Infinite Jest
A 1996 encyclopedic novel by David Foster Wallace.
Infinite Jest, a 1996 novel by David Foster Wallace, is widely regarded as his masterwork. Critics often place it in the category of encyclopedic fiction because of its unusual structure and its many lengthy endnotes, some of which contain their own footnotes. It was a bestseller in literary fiction, moving 44,000 hardcover copies in its first year, and has since sold over a million copies globally. For its 10th, 20th, and 30th anniversaries, the book was reissued with forewords by Dave Eggers, Tom Bissell, and Michelle Zauner, respectively.
Wallace started and abandoned the novel several times between 1986 and 1989. His work from 1991 to 1992 proved more fruitful, and by the end of 1993 he had a working draft. From early 1992 until the book’s release, excerpts appeared in magazines and journals such as *Harvard Review*, *Grand Street*, *Conjunctions*, *Review of Contemporary Fiction*, *Harper’s Magazine*, *The Iowa Review*, *The New Yorker*, and the *Los Angeles Times Magazine*.
The manuscript was edited by Michael Pietsch at Little, Brown and Company. Pietsch offered suggestions, but Wallace made all final decisions. He accepted cuts totaling roughly 250 manuscript pages from his original submission, though he often resisted changes, explaining his reasons. The title comes from *Hamlet*, Act V, Scene 1, where Hamlet holds Yorick’s skull and says, “Alas, poor Yorick! I knew him, Horatio: a fellow of infinite jest, of most excellent fancy.” Wallace’s working title was *A Failed Entertainment*.
The novel is set in a future where the United States, Canada, and Mexico have formed a single North American superstate called the Organization of North American Nations, or O.N.A.N. (a reference to onanism). Corporations can buy naming rights for each calendar year, replacing numbers with brand names. Though the narrative jumps across several such years, most of the story takes place during “The Year of the Depend Adult Undergarment” (Y.D.A.U.). On orders from U.S. President Johnny Gentle—a germaphobic singer-politician who promised to clean up the country without causing anyone discomfort—much of the former northeastern U.S. and southeastern Canada has been turned into a massive hazardous waste dump. This area, “given” to Canada, is called the “Great Concavity” by Americans because the border shifted.
The plot weaves together several major storylines. One follows a fringe group of Québécois radicals, Les Assassins des Fauteuils Rollents (the Wheelchair Assassins, or A.F.R.), who plan a violent coup to free Quebec from O.N.A.N. Another tracks addicts in Boston who hit “rock bottom” and enter a residential recovery program called Ennet House Drug and Alcohol Recovery House, where they work through Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous. A third focuses on students at the Enfield Tennis Academy (E.T.A.), founded by James Incandenza and now run by his wife Avril Incandenza and her adopted brother Charles Tavis. The Incandenza family’s personal drama is central, especially Hal Incandenza’s struggle to meet high expectations for academic and athletic success amid deep dysfunction.
These narratives connect through a film titled *Infinite Jest*, also called “the Entertainment” or “the samizdat.” The film is so compelling that viewers lose interest in everything else and eventually die from watching it repeatedly. It was James Incandenza’s final work, completed during a period of sobriety demanded by its lead actress, Joelle van Dyne. The Québécois separatists want a replicable master copy to use as a weapon against the United States. The U.S. Office of Unspecified Services (O.U.S.) tries to intercept the master copy to prevent mass dissemination and the collapse of O.N.A.N., or else to create an anti-entertainment that can counteract the film’s effects. Joelle seeks treatment at Ennet House. Rémy Marathe, an A.F.R. member who may be a double agent for the O.U.S., visits Ennet House to find Joelle and a lead to the master copy. The novel ends without resolving several of its central plotlines.
Major characters include the Incandenza family. Hal Incandenza, the youngest child and arguably the protagonist, is a prodigy with an eidetic memory who has memorized the Oxford English Dictionary. He is insecure about his abilities and mental state, secretly smokes marijuana in the E.T.A. tunnels, and often corrects others’ grammar like his mother. In his chronologically last appearance, his speech and facial expressions become incomprehensible to those around him. The cause of this condition is unclear; possibilities include cannabis withdrawal, a drug from his friend Michael Pemulis, a patch of mold he ate as a child, or a mental breakdown from years of intense tennis training. Avril Incandenza, née Mondragon, is the domineering mother.
- published
- 1996
- author
- David Foster Wallace
- genre
- Encyclopedic novel
- nationality
- American
- known_for
- Unconventional narrative structure, extensive endnotes, and the film 'the Entert
Verified Timeline
Lore & Background
Wallace began Infinite Jest, 'or something like it', several times between 1986 and 1989. His efforts in 1991–92 were more productive; by the end of 1993, he had a working draft of the novel. From early 1992 until the novel's publication, excerpts from various drafts appeared sporadically in magazines and literary journals including Harvard Review, Grand Street, Conjunctions, Review of Contemporary Fiction, Harper's Magazine, The Iowa Review, The New Yorker and the Los Angeles Times Magazine. The book was edited by Michael Pietsch of Little, Brown and Company. Pietsch made suggestions and recommendations to Wallace, but every editing decision was Wallace's. He accepted cuts amounting to around 250 manuscript pages from his original submission. He resisted many changes for reasons he usually explained. The novel gets its name from Hamlet, Act V, Scene 1, in which Prince Hamlet holds the skull of the court jester, Yorick, and says, 'Alas, poor Yorick! I knew him, Horatio: a fellow of infinite jest, of most excellent fancy: he hath borne me on his back a thousand times; and now, how abhorred in my imagination it is!' Wallace's working title for Infinite Jest was A Failed Entertainment.
Reader's Guide
In the novel's future world, the United States, Canada, and Mexico together compose a unified North American superstate known as the Organization of North American Nations, or O.N.A.N. (an allusion to onanism). Corporations are allowed the opportunity to bid for and purchase naming rights for each calendar year, replacing traditional numerical designations with ostensibly honorary monikers bearing corporate names. Although the narrative is fragmented and spans several 'named' years, most of the story takes place during 'The Year of the Depend Adult Undergarment' (Y.D.A.U.). On the orders of U.S. President Johnny Gentle (a germaphobic singer and politician who campaigned on the platform of cleaning up the U.S. while ensuring that no American would be caused any discomfort in the process), much of what used to be the northeastern United States and southeastern Canada has become a giant hazardous waste dump, an area 'given' to Canada and known as the 'Great Concavity' by Americans due to the resulting displacement of the border. There are several major interwoven narratives, including: a fringe group of Québécois radicals, Les Assassins des Fauteuils Rollents (lit. 'The Wheelchair Assassins'; A.F.R.), planning a violent coup to free Quebec from O.N.A.N.; addicts living in Boston reaching 'rock bottom' with substance abuse before entering a residential drug-and-alcohol-recovery program, Ennet House Drug and Alcohol Recovery House, where they progress in recovery through Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) and Narcotics Anonymous (NA); students training and studying at the Enfield Tennis Academy (E.T.A.), founded by James Incandenza and now run by Avril Incandenza and Avril's adopted brother Charles Tavis; and the personal drama of the Incandenza family, centering around Hal's struggles to live up to high expectations of academic and athletic success amid wider dysfunction. These narratives are connected via a film, Infinite Jest, also called 'the Entertainment' or 'the samizdat'. The film is so compelling that its viewers lose all interest in anything other than repeatedly viewing it, and thus eventually die. It was James Incandenza's final work. He completed it during a period of sobriety that was insisted upon by its lead actress, Joelle van Dyne. The Québécois separatists seek a replicable master copy of the work to aid in acts of terrorism against the United States. The United States Office of Unspecified Services (O.U.S.) aims to intercept the master copy to prevent mass dissemination and the destabilization of the Organization of North American Nations, or else to find or produce an anti-entertainment that can counter the film's effects. Joelle seeks treatment for substance abuse problems at Ennet House. A.F.R. member (and possible O.U.S. double agent) Rémy Marathe visits Ennet House, aiming to find Joelle and a lead to the master copy of 'the Entertainment'. The novel ends without directly resolving several of its central plotlines.
Did You Know?
- Wallace's working title for Infinite Jest was A Failed Entertainment.
- The novel gets its name from Hamlet, Act V, Scene 1, in which Prince Hamlet says, 'Alas, poor Yorick! I knew him, Horatio: a fellow of infinite jest.'
- The book sold 44,000 hardcover copies in its first year of publication and has since sold more than a million copies worldwide.
- The novel's future world includes a unified North American superstate called the Organization of North American Nations, or O.N.A.N., an allusion to onanism.
- The film at the center of the plot, 'the Entertainment', is so compelling that its viewers lose all interest in anything other than repeatedly viewing it, and thus eventually die.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who wrote Infinite Jest and when was it published?
David Foster Wallace, an American writer, released this novel in 1996. It is broadly regarded as his most ambitious work and his literary signature.
What makes Infinite Jest's narrative structure so unusual?
The book is packed with hundreds of lengthy endnotes, some of which contain their own sub-footnotes, and these digressions often unfold into entirely separate mini-stories. This encyclopedic, non-linear approach is what distinguishes it from a conventional plot-driven novel.
What is 'the Entertainment' in Infinite Jest?
It is a fictional film so overwhelmingly compelling that anyone who watches it becomes unable to stop and eventually dies. The concept functions as the novel's central metaphor for addiction, pleasure, and the seductive pull of escapism.
What are the main settings and storylines in Infinite Jest?
The novel interweaves the lives of young tennis prodigies at a specialized academy in Massachusetts with a group of recovering addicts in a Toronto clinic. Wallace also threads in digressions about 1990s sports, politics, and popular culture.
Why is Infinite Jest considered important in literary fiction?
Having sold more than a million copies worldwide, it is frequently cited as one of the most significant American novels of the late twentieth century. Its influence on experimental narrative form and its deep exploration of addiction and meaning have made it a lasting touchstone for both readers and writers.
More in Novels & Major Fiction 1-24
Spotted an error? Know more?
This is a living reference — every entry is fact-audited, and reader corrections feed straight into our audit queue. Suggest an edit · See this site's audit record