Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace (Book Analysis): Detailed Summary, Analysis and Reading Guide
()
About this ebook
This engaging summary presents an analysis of Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace, a vast, sweeping novel which takes in a tennis academy for gifted young players, a halfway house for recovering addicts and an “entertainment” rumoured to be so compelling that it will kill whoever watches it. The novel’s scope, humour and complexity mean that it is widely recognised as the author’s masterpiece and as one of the greatest novels of recent years. David Foster Wallace was an American writer, and is one of the most influential authors of recent years. Besides Infinite Jest, he is also known for the short story collection Brief Interviews with Hideous Men and the essay collections A Supposedly Fun Thing I’ll Never Do Again and Consider the Lobster.
Find out everything you need to know about Infinite Jest in a fraction of the time!
This in-depth and informative reading guide brings you:
• A complete plot summary
• Character studies
• Key themes and symbols
• Questions for further reflection
Why choose BrightSummaries.com?
Available in print and digital format, our publications are designed to accompany you on your reading journey. The clear and concise style makes for easy understanding, providing the perfect opportunity to improve your literary knowledge in no time.
See the very best of literature in a whole new light with BrightSummaries.com!
Read more from Bright Summaries
Fifty Shades Trilogy by E.L. James (Book Analysis): Detailed Summary, Analysis and Reading Guide Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Myth of Sisyphus by Albert Camus (Book Analysis): Detailed Summary, Analysis and Reading Guide Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Crucible by Arthur Miller (Book Analysis): Detailed Summary, Analysis and Reading Guide Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBeloved by Toni Morrison (Book Analysis): Detailed Summary, Analysis and Reading Guide Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger (Book Analysis): Detailed Summary, Analysis and Reading Guide Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams (Book Analysis): Detailed Summary, Analysis and Reading Guide Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck (Book Analysis): Detailed Summary, Analysis and Reading Guide Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Giovanni's Room by James Baldwin (Book Analysis): Detailed Summary, Analysis and Reading Guide Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThings Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe (Book Analysis): Detailed Summary, Analysis and Reading Guide Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin (Book Analysis): Detailed Summary, Analysis and Reading Guide Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLord of the Flies by William Golding (Book Analysis): Detailed Summary, Analysis and Reading Guide Rating: 1 out of 5 stars1/5Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier (Book Analysis): Detailed Summary, Analysis and Reading Guide Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett (Book Analysis): Detailed Summary, Analysis and Reading Guide Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Marquez (Book Analysis): Detailed Summary, Analysis and Reading Guide Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood (Book Analysis): Detailed Summary, Analysis and Reading Guide Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee (Book Analysis): Detailed Summary, Analysis and Reading Guide Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller (Book Analysis): Detailed Summary, Analysis and Reading Guide Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAll the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr (Book Analysis): Detailed Summary, Analysis and Reading Guide Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold (Book Analysis): Detailed Summary, Analysis and Reading Guide Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsHarry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling (Book Analysis): Detailed Summary, Analysis and Reading Guide Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLolita by Vladimir Nabokov (Book Analysis): Detailed Summary, Analysis and Reading Guide Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Naked Lunch by William S. Burroughs (Book Analysis): Detailed Summary, Analysis and Reading Guide Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut (Book Analysis): Detailed Summary, Analysis and Reading Guide Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Related to Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace (Book Analysis)
Related ebooks
Station Eleven: by Emily St. John Mandel | Conversation Starters Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMiddlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides (Book Analysis): Detailed Summary, Analysis and Reading Guide Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsNine Stories: A Reader's Guide to the J.D. Salinger Story Collection Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsFate, Time, and Language: An Essay on Free Will Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Gravity's Rainbow Handbook: A Key to the Thomas Pynchon Novel Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell (Book Analysis): Detailed Summary, Analysis and Reading Guide Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut (Book Analysis): Detailed Summary, Analysis and Reading Guide Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole (Book Analysis): Detailed Summary, Analysis and Reading Guide Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Ulysses Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsDavid Foster Wallace's Balancing Books: Fictions of Value Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsOn the Road by Jack Kerouac (Book Analysis): Detailed Summary, Analysis and Reading Guide Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Stoner by John Williams (Book Analysis): Detailed Summary, Analysis and Reading Guide Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5A Study Guide for Don DeLillo's White Noise Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Road by Cormac McCarthy (Book Analysis): Detailed Summary, Analysis and Reading Guide Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSummary of Project Hail Mary: by Andy Weir - A Comprehensive Summary Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess (Book Analysis): Detailed Summary, Analysis and Reading Guide Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/52 B R 0 2 B Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Study Guide: Cat's Cradle (A BookCaps Study Guide) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Goldfinch by Donna Tartt (Trivia-On-Books) Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The End of the End of the Earth: Essays Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Ulysses: New Revised Edition Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLess: by Andrew Sean Greer | Conversation Starters Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Kierkegaardian Reading of David Foster Wallace Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Understanding David Foster Wallace Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov (Book Analysis): Detailed Summary, Analysis and Reading Guide Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Brothers Karamazov Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsReady Player One by Ernest Cline (Trivia-On-Books) Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Divine Comedy Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Literary Criticism For You
One Hundred Years of Solitude: A Novel by Gabriel Garcia Márquez | Conversation Starters Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The 48 Laws of Power: by Robert Greene | Conversation Starters Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Art of Seduction: by Robert Greene | Conversation Starters Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/512 Rules For Life: by Jordan Peterson | Conversation Starters Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Verity: by Colleen Hoover | Conversation Starters Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Man's Search for Meaning: by Viktor E. Frankl | Conversation Starters Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking by Susan Cain | Conversation Starters Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5Circe: by Madeline Miller | Conversation Starters Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Letters to a Young Poet Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Power of Habit: by Charles Duhigg | Conversation Starters Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5A Court of Thorns and Roses: A Novel by Sarah J. Maas | Conversation Starters Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Untethered Soul: The Journey Beyond Yourself by Michael A. Singer | Conversation Starters Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5SUMMARY Of The Plant Paradox: The Hidden Dangers in Healthy Foods That Cause Disease and Weight Gain Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A study guide for Frank Herbert's "Dune" Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Bad Feminist: Essays Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Lincoln Lawyer: A Mysterious Profile Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsJust Kids: A National Book Award Winner Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Dare to Lead: Brave Work. Tough Conversations. Whole Hearts.by Brené Brown | Conversation Starters Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Paperbacks from Hell: The Twisted History of '70s and '80s Horror Fiction Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Reviews for Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace (Book Analysis)
0 ratings0 reviews
Book preview
Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace (Book Analysis) - Bright Summaries
AMERICAN WRITER
Born in Ithaca, New York (USA) in 1962.
Died in Claremont, California (USA) in 2008.
Notable works:
Brief Interviews with Hideous Men (1999), short story collection
Consider the Lobster (2005), essay collection
The Pale King (2011), unfinished novel
David Foster Wallace was a complex writer in terms of both his story-telling and the subjects and themes he explored. His work has influenced numerous contemporary writers and he is highly regarded for his work across the novel, short story and essay mediums. His work deals with diverse themes, including depression and mental illness, addiction, sport, entertainment and politics. His idiosyncratic writing style and expansive vocabulary make his fiction among the most instantly recognisable in modern literature. Educated to a high level, Wallace published his first novel while still at college.
His works are often intimidating in their length and the detail Wallace gives the reader, but they are as funny as they are insightful. Indeed, one of the key characteristics of Wallace’s writing was its ability to find humour in very dark situations. He was the recipient of a MacArthur Fellowship (commonly known as the MacArthur Genius Grant) and was a regionally recognised junior tennis player. This diverse biography reveals the wide sources from which Wallace found inspiration for his fiction. After suffering for most of his adult life with mental health problems,