Strangely Familiar: A Study Of Wallace's Infinite Jest

This first chapter of the thesis introduces David Foster Wallace and his Infinite Jest at first, and illustrates the study situation on this novel at home and abroad at present. Then the thesis shows its writing purpose of being a comparatively pioneering study with depth on Infinite Jest within China. The second chapter analyzes the strange elements in this novel which bring the readers the sense of strangeness. The endnotes, coined words, acronyms, shift in narrative perspectives and piling of characters and plots are then analyzed. And it is especially pointed tout that the novel has no ending and lacks the definite narration time. The plots are not developed in a linear order. The third chapter of the thesis reveals the familiar elements in the novel. A basic frame could be made after the careful connection, that is, the novel is made up of six big parts with the main thread of Hal the young genius tennis player and Gately the thief. The plots are developed around the film with the same name of Infinite Jest. Then chapter three further analyzes the pair characters and parallel plots, and shows that the novel bears relations with other works. Besides, it is shown that the title, hero, and the theme of the novel are closely associated with Hamlet. The last chapter of the thesis concludes that in the novel the relations and familiar elements could be found in the seemingly strange and messy information through connecting. To seek the connection from the superficially strange and massive information instead of being a passive receiver is the message the author tries to convey, and is the research method of studying Infinite Jest.