Quote:
Originally Posted by TimBone
I just watched his "This is Water" commencement speech for an Informal Logic class. Enjoyed it quite a bit. Didn't know anything about him prior to that. Checked the book store, and he's written quite a bit. Are his novels any good? Anything I should definitely read? Anything to stay away from? I prefer fiction over nonfiction.
|
Infinite Jest is considered by some to be the best American novel since
Gravity's Rainbow but it's a notoriously difficult read. I have it on my nook, but I haven't started it, and probably won't in that format, because it makes copious use of endnotes, which would be a huge pain in the ass on an e-reader.
I wouldn't recommend jumping into that right away. A lot of graduate students are going to struggle with a postmodern, allusion-heavy text like that.
Start with some of his short stories and see if you like those. I've had students in a contemporary lit class read this one before:
http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2009/12/14/all-that-2