Infinite Jest: Wherein We Begin By Beginning

About this episode

The episode discusses the impact of David Foster Wallace's 'Infinite Jest' on literature thirty years after its release.

Thirty years ago, a monumental book was published which shook the literary world and completely revolutionized post-modern fiction. Not Margaret Atwood's Alias Grace , or the first book in George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series, and it wasn't Fight Club (1996 was a pretty stacked year for media). David Foster Wallace's magnum opus, Infinite Jest was released on 01 Feb 1996 and has remained a staple in the "books you should read" discussion ever since. On this first of many episodes covering the book, Kate and Cody discuss the author, his life, his work, and what this book meant to the literature world both then and thirty years later. If you like what we're doing and want to support the show, please consider making a donation on Ko-Fi. Funds we receive will be used to upgrade equipment, pay hosting fees, and help make the show better. https://ko-fi.com/mappingthezone If you enjoyed our discussion, please check out the following media that relates to these chapters: Link to the Infinite Jest trailer (2024): https://youtu.be/gW39U8nxoQU?si=UcO_avdROTly6NAa Film/TV: The Wire (2002-2008) As always, thanks so much for listening! Email: ⁠ mappingthezonepod@gmail.com ⁠…

People in this episode

Hosts: Kate, Cody

Topics covered

• David Foster Wallace
• Infinite Jest
• post-modern fiction
• literary discussion
• book analysis

Keywords

• Infinite Jest
• David Foster Wallace
• post-modern fiction
• literary analysis
• book discussion

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: Infinite Jest, Alias Grace, A Song of Ice and Fire, Fight Club

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• Bonus Episode - Girls to the Front: The True Story of the Riot Grrrl Revolution (w/ Sara Marcus) · May 8, 2026 · 1h 15m
• Infinite Jest: "I just need to put the book down and go for a walk" · May 1, 2026 · 3h 43m