tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8972120889629675714.post6929110219958043578..comments2024-02-25T05:24:24.948-05:00Comments on Beyond Easy: Infinite Jest and the path of least resistance.Patrick Rhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02410016566636603639noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8972120889629675714.post-23615476962047125352018-09-16T03:23:14.692-04:002018-09-16T03:23:14.692-04:00Okay, over two years later, I finished Infinite Je...Okay, over two years later, I finished Infinite Jest. I think I started it around December last year but eventually got through it. At times, it amazed me, but I'd definitely agree with some criticisms of its self-indulgence. It ended up being more work than I care for from side-reading. I wouldn't say it's the best American novel since Moby Dick (I much preferred others like Catch-22 and Blood Meridian), but it feels like one of the most ambitious since it, which is something.<br /><br />I looked at the Wikipedia page for it, afterward. I found the page for it to be lacking, generally, although it helped me make some sense about the wheelchair assassins' objective (I missed why they wanted the tape). Google helps simplify matters, but I don't think it can really ruins this book, since it can only bring you to other people's answers for the book's puzzles, and many of them aren't really solvable.<br /><br />Anyway, I'll likely never read the book again (it can join Ulysses on that shelf), which is why I can't call it the best American book in decades, but I'll be thinking about it for a long time.Adam E.https://www.blogger.com/profile/15301656119538410691noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8972120889629675714.post-74566665275028042412016-02-18T23:41:23.473-05:002016-02-18T23:41:23.473-05:00You know I tend to prefer stuff written before 195...You know I tend to prefer stuff written before 1950, but I did feel somewhat obligated to read what I've heard called the best novel written in decades. Again, it is definitely deserving of the devotion it commands. Well worth reading, but go into it prepared. It is not a low-maintenance book.Patrick Rhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02410016566636603639noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8972120889629675714.post-52056546544277603302016-02-16T12:18:46.442-05:002016-02-16T12:18:46.442-05:00I've never read Infinite Jest, as I tend to be...I've never read Infinite Jest, as I tend to be behind on every book published after 1930 or so. It sounds interesting, though.Adam E.https://www.blogger.com/profile/15301656119538410691noreply@blogger.com