Product 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. No other commentary on Infinite Jest recognizes that Wallace clearly divided the book into 28 chapters that are thematically unified. A chronology at the end of the study reorders each section of the novel into a sequential timeline that orients the reader and that could be used to support a chronological reading of the novel. Other helpful reference materials include a thematic outline, more chronologies, a map of one the novel's settings, lists of characters grouped by association, and an indexed list of references.Elegant Complexity orients the reader at the beginning of each section and keeps commentary separate for those readers who only want orientation. The researcher looking for specific characters or themes is provided a key at the beginning of each commentary. 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. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Deconstructing The Jest.
The surest way to ruin a joke is to explain it. It seems that elegance functions similarly. This book - exhaustive on its chosen subject - lacks any praiseworthy style in writing.

To call it a study is misleading. It is only a guide, though it _is_ a commendable guide.

What it comes down to is a very explicit and formulaic cliffsnotes: summarize a passage, extract the themes, explain them ad. naus. While I don't think most of the people who read "Jest" in its entirety in the first place will need guidance with everything "complexity" offers, I think it does offer points "Jest" scholars will enjoy exploring further.

"Elegant Complexity" is neither, but this only serves to provide a little insight in less than a few thousand pages. It's good for what it is - an explicit guide.Make sure that it's what you want.

THANK YOU, GREG CARLISLE!
I just recieved, "Elegant Complexity: A Study Of David Foster Wallace's Infinite Jest" and I salute you, Mr. Carlisle! I have read, "Infinite Jest" TWICE - and David Foster Wallace is a genius! You left NO stone unturned. You answered one of the most perplexing chapters of, "Infinite Jest" (listed on chapter 22 of your book) "Triggering Situation". I am not a mathematic person, and I could NOT understand what the game, "Eschaton" was ABOUT. I am an intelligent woman, and I thought maybe I could figure it out, but it has always remained a mystery. THANK YOU SO MUCH. A MUST for any David Foster Wallace fan. FANTASTIC! ... Read more

Book Description
This digital document is an article from The Review of Contemporary Fiction, published by Review of Contemporary Fiction on June 22, 1993. The length of the article is 2001 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: From 'Infinite Jest.' (excerpt)
Author: David Foster Wallace
Publication: The Review of Contemporary Fiction (Refereed)
Date: June 22, 1993
Publisher: Review of Contemporary Fiction
Volume: v13Issue: n2Page: p195(4)

Article Type: Excerpt

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Book Description
While scholars have analyzed the masculinity crisis portrayed in American fiction, few have focused on postmodernist fiction, few have examined masculinity without using feminist theory, and no articles propose a solution for ending traditional masculinity's dominance. I examine the masculinity crisis as it is portrayed in two postmodernist novels, David Foster Wallace's novel Infinite Jest and Chuck Palahniuk's novel Fight Club. Both novels have male characters that ran the gamut of masculinities, but those that are the most successful at avoiding gender stereotypes develop a masculinity which incorporates strong, phallic masculinity and nurturing, testicular masculinity, creating a balanced masculinity. Also, both novels examine postmodernist fiction's future. Wallace and Palahniuk help reveal the future of postmodernist fiction: a post-postmodernist fiction that, like well-rounded masculinity, seeks to be more emotionally open while still using irony and innovation for meaningful effects, not just to be clever. This book aims to help gender scholars further develop their theories about masculinity, and show literature scholars the future of postmodernist fiction. ... Read more