David Foster Wallace's Infinite Jest: A Reader's Guide, 2nd Edition Paperback – April 19, 2012

Excellent prompt serviceBook met expectations

Excellent exploration of the book and related topics; helped solidify the overall narrative, the main themes and the importance of some minor scenes in the book.

I bought this book hoping that it would help me read more deeply into Infinite Jest, a book I have read before and aspire to complete a second time. The reviews of Burns' book here suggested that it may or may not be helpful. With that vague summary I concur, in that for some patient and committed readers the reader's guide will be very useful, for others it will be irritating and not terribly useful. I place myself in the first category, although after working hard with Chapters 1 and 2, I was in the second.There can be no doubt that Stephen Burn has studied David Foster Wallace's deeply, knows the works very well and recognizes that a writer as rich and profound as DFW is operating on many different levels, some of which are obvious, many less so. In that sense he should be, and indeed is, a valuable guide. Indeed one of his achievements is to offer in Chapter 3 an analysis of Infinite Jest which dissects a complex structure within the novel which makes good sense, but which is far from obvious. For that alone this book is well worth reading. This is offered in support of his general argument that DFW was a consummate master of structure and narrative and not just someone given to rambling and digressing and name-dropping, as is sometimes suggested by critics. I had already reached that view but it is good to hear it from someone with a deep appreciation of DFW's works.At the same time Stephen Burn is an academic, and his prose is occasionally marred by the obscurity considered acceptable, even necessary as a sign of profundity in the academy. I can certainly deal with that, but some readers will be puzzled or annoyed. This is particularly evident in the first 2 chapters, but Burn does suggest that some people may wish to focus on Chapter 3.I am assuming that this book was written for students of literature or people with an interest in the growing academic literature on DFW's work. There are plenty of courteous references to other scholar's work, and the bibliography appears comprehensive, although this is a slim tome. Additionally the chronology of Infinite Jest is unravelled, and this may help some readers through the gyrations of the novel. Indeed you could argue that readers should try harder to follow the chronology, rather than let some of the timing just slide by in a kind of blur - guilty as charged.This book is fine achievement in its own right. Infinite Jest does not suddenly stand revealed as a fairly straightforward fable. It shows the extraordinary complexity of the task which DFW had set himself, forces one to think again and again about new themes and issues in the text, and above all encourages one to return to the novel. Indeed I found myself thinking about a third reading !

Lots of really good writing but the tumult of it, the manic propulsion makes the thousand pages a real effort. Great praise for his knowledge but I prefer old fiction to post-metafiction. The promise that the volume shows unfortunately has come to a terrible halt.Perhaps we can talk later.

What a great and comprehensive review.

I Read it after reading Infinite Jest. It was very useful.

Facile jokester pulls wool over eyes of credulous readers.The Eggars/Wallace writers align with their Brit cousins McGregor/Amis/Barnes to exalt their superiority over their readers and all the characters they write about. Boring.

My grandson had wanted this and he was very pleased to get it. aid he loved it!