assess people they don't actually know with all the confidence in the world.

[@tescomealdeals]

@@Carvaka gotta love anonymous keyboard warriors who absolutely refuse to admit that their favourite author was a bad person

[@Carvaka]

@@tescomealdeals wow, so lovely to meet the arbiter of good and ungood. the internet really brings the god complex out in people.

[@daktraveler56]

I wanted to read one of David 's books after he died, but I was preoccupied with other things. Now, I feel like I can take on his work 😊

[@BenjaminMcEvoy]

I'm so thrilled to hear that! I'd love to know what you make of his work :)

[@keldoe1351]

For the past few months I’ve been reading ten pages of IJ a day and it has been such a wonderful read. I’m not sure I always agree with what DFW has to say. He is definitely an…interesting… figure at times. But his way of getting those ideas across is so well done

[@nicsunderlandbaker]

Thank you for your work, and especially the reminder to read slow and portion it out over weeks/months.

[@BenjaminMcEvoy]

Thank you so much, Nic! I really appreciate that :)

[@Cognizens]

I am SO EXCITED!!! I started this book just before I sw Ben put in on the Book CLub list, so I put it down and have been waiting for it. I will have to put all my other reads aways for the next month - or two. Thank you Ben - you are the best lecturer on the most fantastic topics... that no one ever thinks about let alone talk about (.....as you literally say this out loud... 😂). ✌🏻💯

[@BenjaminMcEvoy]

Aw, thank you so much! That means the absolute world to me :) And that's beautiful synchronicity with you picking it up just before the book club announcement! I am so excited to hear what you make of it. I think it will have been worth the wait!! ☺️

[@mhlightable]

If there is one book that was probably made for the Kindle, Infinite Jest is it. That may not be a popular opinion. I originally bought the paperback when it came out and I was flipping back and forth so much that I bought another copy and sliced it with an exacto knife to have the endnotes to read separately. However, I never finished it. Having it on a Kindle was how I finally read it all because I could touch a button and go to the end note and read and go back. Also, I didn't have to carry a doorstop with me everywhere. So I would recommend reading Infinite Jest on a Kindle as the best way to anyone who asked me.

[@budg.6094]

I liked it on Kindle, as well, so I could more quickly search and also scroll through and re-read passages I had highlighted. Ironically, this act of making the task easier likely is contrary to how Wallace wanted us to experience the book. I sort of wish I had not given away my original hard copy. I have purchased a second, but I don’t have the bond with the second created by the dozens of hours I spent wrestling with the first.

[@nenadmilenkovic-panic6079]

I red 100 pages and realized that I need to wait winter to come. The book is outstanding on so many levels.

[@hectoralvarez7654]

Mr. McEvoy thank you for your inspiring message.

[@BenjaminMcEvoy]

You are so welcome! Thank you so much for watching, Héctor :)

[@mikeramsay5964]

Maybe, Wallace wrote Infinite Jest the way he did, so it would HAVE to be reread. And, maybe, for some, it will be like the film and become an obsession that can't be put down. I approached IJ as I did Middlemarch, like it was serialized. I decided to read 3 pages per day, beginning January 19th and projected a completion date of January 11, 2025. I'm way ahead on page 910, with 1 1/2 pages of endnotes. I love this book. I plan on beginning a reread as soon as I complete it. Wonderful video. Thanks

[@vinnydog1]

I just finished my re-read of IJ last week! Great timing! Gets more prescient every time you read it.

[@BenjaminMcEvoy]

Wow! That's amazing timing :) I completely agree, Oliver. Every reread reveals so much. Incredible work on so many levels!

[@ramos-victorchristinajosie6705]

I appreciate you making this very helpful video. Picking this book up this week. Thank you!

[@BenjaminMcEvoy]

Thank you so much! I'm so happy you enjoyed it :) I'd love to know what you make of the novel!

[@idicula1979]

I respect the simple journey of searching for a deeper meaning, society can be so much better off overnight if we were given to that search and we treated our brother and sisters not with contempt, but an invitation to also share their deeper insights and communally to learn and grow from them.

[@bunnychacha]

DFW would be thrilled with your analysis. I’m most definitely thrilled to have found your channel.

[@BenjaminMcEvoy]

Wow. Thank you so much! You have completely made my day! :)

[@elisawinter4520]

Benjamin, you have done a great service with this video. 🎉

[@BenjaminMcEvoy]

Thank you so much, Elisa!! I really appreciate that :)

[@darrengagliardi1540]

This is an amazing summary - makes this book very approachable. Thank you!

[@BenjaminMcEvoy]

Thank you so much, Darren!! I really appreciate that :)

[@user-fw1zj7ss3t]

My God... Everyday..., every day I keep looking if you have posted a new video.. and it truly was disappointing to see you didn't.. today's day was tough for me and the first pop up of your video brightened me .. great book you hold there in your hand ❤

[@BenjaminMcEvoy]

I'm sorry to hear you've had a tough day, Suhel. I'm happy to hear I could help brighten things up for you. Thank you so much for being here, my friend. I appreciate you ❤️

[@user-fw1zj7ss3t]

​@@BenjaminMcEvoy All thanks to you ❤️

[@almubarak89458]

Im currently on page 162 this book is like nothing I ever read before. It's difficult at first but then you get addicted to his style of writing after a while.

[@BenjaminMcEvoy]

I'm so thrilled to hear that!! Nice one :) It only gets better and better too!

[@Renannight6]

Well, I was about to go to bed - guess that'll have to wait!

[@TheMikenanners]

Same, and I have work tomorrow 😭

[@averythingwhiskey1585]

First, thank you, most sincerely, for your time and passion. Your videos have been highly influential in reigniting a passion for literature. I’ve watched you for a couple years, but, following my first reading of Blood Meridian three months ago, I’ve gone on to read, or reread, in order, Moby Dick, The Sound and the Fury, The Grapes of Wrath, Brave New World, Steppenwolf, To Kill a Mockingbird, The Odyssey (Fagle’s,thanks for the translation video), and Hamlet. The latter two, per your “how to read” video’s suggestion, in preparation for Ulysses (along which I’m employing the Cliff’s Notes, Hastings’ The Guide To…, and the Norton audiobook). Now, in my thirst for the next literary “fix,” I’ve been reading a couple essays by, and watching interviews with, DFW, anticipating his Infinite Jest to likely be my next selection. And here, after completing another DFW interview while cooking, I see the next suggested video is a review of the book by you, uploaded only an hour before? What kismet!

[@Mackerel95]

I wish I had had this video back when I read Infinite Jest! Most of it feels like a fever dream now, but a few scenes have stuck with me and stayed as fresh in my mind as if I just read them. Definitely need to give it another go after watching this.

[@BenjaminMcEvoy]

Thank you so much! I really appreciate that :) It really does feel like a fever dream when you look back on it after some years, doesn't it? As you say, there really are a strong handful of scenes that really do linger and stick around though!

[@lucashawks2160]

I don't find it anywhere near as difficult as say Ulysses, or Gravity's Rainbow, or even Genji that we just read.

[@BenjaminMcEvoy]

I completely agree!

[@lilith6072]

i found it honestly quite straightforward and more tedious

[@brentwilliamson8642]

I've been waiting for this one since I joined the club. I LOVE this novel, it can be hilarious and horrifying within the span of a couple of paragraphs, and it has so many many themes. Encyclopedic as you call it. I am very excited to hear your insights as we read through it. I would love to go super slow with this one, as it is the epitome of density, but I understand having to keep to the schedule. I think you could do 90 minutes on each hundred pages with room for topics of interest to spare. I can't wait to hear the reader response as well. I am truly excited.

[@BenjaminMcEvoy]

I'm so happy to hear that, Brent!! I've been excited to talk about this one for the longest time :) That is so true about the novel being hilarious and horrifying within the span of a couple of paragraphs. That's one of the things that I appreciate about Infinite Jest so much. DFW is able to show the tragic in the comic and the comic in the tragic in such a profound way. I cannot wait to hear how you find the experience this time around. Infinite Jest only gets better with every reading!

[@garyhughes3001]

My copy still has the labels and shop receipts I used as bookmarks for my favourite chapters and foot notes. Yes the receipts are like a timeline of when I read what.

[@BenjaminMcEvoy]

That is so cool! It sounds like you really lived the book :)

[@garyhughes3001]

@@BenjaminMcEvoy yes the book for me was the Entertainment.

[@brodiiie]

Me and my sister are planning on reading this together over the course of next year, so this video has come at the perfect time. Already tried to read this before and abandoned it about 100 pages in, so I’m excited to give it another go!

[@BenjaminMcEvoy]

That's so cool you'll be reading it together! This is definitely a work that is all the more rewarding when shared! I'll be very excited to hear what you both make of the experience 😊

[@kathleenmaloney4255]

Thank you for this. I am an active member of the Hardcore Literature Book Club and I am planning to take this journey with you and fellow readers. Can you address-now or sometime during the book discussion-Bloom's issues, concerns, sentiments about IJ and DFW? From previous videos, I know you respect Bloom and his literary criticisms; I would really appreciate your take.

[@micahle2406]

Just purchased Infinite Jest a couple of weeks ago and I hope you will talk about it. And now you did. Thank you for this fortunate coincidence 🥰

[@BenjaminMcEvoy]

That's a beautiful coincidence! I hope you enjoy it, Micah! I'd love to know what you make of it :)

[@nrw05231950]

A thousand 👍s. This novel has collected dust on my shelf for years, looks like time to get down to trading it. Thank you, NRW, Mpls

[@matteomorellini5974]

What a coincidence! Yesterday morning I was looking for something to get me introduced to IJ, but I wasn't satisfied. Today I did the same search and found the perfect video waiting for me

[@BenjaminMcEvoy]

That's amazing!! I love when these bookish coincidences happen :) Thank you and happy reading, Matteo. I'd love to know what you make of it!

[@idicula1979]

this is a GREAT review and interpretation thank you very much, this video has so much meaning for me that I will take going forward.

[@BenjaminMcEvoy]

Thank you so much, Mathew!! That makes me so happy! I appreciate you watching ☺️🙏

[@richardlong5928]

Undoubtedly my favorite KZbinr. You are a huge role model for me

[@BenjaminMcEvoy]

Aw, thank you so much, Richard! I appreciate you, my friend ☺️🙏

[@HeyQuinton]

DFW was truly ahead of his time. One of the tortured artists of our generation. Even in his videos, you can see a sort of pain and grappling behind his words

[@BenjaminMcEvoy]

Completely agree. I find it insightful but painful watching his interviews because you can feel his pain come through intensely.

[@HeyQuinton]

@@BenjaminMcEvoy Im always curious if its the tail wagging the dog because we know how it (tragically) ends for him. Either way - I appreciate you covering this and his other works! For your Stephen King to-be-read, 11/22/63 if you haven't enjoyed already; one of those books you wish you could read again for the first time!

[@t3br00k35]

I used pages out of my copy to start the fire every day last winter and I’ve still 3/4 of the book to get through.

[@troydaum4728]

So happy you did a breakdown on this book :D

[@BenjaminMcEvoy]

Thank you, Troy! :)

[@cantonlittle]

Looking forward to reading this book with you, Ben!

[@BenjaminMcEvoy]

I'm so excited to read this one with you too, Canton! I can't wait to hear what you make of it. I hope you're keeping well 🙏

[@mrwickgaming5117]

A few days ago I watched The end of the tour. The film deeply moved me and enticed me to watch Wallace’s interviews. Those showed me a very conscientious, sensitive and all too human person. It was almost like a mask that covers most of us was not there. He was expressing himself in his fullest. Coincidentally this came out a day after and now I’m really considering reading this and maybe even purchasing the audiobook version. But the only problem I have is maybe I’m not too mature too read it. I’m only turning 18 and I’ve previously read Blood Meridian of which a lot of it flew over my head. Any recommendations?

[@AnSe902]

AdSense has been really quiet since this video dropped. 😄 I bought IJ years ago when the german translation came out but never finished it. They sold it including two book marks which was quite nice. 🙂 I just checked my copy and one bookmark is placed at page 157 and the other at footnote 45. 🙃

[@NeonRadarMusic]

Saw the title of the video but didnt get the chance to watch it till now but when I passed by a bookshop and bought it immediately. All your fault. 😂

[@BenjaminMcEvoy]

That's amazing!! I'm so happy to hear that :)

[@redneckinthebardo]

If I had to choose, I'd say Infinite Jest is my favorite book, and DFW is my favorite writer. I'm in your book club, and though I won't be rereading IJ now (I'm still working on Genji and probably will be for some time), I'm psyched for your IJ lectures, and I will be reading the Kafka stories you've recommended for reading concurrently with IJ. So exciting!

[@dellh86]

I read this about 2 years ago and loved it. This was my first like big brained literature book. I have always liked classics, but nothing notoriously difficult really. I was nervious going in, thinking maybe I wasn't smart enough or disciplined enough to get through it. The humor was really disarming for me and allowed me to see it as "just another book". The depth of meaning and genius of the writing really didn't come to me until I was over half way finished with the book. So my advice is to just treat it like as normal of a book as you can. The strangeness and complexity of it will come through no matter what. My next erudite literature read is Gravity's Rainbow, starting in January. Wish me luck.

[@alishademmery3581]

Thank you for sharing your thoughts

[@BenjaminMcEvoy]

My pleasure! Thank you so much for listening to them, Alisha :)

[@bc-mv5se]

Good stuff. Thank you. Personally I've distrusted the paradigms of addictology. When everything is addictive, nothing is. That's my only quibble.

[@Sauceman10_]

Have been reading IJ for about 1.5 months now and am 450 pages in. This is the first time that I'm seeing one of your guide videos whilst reading the book instead of before. Interesting to see things that I have already noticed but also getting new perspectives and things that I didn't think about, keen observations as always.

[@pawel1.7.22]

This is my favorite book thanks for uploading

[@BenjaminMcEvoy]

Thank you so much for watching! :)

[@bryanbassett2110]

It would be awesome to get a video like this on House of Leaves

[@BenjaminMcEvoy]

You've read my mind, Bryan! I've been thinking of doing exactly that :)

[@user-dj7lx9ec8j]

Great video and the most helpful in regards to this book.

[@BenjaminMcEvoy]

Thank you so much!! :)

[@nenadmilenkovic-panic6079]

Samizdat on serbian also means - the material completelly published by Author

[@idicula1979]

As spending last week in a somewhat religious commune, I can attest just how very community affirming starting the day with prayer, and just giving general thanks is. Now I to have a problem when the community affirming part of religion, looses it humility and finds that it’s affirmation is found in only demonizing those outside of their community. So I think HUMILITY has to once again find its place in religion, that the god we choose to worship, our higher authority loved us so much to give us freedom to come to the truth on our own.

[@jsmi601]

Well, you did the impossible - this video convinced me to give post-modernism another try. I'm almost 200 pages in and it's going well so far!

[@jbliv831]

Read this through rehab and a 3 month halfway house. Blew my mind. Drinking again while Watching this. RIP DFW.

[@avalon5821]

Mr. McEvoy, will you someday cover "The Epic of Gilgamesh?" That work calls my name beyond all other classics besides perhaps Don Quixote as a rather inexperienced but intensely passionate reader of the last year. A guide explaining its context and good ways to approach its narrative would be incredible.

[@BenjaminMcEvoy]

I definitely want to cover "The Epic of Gilgamesh" in the future! I actually have some ideas sketched out for the discussion already. I have a dream list of works I want to cover and this one has been right near the top for a while!

[@avalon5821]

@@BenjaminMcEvoy Thanks for your response! Since leaving this comment, I actually read the Gilgamesh, tore through it in one sitting, then read it again! It's so fitting to our nature that the oldest remaining work of its size that we have is one that so openly reckons with existential fear, devastation, and egotism. Incredibly powerful stuff. I went to a used bookstore and compared copies, and found that the Penguin version had fantastic notes, a great and thoroughly illuminating introduction, and ample space for marginalia. That said, I'm not sure if more tablets have been uncovered since its Y2K publication; it could well be possible that it's no longer the most up-to-date. Do you know? Now I am approaching Plato's dialogues for the first time! I hope you're well.

[@DiogenesNephew]

This is one of those books that feels like an inextricable part of me.

[@mikeramsay5964]

I wonder if a version of Infinite Jest will ever be released with ALL the endnotes DFW wrote.

[@shihweiwong]

I have it in my Kindle and will start tomorrow

[@BenjaminMcEvoy]

Amazing! I hope you enjoy the ride :)

[@aissiranda2187]

Please, can you tell us more about the poetry collection of the poet John Keats?

[@Cnazty63]

Look, Wallace is incredibly intellectual, but I cannot get past the anxiety in his writing. His nonfiction is excellent, but Infinite Jest comes across as a work of great ambition but severely inhibited by the author's artistic apprehension. Wallace's mind is both a gift and a curse, it is what made him a unique and talented writer, teacher, and observer of our culture. He makes many salient points, hilarious and prescient, but in the fiction they are always undermined in one form or the next by Wallace's overthinking. I don't think Infinite Jest would ever rise as high as Ulysses or Moby Dick even if Wallace had the subconscious drive of both these authors, but there is no doubt if Wallace could have loosed his mind from the anxieties he faced in his art his masterwork would have soared higher and more fluidly than it does. In the end the work feels tethered, not in confidence per say, but more like the author is hesitant to release himself from the mires of self-doubt, the good practice of any scholar searching for truth. Its painful for me to watch Wallace be interviewed, to read his works, to see his image and that self-deprecating smile. I feel his pain so tangibly whenever I read him. Wallace is as close to the contemporary American Dostoevsky as we are going to see in this generation. He is profound and absolutely prophetic, but the art does not rise to the expectations he sets for himself. Wallace battled his entire life with his mind and soul and heart, and sadly it had its effect on his work. And its hard for me to appreciate what he produced (such impressive material) in spite of this battle because when I read Infinite Jest I see what could have been and can't help but lament over it, as I am sure Wallace did privately throughout his working career.

[@dragonsbreath6860]

I think it would be really cool to see you review the Stormlight archive by Brandon Sanderson. The classic review will always be my favorite, but a dense fantasy book review would be awesome!!

[@BenjaminMcEvoy]

I've been wanting to do more fantasy discussions for a very long time :) Brandon Sanderson's fantastic. I've actually just started rereading Robert Jordan's The Wheel of Time and am loving it all over again!

[@1001VideoGames]

Easily my favourite novel bar none! 😀

[@stargaryen2611]

New York Times published a "Top 100 books of the 21st century" list and I hope you make a video on it. :)

[@BenjaminMcEvoy]

That's so amazing you've said that!! I have literally been looking over this list with plans to make a video covering it. You read my mind :)

[@williammarkland8351]

Somebody may well have already mentioned this - use kindle to allow a quick back and forth between text and end notes. Hard to do marginalia but ...

[@BenjaminMcEvoy]

Great advice! Also very good to search up keywords and easier to jump around and find information to piece things together :)

[@Draxtor]

OMG it seems that IJ is getting a lot of play lately which is wonderful. I recently had a panel of translators on our Second Life Book Club. Fascinating discussion. Currently contemplating to embark on a third re-read or alternatively 3 months with "War and Peace". Damn Benjamin = you put your thumb on the scale hihihi

[@Whatever_Happy_People]

Hullo Ben hope your well . I just finished the Nether world by George Gissing. It is marvelous and George Gissing deserves to be resurrected as a well known and hopefully popular author again. Peace Lara.

[@alexis5721]

Hello, all your videos are great, you can see the passion for each story. I recommend you read Recollections of things to come by Elena Garro, she is a Mexican writer who was forgotten in life, but she is currently being revalued as the best Mexican writer.

[@bobofdeathtoall]

Hi Benjamin - Out of curiosity, do you have any familiarity with the writings of Gene Wolfe? He is, in my opinion, one of the greatest writers of the late 20th century writing very much in the vein of Joyce, Woolf, Proust and other classic / modernist authors playing deeply with perspective, memory, consciousness, and unreliable narration. I think it was Le Guin who referred to him publicly as “our Melville” referring to the complexity and layered, inexhaustible nature of his works. However, since much of the dressing and content of his works play in the realm of speculative / science / fantastical fiction, he seems to have been a victim of genre-fication and lumped in with run-of-the-mill sci fi in the industry and on bookshelves, which in my opinion is apples with oranges and has resulted in his works completely missing the audience that would most appreciate him (probably something like your audience). I would be incredibly interested in particular in your reading and reaction to his novel Peace, which has absolutely nothing to do with sci fi or fantasy. Your “confusion first, insight later” prompted my question here as this is definitely how you have to approach Gene Wolfe. Cheers!

[@nourished3496]

Ben, this is great, thank you for this video - made me want to try it! Your comments on Infinite Jest somehow reminded me of Byung-Chul Han's The Burnout Society, have you read it? If you did, what are your thoughts? If not, I think you will enjoy it!

[@BenjaminMcEvoy]

Thank you so much!! I really appreciate that :) I've not read Byung-Chul Han's The Burnout Society, but it sounds fascinating. I'm going to order myself a copy now and give it a read. Thank you for the great recommendation!

[@AlyoshaMyshkin]

Been looking forward to this one! Meur ras! (Thank you!)

[@BenjaminMcEvoy]

My absolute pleasure!! I'm so happy to hear that :)

[@pattube]

I like DFW's IJ, and I wouldn't normally say this about most other books, but I think IJ is one of those books that could've been significantly improved by an editor excising big chunks of the text and rearranging others. For more details, I think others on BookTube have videos talking about this too (e.g. Steve Donoghue).

[@BenjaminMcEvoy]

Can you believe his editor actually cut an additional 300-400 pages? Much to DFW's chagrin.. 😂

[@pattube]

@@BenjaminMcEvoy Wow, I had no idea, yet IJ still seems like it could use another good edit...or two or three! 😯

[@iinc6290]

@@pattube I would encourage you to reread it, I personally while reading it felt that it was perfectly edited, even actually maybe overedited towards the end of the novel. A common technique that DFW would employ is pretty much a sin of all other literature but it is super important for the book is that he buries incredibly important information about the characters, their actions, their motivations, the world, the themes, in walls of what would appear to be completely useless text. There is stuff that gets called back to and would be entirely lost on the inattentive reader. I feel like people mostly say this just because it's a super long book and absolutely unlike any other novel. But just because of that, I don't think it's fair to start gutting it at the total expense of the work. If you wanted to get straight to the "plot" whatever that is then yeah sure cut it down to another forgettable, plot-driven novel briefly hovering roughly at 300 pages and send it on it's way to be read once and then donated to goodwill. He was not making that, he didn't want to make that.

[@pattube]

@@iinc6290 Thanks, that's totally fair. And I suspect most people who have read IJ would agree with you. For what it's worth, I have re-read IJ, though I've only read it twice total (for context I usually reread books I love multiple times, my favorites I've read perhaps 10x or more). I will say I'm not the only one saying this about IJ. There are other people including literary critics who have said as much. Some have even said they hate IJ, and they are literary people attuned to good literature, and as far as best as I can tell they also seem to have read it more than once and even more times than I have. However, I don't go as far as they do: as I've said, I do like IJ; I just don't love IJ.

[@iinc6290]

@@pattube i think it's fair to dislike or not love a book of course, and that it's a somewhat valid criticism of the work, I just feel like the sentiment derives from the nature of the work itself with most criticisms I've read regarding the editing and length. I think when people give that specific criticism, and of course it's also sort of not good criticism response to go "well, like, they just dont like get it maaan" so I really want to avoid coming off that way, but I feel like it does come from some aspect of the book being overlooked or not fully digested, or from a reader coming into it with presuppositions about the nature of fiction and what qualifies it. Also for the record, I will recognize many of the flaws of DFWs thought in general and of infinite jest as a work, I've just never in my own reading found the book to contain nearly as much "bloat" as the criticisms will try to say because I don't really see much that is not contributing to the book thematically. I think that especially avid readers of fiction will have more preconceptions going into it because there is really very little ever written, even within the niche of postmodernism he was writing in, that has the game goals as it and expresses them like IJ does

[@jbliv831]

Everyone watch his Charlie Rose interview!