Wow, currently reading 10 pages a day of Infinite Jest myself and was feeling embarrassed about how long it was taking me per day. I am glad to see that its pretty normal!
Glad you found the reassurance. My approach to any difficult book is to keep the pace to at least 10 pages a day. I also read other things throughout the day, but that reading is restricted to short stories, nonfiction, and poetry. That way I'm still finishing books alongside my big read.
I have ADHD and my mind is always racing. One thing that helps me focus is taking notes - either in the book itself or on a notepad. I also have a list where I can right down my distracting thoughts and deal with them later. Something about just giving myself permission to write down my distractions makes me feel less distracted.
I used to think Marcel Proust was hard. But then, after finally tackling the fisrt pages, I realized how damn cozy it is. It may also have to do with me reading it in spanish instead of english, the text has a little bit more color in its language. Anyway, I'm enjoying it a lot. Now, Infinite Jest... I'm thinking about it... I might have to leave that for later.
i just stumbled upon this video after maniacally googling stuff about infinite jest and i would like to share my technique to reading heavy books: read them. no really, read them. go through every excruciating second of every single one of wallaces sentences. suffer. know that youre suffering and when youre done reading 7-12 pages for half an hour, youll know. youll know that you want more, to just go a bit further. it is all worth it.
i realized Infinite Jest required a routine, not a "grab and read anywhere". Sit aside time for it and load up a wiki with extra notes for hard words and references. The first 300 pages are hard and INTENTIONALLY fragmented and difficult, and you have to accept the discohrence and have faith it will pay off (It will!). If you find yourself repeating pages and losing the storys rhythm, fire up the audiobook, (with a participating eye for footnotes) until you get traction again. 9pm-12am everynight. 3 hours. Theres a section of the book that gets so good and the spirit of the book begins to animate all the dead words at the beginning. it really takes off around Gatelys A.A. expierences and you get hooked. and look forward to reading it. Fight to get to that point. It took me 4 times to read it Once, i had pretense issues with "needing" to finish it. Irony now is i plan on reading it again really soon, and probably over and over forever. I believe it probably isnt for everybody but if it keeps calling to you You should feel lucky because, its so worth it!
I have had the book since this summer, and I’m on about page 350, it’s really good, but I just can’t find time all the time to read it, it’s not a book you can listen to in the background or something, so routine is something I will start over this Christmas break
Wait! Wait! Wait! Robin? You tease us with your new arrangement of books on your shelf and yet you don't even show your new catalog arrangement? Come, come - you must slowly scan your new reorganized book shelf for all to see.
Could you make such a video about philosophy specifically? I love reading primary texts but really struggle to get through them - sometimes feel uneasy and unpleasant physical sensations (as crazy as it sounds).
First, don’t ever google ‘how long does it take to read IJ?’ because some wag reckons 19hrs, which is unreasonable. There’s an early chapter in it of a script with a timestamp. I timed myself and was bang on the money so nothing wrong with my pace. Give yourself four of five hours a night over three weeks and you’ll be glad you did. I’ve previously tried the first fifty pages maybe four times over the years but you really do need to get to about page200 before you get the vibe.
Yeah I find that I have to give a typical book 50-60 pages before I decide whether to keep reading or to put it aside. With a book the size of Infinite Jest, 200 sounds about right. I had the same exact story with Tolstoy's War and Peace. Took a while to get into but I'm very glad I stuck with it.
Love your bookshelf! I keep all of mine neatly ordered.... that is: chronologically by height. Jut start IJ and found myself wanting to defenestrate the book while reading "just one more page" before the aforementioned activity. Love this book!
Please make a video on what all books you love ...I really like to know as I think it would help me in exploring different subjects and get to know my favourite genres
I'm reading Infinite Jest 3 pages a day. Sometimes I read more, but at least 3 pages. I bought the entire Proust series (6 books, 7 parts) and tried 2 pages a day. Couldn't do it. I'll go back to it someday. When I tackle books at 2 to 3 pages a day, I take a lot of notes. I really like IJ. I read over 100 pages of Proust and just couldn't get into it. I only do this for tough reads. At the same time, I read other stuff at a normal rate.
Reading Infinite Jest from last 10 months. Hit the 300 page mark last night. Still don't know whether I like it or hate it. But I am sure DFW must have been doing some serious drugs when he wrote that book.
Hi Waldun, I'm from Vienna, Austria, and have been reading the unabridged War and Peace by Tolstoi over the past year or more, as it wasn't my only read. My question: how do you combine university and Private reading. (Forgive the Spelling, it's German Autocorrect).
As someone with dyslexia, the audiobook was a godsend for IJ. I followed along with the text so I could get the endnotes (on a PDF, as they don’t make large print copies of the physical book. I wonder why!). Fantastic book, for anyone struggling - screw the literary purists. Try out the audio! I’m on my second listen.
I can't speak for anyone else but personally I prefer having a physical copy of whatever book I'm reading at the time. Turning the pages of an actual book is satisfying. Plus I like the old paper smell of books. It reminds me of my childhood.
Personally I read quite often. I’ve read a lot of books this year and last year. And to be honest I’m not thinking about books on the day to day. I’m thinking about pussy. The books just seem to come and go and break up the monotony of a dull day or enhance the better days. And when it comes down to it. I just really wanted to see your reaction to someone so uncensored or unconcerned about the anxiety of reading, learning, etc. lots of love keep making these videos 🤠
Infinite Jest repeats the same themes over and over and there is a bit too much waffling that adds nothing to the overall plot or messages. It could have done with a more courageous editor imo.
