Infinite Jest: The Map is Not the Territory (David Foster Wallace Lecture III) (Patreon)

Today our journey through David Foster Wallace's complex novel continues, with us covering the events of pages 489-795. 

We're discussing copies vs originals, symbolism, the unconscious, simulacra, simulation, spectacle, circularity, nostalgia, pleasure machines, representation vs reality, devouring mothers, fatal entertainment, and much more.

Please do feel free to enjoy the discussion even if you haven't read up to these pages yet. I'm continuing to be mindful of staying away from spoilers for things that are explained later in the narrative.

Timestamps:

0:00 our journey through Infinite Jest continues

2:00 searching for the film’s Master Copy

4:00 read-only copies of the Entertainment

6:00 Anthony Burgess & David Foster Wallace

8:00 becoming lost and empty of intent

10:00 difference between books & films

12:00 active reading vs passive viewing

14:00 symbolism as language of unconscious

16:00 August Kekule, benzene, snake symbolism

18:00 why does the unconscious speak in pictures?

19:00 evolution of language as parasitic invasion

20:00 considering the theory of linguistic relativity

22:00 your unconscious dreaming mind is wise

24:00 James Incandenza’s childhood memory

27:00 circularity, doorknobs & annularity

29:00 Baudrilliard’s simulacra & simulation

31:00 a world where symbols that don’t signify

34:00 concept that the map is not the territory

37:00 when the word ‘depression’ loses meaning

39:00 ‘the world becomes a map of the world’

41:00 the development of representation

44:00 on the decline of first-hand experiences

46:00 how we can counteract the spectacle

48:00 discovering secret allusions in the novel

49:00 burning always with a hard gemlike flame

51:00 we want the real thing and we want it now

53:00 nostalgia and returning to pre-digital life

55:00 the decline of the Blockbuster experience

58:00 Orin Incandenza’s Oedipus complex

1:00:00 the archetype of the devouring mother

1:02:00 when the patriarch is pathological

1:04:00 Avril & Jim mess up Orin & Hal

1:06:00 Orin uses Joelle to communicate with Jim

1:08:00 television that Orin Incandenza misses

1:11:00 DFW predicts the WFH phenomenon

1:14:00 pleasure machine thought experiment

1:17:00 are we ultimately living in a simulation?

1:19:00 ‘density plus realism might be too much’

1:22:00 Steeply’s loses his father to MAS*H

1:24:00 television as symptom not cause of solipsism

1:26:00 who is sending out copies of the film?

1:28:00 Rémy Marathe enters Ennet House

1:29:00 when fictional characters become self-aware

1:31:00 ‘they fool your mind with machines…’

1:33:00 the existential crisis of Hal Incandenza

1:35:00 Mario cannot tell whether Hal is sad

1:37:00 the communication of Madame Psychosis

1:39:00 Mario Incandenza yearns for real talk

1:41:00 the troubles of Ortho Stice/the Darkness

1:43:00 Hal binge-watches Himself’s cartridges

1:45:00 addiction, masking & not being heard

1:48:00 Don Gately steps in as protector

1:50:00 when reality suddenly feels unreal

1:55:00 Don Gately gets shot in sobriety

2:00:00 what is on the film Infinite Jest?

2:03:00 woman who kills you is next life’s mother

2:05:00 what are you making of the novel?

Resources to Explore:

• The Pale King: As we approach the end of this novel, if you have been enjoying Infinite Jest, you may want give some thought to picking up another of David Foster Wallace's works. The Pale King is unfinished, as he sadly passed away during the writing of it, but it's incredibly profound, beautifully written, and showed that DFW's craft was only going to get deeper.

• TV & Film: If you've been following up the TV shows and films mentioned in Infinite Jest as you read, you may like to spend some time with MASH. If you're in the mood for a film, then A Clockwork Orange would be a complementary one. You could also check out one of Dave's favourite directors, David Lynch, who he has a great essay about in 'A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again.'

• Essay Pairing: You can check out Cormac McCarthy's fascinating essay we mentioned on the unconscious and the problem of language here: 'The Kekulé Problem.' Cormac also discusses the unconscious in this interview with Oprah.

• Short Story & Philosophy: You can read the mentioned ultra-short but intensely resonant Jorge Luis Borges story 'On the Exactitude of Science' here. And Will Self gives a great reading of it here. If you're interested in Baudrilliard, his work on simulacra and simulation is here. And Robert Nozick's writings are here. For a hilarious discussion on the experience machine, treat yourself to this.

Reading Assignment:

A huge congratulations on making it this far into Infinite Jest. We're on the home stretch now. Our next discussion will take us right through to the end of the novel, so enjoy the ride and continue bringing yourself powerfully to this work.

Questions for You:

1) What do you miss? What are you nostalgic for?

2) Have you discovered anything insightful from your dreams?

3) Would you find yourself tempted to view the Entertainment?

4) What would David Foster Wallace make of our current state of entertainment?

If this is your first reading of Infinite Jest, I would love to know how the story is meeting your expectations. If this is a reread for you, what is it like returning to the story? And please do share with us your favourite part from this part of the story.

Happy reading, everybody!