I just finished this...

I just finished this. I can comfortably say that it was one of the most frustratingly enjoyable reading experiences I've ever had, and the takeaway of being a part of the experience as opposed to a mindless consumer really resonated, as I never expected a book, of all means of modern-day entertainment, to be able to successfully convey that point. Why exactly does Veeky Forums hate it?

It was popular here for a while. Soon it got popular enough that it was cool and contrarian to hate on it (as well as all things DFW-related).

The ITAOTS of Veeky Forums

I enjoyed it too. People that didn't like it seem to for different reasons. Some reached a part they didn't like and stopped reading there, some went into it with expectations from hype that weren't meet, and some think he needed a better editor.

Congrats. How many of the Big Four do you have left to go now?

Gravity's Rainbow is low-key the worst of the original meme trilogy

Three*

>Culture of Critique
kek. IJ was my first of the meme trilogy. Taking a break with some lighter stuff starting tomorrow, but will probably go for Gravity's Rainbow next as I haven't read any Joyce yet.

Ew, really? C'mon, it has to be Infinite Jest. Gravity's Rainbow is an amazing display of writing technique through and through.

Nah, it's the Big Four now, bruv. You mad?

I think that sounds like a good plan.

Different user. I think it's the least fun to read, but certainly not worse than IJ. IJ is incredibly lame conceptually and exegesistically(;)).

This it got popular and than too popular, especially when it was realized that normies also loved the book.

So now it is meme trash.

remove COC and add The Recognitions and Brothers Karamazov to make it perfect

TBK isn't a meme.

Yup

Other than being the poster meme for a board on a shitty anime website they have nothing in common.

Been thinking about reading this and gravity's rainbow, and only have spoiler-free reviews to go off of on what I would be getting into if I read it.

Are these of the "complicated and messy just for the sake of being confusing" kind, or is there some point to it?

OP here. I was basically in the same boat.

The story itself is interesting and engaging, but not particularly earth-shattering. That said, if you read solely for the story, you're missing the entire point of the book. While most of it comes off as quasi-needless meandering, DFW pretty much nails addictive/obsessive psyche/personality, as well as the problems with consumerist culture.

TBK is the prequel to the meme trilogy

You don't understand the connection is all. Don't post arrogantly like this.

>exegesistically

I don't hate it but its worth has been overstated here many times and while it is one of the best pieces of contemporary fiction you can find, it's far from a masterpiece in many senses. I think aspects of the book are very smart and other parts DFW misses the mark by a large margin. I also felt a lot of it was diarrhea of consciousness.

They were made about the same time, and honestly I would put them in the same movement. ITAOTS is sincere even if the hipster movements that later lionized it were the antithesis of new sincerity. It's a bit like what we did with Infinite Jest, taking something good and sincere, and liking it ironically for irony's sake, which I think is very sad.