🚀 Do you want help finishing Infinite Jest? Or want a complete guide to follow while reading? Join my Infinite Jest Course and Book Club here: writeconscious.substack.com 📚 Explore over 400 of Wallace’s favorite books in my free guide to his favorite books Access here: writeconscious.ck.page/8956ce90fc 📖 Want to WRITE better? Join my free writing school: www.skool.com/writeconscious Insta: instagram.com/writeconscious 📕My Best Books of All-Time List: writeconscious.ck.page/355619345e 🔥Want to READ my wife’s fire poetry? Go here: marigoldeclipse.substack.com 🤔David Foster Wallace’s Favorite Book on Writing amzn.to/4eVmjAI
I spent my last two years of college trying to figure out how to write a story a fractal structure. I heard the interview after reading the book and tried and tried to map out what it would look like. The diagram at the beginning isn't too far off from where I landed before I gave up!
What is an example form the text? I get the idea conceptually, the idea of a triangle that repeats itself, but what does this look like in the book? I think a more concrete example would help me understand the concept more clearly
A guy named Tim sent this in an email to me the other day. Thought it would be a good response for this ". The novel itself, however, is composed of three distinct addiction narratives that form the three connected sides of a triangle: James', Hal's, and Gately's. Each of the three narratives go through similar iterations, forming the Sierpinski Gasket. For example, compare the details in Hal's Eschaton scene with those in Gately's street fight outside Ennet House. Their narratives are already virtually identical, but what you're supposed to recognize from these details is how they're different."
I always interpreted the fractal structure as a way to see the whole rather than the pieces, the integral part of the work is "there" yet there is always a remaining core or plot point from any point of view. Every section open questions and those questions might be answered by later chapters but only to refer to another footone or any previous instance that you are supposed to drawn from each other, thus making it an infinite piece.
I'm looking forward to your Infinite Jest videos! By total coincidence I'm reading a book called "A New Kind of Science" by Stephan Wolfram, and it has the Sierpinski triangle's on the book cover. The book is mostly about complexity but lots of fractals, algorithms and chaos theory so far (I'm only a few chapters in)
I’ve heard lots of people online respond to IJ’s “fractal structure” as the epitome of pretentiousness. I’ve always felt it was genius and so uniquely DFW you can’t help but admire it on some level. I guess it’s just more popular to shit on Wallace nowadays rather than appreciate him :(
Write Conscious is the Headquarters of DFW content on TH-cam? I thought you were the HQ of McCarthy content on TH-cam! Either way LFG I am so ready for this let's goooooo! 2023 Year of Write Conscious Year of Glad u are doing this Year of the Biden Adult Undergarment let's get it WAHOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Coming soon! Got lost in Cormac content for a bit. I need to get a thing or two done on the Cormac side before I pivot to DFW stuff. Want to have my Cormac course padded with a little more content. But, shouldn't be more than a week!
🚀 Do you want help finishing Infinite Jest? Or want a complete guide to follow while reading?
Join my Infinite Jest Course and Book Club here: writeconscious.substack.com
📚 Explore over 400 of Wallace’s favorite books in my free guide to his favorite books
Access here: writeconscious.ck.page/8956ce90fc
📖 Want to WRITE better? Join my free writing school: www.skool.com/writeconscious
Insta: instagram.com/writeconscious
📕My Best Books of All-Time List: writeconscious.ck.page/355619345e
🔥Want to READ my wife’s fire poetry? Go here: marigoldeclipse.substack.com
🤔David Foster Wallace’s Favorite Book on Writing amzn.to/4eVmjAI
Infinite Jest is an endless mine of content, and I'm here for it
Let's go!
I spent my last two years of college trying to figure out how to write a story a fractal structure. I heard the interview after reading the book and tried and tried to map out what it would look like. The diagram at the beginning isn't too far off from where I landed before I gave up!
What is an example form the text? I get the idea conceptually, the idea of a triangle that repeats itself, but what does this look like in the book? I think a more concrete example would help me understand the concept more clearly
A guy named Tim sent this in an email to me the other day. Thought it would be a good response for this
". The novel itself, however, is composed of three distinct addiction narratives that form the three connected sides of a triangle: James', Hal's, and Gately's. Each of the three narratives go through similar iterations, forming the Sierpinski Gasket. For example, compare the details in Hal's Eschaton scene with those in Gately's street fight outside Ennet House. Their narratives are already virtually identical, but what you're supposed to recognize from these details is how they're different."
This is just what I needed. Thanks! Subscribed
See you in the next one!
I always interpreted the fractal structure as a way to see the whole rather than the pieces, the integral part of the work is "there" yet there is always a remaining core or plot point from any point of view. Every section open questions and those questions might be answered by later chapters but only to refer to another footone or any previous instance that you are supposed to drawn from each other, thus making it an infinite piece.
Beautiful!
I'm looking forward to your Infinite Jest videos! By total coincidence I'm reading a book called "A New Kind of Science" by Stephan Wolfram, and it has the Sierpinski triangle's on the book cover. The book is mostly about complexity but lots of fractals, algorithms and chaos theory so far (I'm only a few chapters in)
Nice! Will look into it
I can't seem to find the chapter by chapter breakdown you speak of in the first minute
wow that is cool! intrigued and happy to be following along. i am a novice here with infinite jest fresh copy in hand.
Where are the videos? I see only chapter one on your channel
That triangle breakdown diagram is taken from greg Carlisle's "elegant complexity". It's his idea of what dfw may have meant
I’ve heard lots of people online respond to IJ’s “fractal structure” as the epitome of pretentiousness. I’ve always felt it was genius and so uniquely DFW you can’t help but admire it on some level. I guess it’s just more popular to shit on Wallace nowadays rather than appreciate him :(
Honestly I like when writers are real pretentious. At least they are trying something unique.
Yeah, I’d hardly call a choice like that “pretentious.” I think Wallace just wrote the way he wanted to write.
Naw, the haters are only strong because of how many people love him.
Write Conscious is the Headquarters of DFW content on TH-cam? I thought you were the HQ of McCarthy content on TH-cam! Either way LFG I am so ready for this let's goooooo! 2023 Year of Write Conscious Year of Glad u are doing this Year of the Biden Adult Undergarment let's get it WAHOOOOOOOOOOOOO
It can be both if I put out enough content!
Definitely kind in interviews. Not sure about in his personal life. I do like Infinite Jest but that man had some demons.
Wheres the chapter by chapter breakdowns
Coming soon! Got lost in Cormac content for a bit. I need to get a thing or two done on the Cormac side before I pivot to DFW stuff. Want to have my Cormac course padded with a little more content. But, shouldn't be more than a week!
@@WriteConscious awesome looking forward to it 😀 👍
Interesting
Yes!
He was high af from what people who knew him say but go off
He was sober for the entire length of him writing the novel.