Infinite Jest

Infinite Jest is a book by the American author David Foster Wallace. It was published in 1996.[1][2]

The book has an unusual narrative structure and includes hundreds of extensive endnotes, some with footnotes of their own.

One of the subjects that Wallace deals with in the novel is addiction; to drugs, to alcohol, to sex, and to other things people can become addicted to. He is quoted as saying "“There’s a lot of addiction stuff in “Infinite Jest.” And it’s odd, I mean I went to a lot of open AA meetings, and I’ve read a lot of, um, sort of addictionology books. And it does become a kind of model...through which you end up seeing a lot of stuff, particularly American stuff—advertising as seduction. I mean, the ultimate [garbled] demand is an addict, which is, you know, terrific for commercial interests. I think, um—I’m not sure about addiction so much.”[3]

Many other famous people have spoken positively about Infinite Jest, including Jonathan Franzen, Tao Lin, Dave Eggers, and Aaron Swartz.

The novel has sold more than a million copies worldwide.

References

  1. ↑ Edward McClellan (March 10, 2021). "10 Essential Illinois Books". Chicago Magazine. Retrieved April 7, 2021.
  2. ↑ Michael Hedges (October 23, 2020). "How David Foster Wallace's Infinite Jest predicted the era of Zoom". Independent. Retrieved April 7, 2021.
  3. ↑ "David Foster Wallace | Bookworm". KCRW. 2008-10-23. Retrieved 2025-06-09.
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