David Foster Wallace RIP
- Thread starter Melmoth
- Start date
Wasn't really sure what to make of Pale King in the end, so I started reading bits of Infinite Jest for a second time - it's so much more illuminating the second time around. Lots of parts I still left me confused though. One thing I thought was interesting is how you'd get different characters being described by others in exactly the same way or doing exactly the same thing.
I'm not explaining that well but the parts that spring to mind are the whole thing about a character having an anxiety about there being a finite number of erections in the world - this is first mentioned near the start:
"Molly Notkin often confides on the phone to Joelle van Dyne about the one tormented love of Nokin's life thus far, an erotically circumscribed G.W. Pabst scholar at New York University tortured by the neurotic compulsion that there are only a finite number of erections possible in the world at any one time.."
And then i'm sure Joelle mentions the same thing w/r/t Himself near the end.
And I'm sure there's at least two mentions of two different characters trying to lift up a chair while standing on it.
There's definitely more but I can't recall them now. But really, what's all that about?
I'm not explaining that well but the parts that spring to mind are the whole thing about a character having an anxiety about there being a finite number of erections in the world - this is first mentioned near the start:
"Molly Notkin often confides on the phone to Joelle van Dyne about the one tormented love of Nokin's life thus far, an erotically circumscribed G.W. Pabst scholar at New York University tortured by the neurotic compulsion that there are only a finite number of erections possible in the world at any one time.."
And then i'm sure Joelle mentions the same thing w/r/t Himself near the end.
And I'm sure there's at least two mentions of two different characters trying to lift up a chair while standing on it.
There's definitely more but I can't recall them now. But really, what's all that about?
IdleRich
IdleRich
Interesting to read this thread having just finished Infinite Jest - funny to see my own comments about the bad logic in DFW's other books - and I'm gonna continue that theme with the maths explanation in footnote 321 when Pemulis says to Hal "Function x, exponent n, the derivative's gonna be nx + n times x with exponent (n-1) for any kind of first order increase they're gonna ask you about". Now seems strange cos presumably DFW knows his maths; is it a typo or is it supposed to subtly tell you that Pemulis is actually not the friend Hal thinks and is trying to fuck him over?
It's Molly Notkin who tells the feds that Joelle told her that Himself believed the finite number of erections thing. I think that this is a clue to show you that Notkin is an unreliable witness and to throw doubt on the other stuff she says about The Entertainment and also about Joelle having acid thrown in her face.
Yes, Stice asks Lyle for advice when his bed keeps moving around and Stice tells him a story about a guy winning a bet by lifting up the chair he's standing on. Later on one of the tennis kids (can't remember which) tells Hal (I think) how Stice challenged him to a bet saying that he would be able to lift up a chair he was standing on - and how after ten minutes of straining he gave up but insisted on honouring the bet.
I don't know - help!
interesting you should mention typos because there seemed to be a really weird one in my edition of the Pale King.
I can't remember it exactly and don't have the book with me, but in the copyright page disclaimer that in the 'Author's Foreword' he asks you to flip back to, it said something like 'The characters and events in this book are fictious' instead of fictitious. was very strange. can't believe it's in every edition because I've never seen it mentioned on the web.
Ah thanks, I couldn't remember exactly who said it at the end. Yeah agreed - I way prefer the idea that Joelle's "deformity" is her supernatural beauty rather than her being actually disfigured.
IdleRich
IdleRich
Well it seems clear that at one point at least she possessed supernatural beauty (cos of the PGOAT stuff) - the question is whether or not that was destroyed by acid.
I'm not quite sure what's so odd about that one - just looked up fictious on wiktionary and apparently it can be an outdated word meaning fictitious or it can mean addicted to fiction - is it the later meaning which interests you?
Sorry, I didn't explain it very well - in the book proper, it quotes the disclaimer as saying 'all the characters and events are fictitious', but the disclaimer doesn't actually say that. i guess if fictious is indeed a word then the typo didn't show up on a spellcheck.
it's not very important i guess. that chapter (author's foreword) was tedious imo
IdleRich
IdleRich
Reading a thesis on IJ here if anyone interested. Haven't finished yet so don't know if it's any good.
http://www.thehowlingfantods.com/thesisb.htm
http://www.thehowlingfantods.com/thesisb.htm