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At the Infinite Summer web site, the Guides are settling in for the long haul. Avery Edison is barely keeping up (assigned reading being all too similar to schoolwork), Eden Kennedy is a bit behind but takes heart in Wallace’s 2005 Kenyon College commencement speech, Kevin Guilfoile reveals a bit of plagiarism on Wallace’s part involving urban legends and bricklaying, and Matthew Baldwin shares his favorite chapters so far. And a special treat: D.F.W.’s editor at Little, Brown shares what it was like to edit I.J. from start to finish.
TMN is on holiday next week, and will return sunburnt and hungover on Monday, July 20. Would you mind watering our plants while we’re away?
Infinite Samadzadeh
Every week, TMN Assistant Editor Nozlee Samadzadeh comments on the Infinite Summer reading experience.
murated mu·ra·ted (myureɪtɛd)
adj.
Surrounded by walls.
This week it happened. I’m behind, stuck at Monday’s page count and in the dark about this Madame Psychosis character people are talking about. How many of you are behind as well? No spoilers here, out of respect for the similarly lagging.
This week we finally got more explanation of the technology driving I.J.’s world, with an entire chapter on the rise and fall of the videophone. Nothing dates a story more than outdated computer terminology, but Wallace’s attention to detail makes the teleputer seem not only plausible but still futuristic from the perspective of 2009, despite being published in 1996. In endnote 304, to which we are directed from endnote 45, Struck edits a paper using a teleputer and we instantly recognize the analogs to our Microsoft Word copy-paste-delete-thesaurus. Page 138’s bricklayer email is the only slip-up—hadn’t Wallace ever heard of Gmail?
A plot (and infinite subplots) are beginning to arise and characters are finally beginning to reoccur. Though with all the verisimilitude Wallace earns with the teleprompter descriptions, where did page 127 come from, on the sweat-licking yogi who lives (murated, this week’s vocab word) in the E.T.A.’s locker room? Still, we have to trust that Wallace knows what he’s doing. After all, that scant page is the source of one of my favorite sentences so far: “Everyone should get at least one good look at the eyes of a man who finds himself rising toward what he wants to pull down.” At 42 pages behind, right now that (wo)man is me. See you at page 284.
Last Week’s TMN Map Quiz Answer
What does this map represent? 2009 state fireworks laws.
This Month on TMN
Adventure Capital
It’s risky business, this adventuring, and best not undertaken by those bereft of bravery or collateral. MATTHEW BALDWIN reviews a loan application. (Spoofs & Satire)Beloved Children’s Books
With the imminent release of the Where the Wild Things Are movie, we’re swept up in childhood literary nostalgia. Our STAFF AND READERS tell us what filled their tiny bookshelves. (Of Recent Note)The Expat’s New Clothes
Living in a region where you dress differently from everyone else, you begin to notice the little things. Our woman in Mumbai, JIL WHEELER, undergoes an education in Indian fashion. (Letters From Mumbai)Your Final Lay
Of the free games included with Windows, none is more treacherous than Spider Solitaire. In the final installment by KEVIN DOLGIN & PASHA MALLA, the master sets the apprentice free. (The Spider and the Fly)The Pleasures of Saudade
A year in Lisbon teaches you more than how to select a decent vinho verde. PHILIP GRAHAM shares his love for a uniquely hopeful, desperate music that’s missing from the usual American fare. (Opinions)Colonel Muammar Gaddafi Has a Cold
Experts answer what they know. The Non-Expert answers anything. This week, ELIZABETH KIEM consults JOSEPH PATRICK, an editor at the United Nations, to help translate a reader’s garbled query. (The Non-Expert)How to Perform Acupuncture
Those who can’t do, learn how. The latest installment in our series where amateurs apprentice with experts, NICOLE PASULKA tries her hand at needlework. (The Novice)The Karlsruhe Complex
The re-opening of a 1970s murder case this summer shocked Germans of all political stripes. CLAY RISEN considers how the country’s—often violent—leftist roots relate to its sense of self. (Letters From Berlin)Annie Dillard and the Writing Life
Writers aren’t born, they’re made—from practice, reading, and a lot of caffeine. And sometimes tutelage. Novelist ALEXANDER CHEE recounts studying with Annie Dillard, learning lessons from a master. (Personal Essays)Same as It Ever Was
Ten years ago, an anonymous screed sparked a firestorm amongst music critics and rock nerds. DANIEL NESTER follows up with the targets of the Rock Critical List and reassesses the finger pointing. (Profiles)Beer and Loathing
For agents and publishers, the Frankfurt Book Fair is publishing’s biggest event: part conclave, mostly marathon, and all business. It is absolutely no place for an aspiring author, as CONOR DILLON discovers. (Profiles)Frugal Krueger
Experts answer what they know. The Non-Expert answers anything. This week, THE STAFF helps a reader in need of creative, recession-friendly Halloween costume ideas. (The Non-Expert)Is Rapper Kanye West Dead?
Suspicious lyrics and other clues suggest something may be amiss among the hip-hop royalty. Collecting evidence, ANDREW WOMACK uncovers a familiar case. (Spoofs & Satire)Window Shopping
Never mind all that gloomy talk of falling real-estate prices. For many renters, even a heavily mortgaged apartment is the stuff of daydreams. NELL BOESCHENSTEIN checks the listings for her future. (New York, New York)First Scary Movies
You can sleep with the closet light on, you can crawl into your parents’ bed, but you can never forget your first truly frightening horror movie. Our STAFF AND READERS agree. (Of Recent Note)Thank you for reading. If you no longer wish to receive this newsletter,
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