The Song Fight Bulletin Board

I Just finished re-reading this and I'm even more impressed with it this time than I was last time. Possibly the best book I've ever read. Anyone else here read it?

Ahm'unna. It's next on my list.

Although this book has MANY isolated moments of genius -- (The video, the trebuchet waste management system, the filmography footnote, etc) – I believe that the book as a whole does not hold together. It starts off auspiciously, but by the end it just peters out. I remember actually being pissed off by the end. (And what’s with his tennis obsession??) DFW is a smart dude, no doubt, but I vastly prefer his non-fiction, which is great.

anti-m wrote:It starts off auspiciously, but by the end it just peters out. I remember actually being pissed off by the end. (And what’s with his tennis obsession??)

I've heard this before and it's usually from people who haven't really pieced together the plot (admittedly not the easiest task). There is a satisfying plot in there.

All the tennis stuff stems from his being a pretty good tennis player in his youth. There's an essay about it in A Supposedly Fun Thing.

SPOILER APPROACHING:






I interpret the closing section of the book (Fackelman on massive amounts of drugs as a futile escape from his impending doom, etc) as a metaphor for all the O.N.A.N.-related political struggles. Both Fackelman and the U.S. are trying to exploit a three-way relationship (Fax with Whitey Sorkin and Eighties Bill; the U.S. with Canada and Mexico). The massive drug intake when faced with crisis is part of novel's overall theme of 'escapism no matter what the cost' and is certainly symptomatic of the U.S. under President Gentle. It seems to suggest that, like Fax's case, O.N.A.N. will end very badly.






END SPOILER

BTW -- it's "Infinite Jest" not "Inifinite Jest"

Whoops!

I recently got Broom of the System for a dollar at a book sale. Anyone have an opinion of it?

I haven't read it but I know there's a character named Judith Priest.

'Judith Priest' is the name of my next all-girl 80s metal band... that I can't be in, because I'm not female.. so, err. FUCK.

[edit] WAIT, it would also work as a super-gay, lisping nancy-boy metal band. Dammit, I'm not one of those either.

[edit2] I thought about this some more, and I guess it would be closer to 'Judith Prietht' FUCK AGAIN

Actually I think in the book it is 'Judith Preitht' and I just fucked up dude.