Week 1: Prep/Pep Talk: Year of the Infinite Summer

As a few of our readers may know (I let on about it in our Twitter feed), this week the Infinite Summer began.  The goal is to read the imposing Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace, moving at a leisurely 75 pages a week, including footnotes.  DFW has recently crossed the veil, and while some bloggers over at Infinite Summer have tried to avoid the memorial-ish aspects of this event, I don’t see anything wrong with that–and really, if that’s what it takes to get you to read this book (which is supposed to be, like, totally awesome), then fine.  Of course, we should mention that James Joyce has been dead for quite some time now…Finnegan’s Wake, anyone?  No?

I was going to write about the first “assignment,” but then I realized that the week’s not up yet, so we’ll get to that in a couple of days.  However, if you’ve started, you will have had some opportunity to form some impressions (or deeply felt fears) of the novel:  “daunting” may be at the top of everyone’s list.  Ever the overachiever, I’ve finished the assignment ahead of time, so I’ll just take a moment to dish out some tips that I’ve found helpful.  Maybe they won’t be, but if that’s the case, Infinite Summer has more.  And truthfully, the best ones that I can offer I probably cribbed from that site, anyway.

1.)  Two bookmarks:  one for your place in the main text, and one for the endnotes.  There’s some talk over at the Infinite Summer that you might find colored post-its helpful for keeping track of all the character/narrators/plotlines, etc., but I’m willing to bet that’ll make you quit reading that much faster.  As much as I would love to go full-geek on Infinite Jest, I’ll save that pleasure for the second go-around.  The endnotes, it turns out, are important to the story, so you’ll probably just have to put up with that.  It’s not as bad as you might imagine though.

2.)  When the going gets tough, quit reading and start watching.  In other words, let the insanity of DFW’s writing take over and enjoy the ride.  Part of the beauty of this book, its linguistic achievement, lies in its Obsessive Compulsive Schizophrenia.  I realize that I’m mixing disorders here, but the point is that if you spend too much time consulting your dictionary or psych textbooks, you’re probably going to miss the rhythm of the text–not to mention drive yourself a little batty in the process.

3.)  Above all, cultivate a sense of superiority as you lug this behemoth around with you.  Act like you don’t notice the stares (they’re admiring gazes) and whispers (hushed exaltations of your heroism).  Merely touching this book makes you smarter, cooler, more culturally adept, and, yes, sexy beyond measure.  Finishing it may just turn you into a god.  No promises.

Okay.  If anyone of yous guys is taking up the summer challenge, I’d love to hear about it.  Maybe we could get together for tea and biscuits and talk about the book.  Or cucumber sandwiches, if that’s your thing.  Please like me.

Good luck!