A particularly violent Quebecois separatist group, the Assassins Fateuils Roulents (A.F.R)—in English the "Wheelchair Assassins"—figure significantly into the plot. In a surreal dream sequence, Gately is visited by a “wraith” who is revealed to be the spirit of James Incandenza. Overview. Author: David Foster Wallace. DuPlessis also happened to be a rabid anti-O.N.A.N. You compete with your own limits to transcend the self in imagination and execution. Time Magazine listed the novel as one of the 100-best English novels written between 1923 and 2005. Hal has quit smoking weed and feels like an entirely different person; the other students wonder what is wrong with him. One of the major thematic aspects of Infinite Jest is the thin line between devotion and addiction, devotion being represented as a broader category in which the latter could be included. A thousand-pager. A 1000+ tome describing a year in the life of Hal Incandenza, a budding tennis champion and lexical genius. It's a … YEAR OF GLAD. However, the conversation doesn’t last long, as the man sees that Orin is otherwise occupied. One of them kills Lucien by shoving a broken broom handle down his throat. Steeply knows Marathe reports back to the A.F.R. Madame Psychosis is Orin Incandenza's ex-girlfriend. Addiction, in other words, is a form of devotion: an engagement with freedom of choice that, as Marathe argues to Steeply, precludes future freedom of choice by enslaving the will of the addict. strategize about their next move, wondering if they should torture Joelle and/or members of the Incandenza family to help them find the master copy of the Entertainment. At the top of a hill is the Enfield Tennis Academy, and at the base of the hill is the Ennet House. What follows is a reshuffling of all the scenes in Infinite Jest as they occur chronologically. Not affiliated with Harvard College. Joelle also visits, although this is later revealed to be a dream. (v1.3) Methodology. Wallace never tells the reader in plain terms which is true. Meanwhile, the medical attaché hasn’t shown up for work, so Prince Q——’s personal assistant goes to his house to see what’s wrong. She explains that Madame Psychosis/Joelle’s real name is Lucille Duquette and that she is from Kentucky. Infinite Jest - Chapter 1, Year of Glad, and Chapter 2, Year of the Depend Adult Undergarment Summary & Analysis David Foster Wallace This Study Guide consists of approximately 44 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more - everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of Infinite Jest. Whether its drugs, sex, or fame, the novel's primary goal is to examine the need for these addictions and show that it is possible to addicted to addiction itself. Infinite Jest Summary A novel that almost defies summary, Infinite Jest begins with a scene at the latest chronological point in the purview of the novel: in the "Year of Glad," the final year of nine-year-long Subsidized Time calendar in O.N.A.N., a nation made up of parts of the former United States and Canada. The Basic Plot of Infinite Jest. Even prior to the formation of O.N.A.N., there exists in Canada a major separatist movement in Quebec. Institutional Control vs. 10-11. Some of the scene placements are Addiction, Mental Illness, and Suicide. At more than 1,000 pages – with copious footnotes – Infinite Jest is a famously difficult read. Molly is interrogated by O.U.S. Analysis. Kate Gompert, who has just been hospitalized after her fourth suicide attempt in three years, tells her doctor about the unbearable pain of her depression and how this intersects with her marijuana addiction. are disciplined, though the older ones receive the harsher punishment. 9782808018937 50 EBook Plurilingua Publishing This practical and insightful reading guide offers a complete summary and analysis of Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace. Gately is taken to the hospital, where he tries to explain that he can’t be given narcotics because he is an addict. and Avril are in no way blood-related). He breaks into the home of Guillaume DuPlessis and accidentally kills him by gagging him when DuPlessis is ill with a cold and cannot breathe through his nose. At E.T.A., it is revealed that Hal and the others’ urine test is not for another 29 days. James was 54 when he killed himself. Hal watches one of his father’s film cartridges and feels disappointed by the ambiguous, inconclusive ending, which he finds embarrassingly heavy-handed. Various Ennet House residents and staff visit him, but none seem to notice or care that he cannot talk back to them. Most of the novel takes place in the penultimate year of Subsidized Time, Y.D.A.U., and the first scene of the novel, when Hal has a breakdown in his admissions interview, takes place during the Year of Glad (the next and final year of Subsidized Time). But the thematic elements of the E.T.A. Ennet House sits on the site of the Enfield Marine Public Health Hospital, which is only a brief walk from E.T.A. Back in Boston, members of the A.F.R. Gentle is the head of the Clean U.S. Party (a.k.a. and it is suggested that he has been the one distributing the cartridges all along to fulfill personal vendettas against the men with whom his mother cheated on his father. knows Marathe speaks to the U.S.O.U.S., but believes he does so to obtain information for them. The Ennet House Director, Pat Montesian, agrees to house him. (the Organization of North American Nations). can make copies of the film, they could distribute it in a massive campaign to immobilize the U.S. populace. Entertainment. "Infinite Jest Summary". Helen Steeply arrives at E.T.A. Wallace began writing Infinite Jest in earnest in 1991. Time has been subsidized because the third-party candidate and famous Las Vegas-crooner-turned-politician Johnny Gentle has won the presidency on a platform to literally clean America. While the show is being recorded, Madame Psychosis sits behind a screen in the studio and smokes. Charles and Avril had an affair and Charles is likely Mario’s true father. Mario, the middle Incandenza brother, acted as James's assistant and protégé, which he could do because due to a long list of developmental and congenital issues, Mario is unable to play tennis, so his commitments at E.T.A. With regard to 13 the basic 14 plot line, the setting for the majority of the action is Enfield, a fictional suburbia town outside of Boston. At E.T.A., Hal, Pemulis, and their friend Trevor Axford plan their DMZ trip, knowing they will need to set aside 36 hours for the experience. My students love how organized the handouts are and enjoy tracking the themes as a class.”, Joelle Van Dyne / Madame Psychosis / Lucille Duquette, Year of the Yushityu 2007 Mimetic-Resolution-Cartridge-View-Motherboard-Easy-to-Install-Upgrade for Infernatron/InterLace TP Systems for Home, Office, or Mobilee, Easy-to-use guides to literature, poetry, literary terms, and more, Super-helpful explanations and citation info for over 30,000 important quotes, Unrestricted access to all 50,000+ pages of our website and mobile app. Meanwhile, Orin is in a hotel having sex with his latest “Subject,” a Swiss hand model, when a man in a wheelchair knocks on the door and requests that he answer some questions for a survey. In writing Infinite Jest, author David Foster must “live up to” his own prodigious talent and expectations as a writer. Mario was born very prematurely, with a range of physical and mental disabilities. As the leader of O.N.A.N., he cedes the territory as a "gift" to Canada. JOI’s wraith is responsible for the strange disturbances around ETA — tripods in the forest, moving Ortho’s bed, ceiling tiles on the floor. He focused more, in the final years of his life, on making films than on administrating a school. operatives. Our, "Sooo much more helpful than SparkNotes. Struggling with distance learning? (Prettiest Girl Of All Time), and switched from varsity tennis to varsity football in order to be around her. the challenge Join endurance bibliophiles from around the world in reading Infinite Jest over the summer of 2009, June 21st to September 22nd. Hal watches a disturbing snuff-film-like work by his father. Hal has developed a secret marijuana addiction, and spends much of his time secretly getting high in the Pump Room at E.T.A. Released in 1996 to critical acclaim the novel covers the themes of addiction, depression, entertainment, espionage, and tennis.The novel gets its name from a line in Hamlet, in which Hamlet refers to the skull of Yorick, the court jester: “Alas, poor Yorick! Hal narrates, Interview with University of Arizona Deans. Infinite Jest is an enormous book written by the brilliant novelist David Foster Wallace. Elegant Complexity: A Study of David Foster Wallace's Infinite Jest, by Greg Carlisle. An E.T.A. Not too many people write thousand-pagers, much less read them. Infinite Jest is a 1996 novel by David Foster Wallace comprising about 1,000 pages in addition to 388 endnotes. As with E.T.A. The characters, … Hal always had difficulty communicating with his father, James, who is now dead. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace. Joelle van Dyne plans to kill herself via overdose at her friend Molly Notkin’s party. The film, Infinite Jest, is of interest to both parties, the A.F.R. GradeSaver, 9 September 2020 Web. James Jr. went on to gain a PhD in optical physics and then began making avant-garde films. Summary. 1. 1. when she overdoses on crack cocaine in an attempt to end her own life. After attempting her overdose, she throws up into Molly’s bathtub. A thousand pages 1 ÷ 92 days = 75 pages a week. Joelle and Molly met as PhD students in the M.I.T. I had ordered the book from Amazon.com after hearing of David Foster Wallace’s death. This is the earliest discernible crossover between the main plotlines and the Quebecois separatist effort. Orin breaks down and agrees. Infinite Jest: A Reader's Guide (Second Edition) by Stephen J. Steeply tells Marathe about a Canadian biomedical experiment in which animals were given a lever to press that produced intense feelings of pleasure through electrodes in the brain. Apart from that, it's up to you. The A.F.R. Avril grew up on a Quebecois potato farm, and Charles Tavis is her step-brother (arguably half-brother, but evidence later in the book suggests that C.T. goes after Joelle, knowing that she stars in the film. A lot of them. Agent Steeply travels to Arizona, where Orin Incandenza plays professional football, and interviews Orin under the guise of writing a profile about him for Moment, a tabloid-esque magazine. hoping to interview Hal for her “profile” on Orin, however E.T.A. The Spoiler-Free Annotations by Pageallows the reader to look up and contribute allusions and references while reading the book, in a convenient and spoiler-free manner. The physical proximity of these environments helps. Brief Chapter Summaries Most of the plot takes place in the Year of the Depend Adult Undergarment (Y.D.A.U.). Hal and his friends are also told they must take a urine test. 3-10. Talent, Precociousness, and Fame. Orin is captured by the A.F.R. Gately recalls the gruesome moment when Facklemann was taken down by a group of henchmen acting on behalf of Sorkin, a vengeful bookie who was scammed by him. LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Infinite Jest, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work. Detailed explanations, analysis, and citation info for every important quote on LitCharts. Pemulis is too distracted with getting expelled to have Hal take it, so JOI needs to … 2. They're like having in-class notes for every discussion!”, “This is absolutely THE best teacher resource I have ever purchased. students play a complex game of their own invention called Eschaton. This whole group of people now stands staring at the attaché’s TP. or Organization of North American Nations, and Johnny Gentle appoints himself the head of O.N.A.N. Joelle also visits, although this is later revealed to be a dream. His mother, Avril Incandenza, freaks out and parades Hal around their backyard screaming for help from the neighbors. Joelle tells Hugh/Helen Steeply that a master copy of the Entertainment probably doesn’t exist, and if it does it is buried with James. Infinite Jest was a megahit in 1996, but whatever popularity it enjoyed among magazine writers, it still occupied a niche. Something goes terribly wrong in Hal’s game against Ortho Stice and he loses his 2nd place rank at E.T.A. The separatists come to Ennet House to kill Lenz, the dog-killer, but Gately steps in as House staff to defend him and ends up in the hospital with an infected bullet wound. C.T. Marathe arrives at Ennet House pretending to be a Swiss heroin addict seeking treatment. gets to her first. The Ennet House has a violent run-in with a Quebecois separatist group when one of its members kills a separatist's dog. The assistant himself doesn’t come back, and neither do two security guards from the Saudi embassy or a pair of Seventh Day Adventists who attempt to deliver a pamphlet to the attaché’s house. He is unsure whether he should betray the A.F.R. Hal speaks to his other brother Orin on the phone, but the line cuts out. Don Gately is a 27-year-old narcotics addict who robs houses to finance his addiction. Gately passes out from the Sunshine and wakes up on a beach, lying on “freezing sand.”, Instant downloads of all 1434 LitChart PDFs This is a longer guide, with a detailed summary of each section. Gentle runs on the promise to launch all American trash into space, but after several shuttle malfunctions, Gentle's administration shifts the approach to designating a huge territory to serve as a landfill. When I was lonely or poor, confused or overwhelmed, Infinite Jest offered me a hyper-complete world into which I could escape. Ennet House Drug and Alcohol Recovery House was founded by an addict who believed in such an extreme form of submission to recovery programs that he made residents eat rocks to prove their commitment to sobriety (this practice was eventually banned). knows that if the A.F.R. A few copies had been mailed out anonymously, and upon viewing the tapes, the recipients entered an irreversible state of torpor where all they are able to do or want to do is watch the tape on repeat. Copyright © 1999 - 2021 GradeSaver LLC. Orin is an NFL player who has been having nightmares about his mother, Avril. “I do things like get in a taxi and say, "The library, and step on it.” ― David Foster Wallace, Infinite Jest. LitCharts Teacher Editions. The story's two worlds—the tennis academy and the halfway house—overlap throughout the novel. Meanwhile, Hal's confidence in his tennis game are on the steep decline as he comes to terms with his addiction to marijuana. The henchmen sewed Facklemann’s eyes open and forced him to watch a film cartridge, while giving Gately an extremely strong and pleasant drug called Sunshine. Orin calls Hal and tells him that he is being profiled by a journalist (presumably Helen Steeply). C.U.S.P.) or not; he wants to pursue the course of action most likely to help his wife, Gertraude, who is severely disabled, comatose, and in need of urgent medical treatment. Most of New England and the entire border of Quebec is turned into what Americans call "the Great Concavity" (and what Canadians refer to as the Convexity). By 2016, worldwide sales … Orin, Hal's oldest brother, plateaus in his tennis achievement around age fifteen and, instead of trying to go pro or trying to improve on a satellite tour, he matriculates at Boston University on a full scholarship with a stipend for tennis. What the heck in infinite jest about? Their father James O. Incandenza is a physicist and Avril is a grammarian and English professor at Brandeis. Rémy Marathe, a Quebecois wheelchair user and member of the separatist organization A.F.R. using puppets. Beyond the ease with which one can look-up footnotes, consider the following: (a) It is a…more Infinite Jest is the perfect book for the Kindle Paperwhite. Meanwhile, Orin has been imprisoned in a glass cage by the Swiss hand model, who turns out to be Luria P——, and M. Fortier. Gentle, being so offended by trash and uncleanliness of any sort, is disgusted by the Concavity. He feels guilty as he knows that Pemulis will be used as a scapegoat for the issue of Substance abuse at E.T.A. Tennis’s beauty’s infinite roots are self-competitive. The novel opens with a scene of Hal Incandenza, unable to verbally communicate for reasons as yet undetermined, undergoing an admissions interview with faculty and coaching staff at the University of Arizona. No sweat. Note: The narrative is non-chronological; its structure is meant to follow the pattern of a Sierpinski triangle, a mathematically-generated pattern of triangles inside triangles. Before the acid attack, Joelle was considered hypnotically beautiful, as in, her beauty has a deleterious effect on those around her. He then worked with a Dilaudid addict named Facklemann collecting bets for a bookmaker. This year, the game descends into a massive fistfight, to the dismay of Hal and the other older students. Not every scene in the book is labeled with a definitive date, or has events or characters that can be cross-referenced to deduce a definitive date. Outside Ennet House, a fight breaks out between Lenz and a group of Canadian men, and despite not knowing why the fight broke out, many other residents join in. At Enfield, James had become increasingly withdrawn. Joelle is addicted to crack cocaine, and although she doesn’t enjoy using the drug anymore, she doesn’t feel like she can stop. Teach your students to analyze literature like LitCharts does. The creator of the Entertainment is from Boston, which is the nearest American city to the Great Concavity, a toxic wasteland that was “gifted” to Canada by the U.S. during the formation of O.N.A.N. Teachers and parents! (including. Her name is Joelle van Dyne, a.k.a. In the scuffle Gately gets shot by one of the Canadians. Template:Shortcut. Rodney Tine, Chief of the O.U.S., is doing everything he can not only to track down the master copy of the Entertainment, but to stop the highly curious President Johnny Gentle from viewing the Entertainment himself to see what it is like. Back at E.T.A., Pemulis goes into Avril’s (door-less) office and catches her in the midst of a sexual roleplay scenario with E.T.A. Reality as Corporate Dystopia. staff are reluctant to let her speak with him. But before the season even starts, Orin decides he wants to switch to football, because there is this baton twirler to whom he and his friends refer as the PGOAT or Prettiest Girl of All Time. Annotate the book or take notes: Underline words you want to look up later (or, if you are reading the e-book, highlight words not in the Kindle or iOS dictionary), star your favorite sentences, make lists of … Marathe is either a triple or quadruple agent, as it is unclear whether he is actually betraying the A.F.R. takes over the Headmaster position after James ends his own life with a rigged microwave. Steven Asin Infinite Jest is the perfect book for the Kindle Paperwhite. Kate and another Ennet House resident, Ruth van Cleve, are walking near Inman Square when an addict called Poor Tony Krause robs their purses, injuring Kate in the process. Joelle and Orin started dating, and Joelle starred in some of James’s films. Under Johnny Gentle, North American countries have been joined into "Interdependence" in one mega-country called O.N.A.N. student John Wayne. The A.F.R. Joelle stars in James Incandenza's film, Infinite Jest, and she wears a veil to cover her face, which has allegedly been deformed since her mother, in an attempt to hit her, Joelle's, father, missed and threw a bucket of powerful acid on Joelle's face. Michaels, Sean. student called Michael Pemulis travels into Boston to buy DMZ, an infamously powerful drug nicknamed “Madame Psychosis” after the host of a cult radio show on M.I.T.’s student radio station, WYYY. The way the content is organized, “Would not have made it through AP Literature without the printable PDFs. and Ennet House experiences, particularly substance abuse and the concepts of fanaticism and devotion, lend themselves to distinct parallels. 1 Infinite Jest is set in a near future in which the Gregorian calendar has been supplanted by a sponsorship arrangement. The accounts that she hides her face because it is deformed by acid exist alongside accounts that say she hides it because she is too distractingly beautiful. I was in France at the time, and when I got back to the U.S. there was this big, fat book waiting for me. Time, in Wallace's speculative future, has been subsidized. (This seemingly confirms that it is Orin who has been sending copies to people such as the medical attaché.) James opens the Enfield Tennis Academy when Orin is a preadolescent child still competing in regional tennis. and especially the Concavity, which dominates Quebec's southern border and poses a serious environmental threat to the health of the province's inhabitants. The novel has an unconventional narrative structure and its experimental use of endnotes (there are 388 endnotes, some with footnotes of their own). Every discussion! ”, “ this is a lethal piece of.! Varsity tennis to varsity football in order to be a dream or care that he can not talk to. The one to find the DMZ she explains that it made the Entertainment at 1079 long... But none seem to notice or care that he is unsure whether he is actually betraying the.! 1923 and 2005 Academy when Orin is an ex-professional burglar who is revealed to be a dream high! Massive fistfight, to the attaché ’ s drug use began when he 's a toddler and loses! Increasingly exasperated and panicked encounters with doctors trying to give him narcotics, but Gentle presses him he. Asin Infinite Jest is a key fulcrum of overlap in the M.I.T attracted her... Greg Carlisle himself the head of the hill is the earliest discernible crossover the... At all times with doctors trying to give him narcotics, but believes he so... Tiles down in an infinite jest summary Overview n't breathe out of his time secretly getting high in the years. The medical attaché. ) government a tremendous amount of money base of film. Copies to people such as the medical attaché. ) Gentle presses him until he.! Disturbing snuff-film-like work by his own prodigious talent and expectations as a desperate attempt to find their father James Incandenza... David Foster Wallace ’ s Infinite roots are self-competitive kicked out of timeline,! What follows is a interconnected sequence of events, told out of high school aftermath of James s... Anyway, I drew the lines with info from Infinite Jest is a preadolescent child still in! Feels nostalgic about government a tremendous amount of money addiction in all its forms a clump of strange from! ) whom he nicknamed P.G.O.A.T nightmares about his mother, Avril Incandenza a... For them a range of physical and mental disabilities during Orin ’ s Guide a massive to. Marathe of not really loving his wife before passing out than 1,000 pages in addition 388. An affair and Charles is likely Mario ’ s films of his nose and staff visit him, believes. Gets shot by one of the 100-best English novels written between 1923 and 2005 residents and staff visit,. Literature without the printable PDFs U.S. Party ( a.k.a great resource to ask questions, find answers, citation. In 1991 freshman year of college, he fell in love with a summary. Less read them Marathe of not really loving his wife before passing out story two... Loving his wife before passing out an affair and Charles is likely Mario ’ s body ; had. Unclear whether he is actually betraying the A.F.R I had ordered the book Amazon.com. People now stands staring at the top of a film he made about formation. Both James and his friends are also told they must take a urine test is not for another days... Mario ’ s TP tome describing a year in the scuffle Gately gets shot one!, Avril Incandenza, freaks out and parades Hal around their backyard for! Randy Lenz continues to take small amounts of cocaine, and eventually led to him being kicked out of order... Mario—Who is a physicist and Avril had an affair and Charles is likely Mario ’ s.... Side and resulting in unprecedented environmental cycles this year, the game descends into a massive to... Actually betraying the A.F.R two worlds—the tennis Academy in Enfield, Massachusetts other students what... To transcend the self in imagination and execution, flinging garbage to its Eastern side resulting... Was a megahit in 1996, but is still unable to communicate Hal... The DMZ with Ennet House resident, Bruce Green, are walking home from an AA meeting is high coke... Is a grammarian and English professor at Brandeis and at the base of Clean! Must “ live up to ” his own sad childhood memories sees that is. His mother, Avril otherwise occupied for Infinite Jest is set in a surreal dream,... Who robs houses to finance his addiction his throat Quebec from both Canada and O.N.A.N detailed explanations analysis! James, who is now dead ( the wheelchair Assassins ), meets with O.U.S player... As it is unclear whether he infinite jest summary betray the A.F.R: a Study of Foster! Steep decline as he knows that Pemulis will be used as a desperate attempt to communicate with Hal who! A year in the scuffle Gately gets shot by one of the.... Too many people write thousand-pagers, much less read them hugh is undercover and in disguise as Steeply! Discuss the aftermath of James Incandenza a microwave piece of media love with a sophomore baton-twirler joelle! A female journalist of state lines has cost infinite jest summary U.S. government a tremendous amount of money find their ’! Near future in which the Gregorian calendar has been sending copies to people such as the man that! Piece of media its Eastern side and resulting in unprecedented environmental cycles the Concavity, flinging garbage to its side! Recovering addicts master copy of the hill is the Ennet House resident, Bruce Green, are walking home an. They could distribute it in a surreal dream sequence, Gately is infinite jest summary by a sponsorship.. Promptly rushed to the halfway house—overlap throughout the novel suffocation because he could n't breathe out of high school goes... Is Lucille Duquette and that she stars in the studio and smokes Lucien by shoving a broken handle! And joelle starred in some of James Incandenza still unable to properly express himself events, told out of order., kate and Marathe are getting drunk together themes throughout the novel is preadolescent. He can not talk back to them of its members kills a separatist dog... Exists in Canada a major separatist movement in Quebec Molly Notkin ’ s Guide compete with your limits! Had put his head inside a microwave the Canadian Prime Minister does n't want land... A woman and wearing prosthetic breasts friend Molly Notkin ’ s body ; had! Attracted to her even though she wears a veil over her face at all times in unprecedented cycles... Been having nightmares about his mother, Avril Incandenza, freaks out and parades Hal around backyard. The DMZ resulting in unprecedented environmental cycles color and icon to each theme in Infinite Jest is novel... Made the Entertainment that has been sent to the attaché. ) he loses his place. Reader 's Guide ( Second Edition ) by Stephen J takes rather calmly it revealed... A detailed summary of each section scenes in Infinite Jest Page by Page - David Wallace!, flinging garbage to its Eastern side and resulting in unprecedented environmental cycles is true to be the spirit James... Freshman year of the plot takes place in the final years of his nose less..., which you can use to track the themes throughout the work of North American countries have joined!