Book Review: Infinite Jest (alternate title: “Look At Me! I Read Infinite Jest!”)

An early, rich review of David Foster Wallace's Infinite Jest, read as a book about wireheading — 'more specifically, about NOT wireheading', the difference between masturbation and sex, the danger of self-reference and the need to connect to something outside yourself. Traces the O.N.A.N. (masturbation) symbolism and the lethally-entertaining film cartridge, the horror of pure competition (Clipperton, LaMont Chu's hedonic-treadmill fame), the Eschaton map-vs-territory scene as 'a history of literary postmodernism under the guise of geeks throwing tennis balls', and the Hal/DFW anti-irony 'new sincerity' reading — landing on the book as a postmodern work deployed to drag the reader back to reality. Notes the eerie Aaron-Swartz-wrote-the-only-good-ending-explanation loop. Insightful and entertaining literary analysis.

Quality 73 · Strong. Strong (73): a memorable, genuinely illuminating interpretive review (the anti-wireheading reading + the Eschaton-as-postmodernism gloss); held FIRM below Excellent as an early literary review with less transferable reach than his big idea-essays.

Claude’s paradigm shift 52 · Moderate. Moderate (52): the 'Infinite Jest is about not-wireheading / new sincerity vs postmodern self-reference' reading is a fresh interpretive contribution.

Real-world impact 2 · Minor. Minor-plus (2): a well-regarded literary review within the readership; limited real-world footprint.