infinite jest

More on an Infinite Jest film adaptation

That adaptation of Infinite Jest that I wrote about two years ago? Variety says it's still in early production, despite DFW's agent saying that the option ran out. I've read a draft of Keith Bunin's screenplay and though it was well-written, I didn't particularly like it. (Although if the rumor about a Jon Brion score is true, that would fit nicely.)

It's been awhile since I read the draft, but I wasn't a fan of it because it focused on the global crisis aspect of the novel, and left out what I think is the emotional heart of the book. I vastly preferred the approach of Matt Earp's stage version that he wrote and directed at Wesleyan in March of 2001, which concentrated on the students at the tennis academy, Hal, Madame Psychosis, and Mario. I drove from Boston to see that play and it was worth it. Here's a picture of the Eschaton scene from Matt's play, and here's a summary I wrote about it <gulp> eight years ago.

Hollywood: option Matt's play and build it into a feature, and then have him write a second feature that focuses on Gately. Or better yet, make it a cable TV miniseries.

Fri, 09/19/2008 - 4:59pm
  • A new Neal Stephenson interview has been published, conducted in 2006 but still the most recent one out there. Unfortunately, it's part of Tomorrow through the Past: Neal Stephenson and the Project of Global Modernization, an academic book going for $80 on Amazon. Dr. Jonathan Lewis, the author and an English professor at UNCP, also studies the works of David Foster Wallace:
    “I am looking at Wallace and Stephenson and how their storytelling techniques have been influenced by the Web,” Dr. Lewis said. “It is a style with multi-threaded stories that may be moving at different speeds in a way that is similar to the way people use the Web.”
    Sounds interesting, but I always thought Infinite Jest's multi-threaded narrative was more influenced by Tom Clancy (and fractals) than the Web.

    Update: I was able to read the interview thanks to a library and a friend. Nothing revelatory, but we're currently in a Stephenson void so it was good to read something. The best line, in reference to why his old pen name books have been republished with his real name:
    [The] perception of secrecy or furtiveness tends to make people behave irrationally.
    (4) #
    12/20/2007
  • Just published (and purchased by me): Elegant Complexity: A Study of David Foster Wallace's Infinite Jest by Greg Carlisle. From the book description:
    Elegant Complexity is the first critical work to provide detailed and thorough commentary on each of the 192 sections of David Foster Wallace's masterful Infinite Jest... Carlisle explains the novel's complex plot threads (and discrepancies) with expert insight and clear commentary. The book is 99% spoiler-free for first-time readers of Infinite Jest.
    I've seen some sections of this, and I get the feeling that this will become the authoritative critical book on Infinite Jest. Disclosure: I am online acquaintances with both the author and editor of this book. (15) #
    12/4/2007
  • I have been hearing some details through various sources about an upcoming film adaptation of David Foster Wallace's Infinite Jest. Sam Jones, known for his documentary on the band Wilco, is attached to direct a script written by Keith Bunin. Jon Brion has evidently been tapped to do the score. I have my doubts that a feature-length film could capture what's great about the book, but we shall see. --SBC (10) #
    11/27/2006
  • Dave Eggers's foreword for the tenth anniversary edition of David Foster Wallace's Infinite Jest. His words ring true, but I wonder if the foreword should have targeted an older audience rather than already converted twentysomethings. (4) #
    11/15/2006

Infinite Jest band names

A few months ago, in response to a mailing list request, I came up with a list of band names inspired by David Foster Wallace, especially his novel Infinite Jest. I found the book to be rather resourceful in this regard. I'm not sure if the requester ever ended up picking a name, but I thought that those of you familiar with DFW might enjoy these:

  • Pemulis
  • Sacpop
  • Incandenza
  • System of the Broom
  • Snoot
  • The Feral Infants
  • Andbutso
  • Wheelchair Assassins
  • Host
  • The Great Concavity
  • Year of Glad
  • Footnote 24
  • Subjects of O
  • Foster Wallace
  • Helen and the Steeplies
  • I Am in Here
  • Found Drama
  • For All the Apparatus of the Game
  • Mario's Tripod

Feel free to use one if you like. Any more suggestions?

Fri, 05/12/2006 - 12:12pm
  • For Infinite Jest fans: Parts one and two of George Carr's interesting take on the scene late in the book where the wraith interfaces with the hospitalized Don Gately. There are some crucial insights here, but it doesn't get into the wraith's possible other doings in other parts of the novel. (10) #
    5/2/2006
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