Infinite Jest

Infinite Jest

by

David Foster Wallace

Teachers and parents! Our Teacher Edition on Infinite Jest makes teaching easy.

The Entertainment

The Entertainment is undoubtedly the most important symbol in the novel and reflects the negative and dangerous potential of entertainment. It is the final film made by James Incadenza, and its actual title is…

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The Great Concavity/Convexity

The Great Concavity is a heavily-polluted region of New England that was “gifted” to Canada during the formation of O.N.A.N. In Canada, it is referred to as the “Great Convexity” rather than Concavity, a humorous…

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Substances

One of Infinite Jest’s main themes is addiction, and the novel explores this in an expansive sense. The novel’s use of the term “Substance” for drugs, alcohol, and other addictive entities shows that it…

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Subjects

“Subjects” is the term Hal and Orin use to describe the women that Orin seduces, and the word reflects the reduction of women to tempting, druglike objects at the cost of their full humanity. It…

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