(1) If you're struggling at first, set a goal of just trying to get through the first 200 pages. Things will be confusing at first, especially with the nonlinear-ish plot and, uh... worldbuilding, so it's okay to let some of it wash over you and laugh at the funny parts without totally understanding it all. Things will click later. But there's a scene around 200 pages in that's pretty straightforward and very, very engaging, so if you get that far you're almost guaranteed to get hooked enough to plow through the remaining 800. (Nearly everyone I've given this advice to did end up finishing the book.)
(1a) There's a part about 20 pages in that's verrrrrry dense and slow and hard to get through. ("Where was the woman who said she'd come.") If you can muscle your way through that part, almost everything that follows will feel light and breezy in comparison. The whole book is not like this :P
(2) Not a requirement by any means—I didn't use it on my first read-through—but if you find yourself stopping to Google stuff a lot, the Infinite Jest Wiki is a great resource. They have a spoiler-free page annotations to define some of the more esoteric vocab and explain some of the more niche cultural references. You won't miss a ton by not using it, but there are nice little tidbits.
(1) If you're struggling at first, set a goal of just trying to get through the first 200 pages. Things will be confusing at first, especially with the nonlinear-ish plot and, uh... worldbuilding, so it's okay to let some of it wash over you and laugh at the funny parts without totally understanding it all. Things will click later. But there's a scene around 200 pages in that's pretty straightforward and very, very engaging, so if you get that far you're almost guaranteed to get hooked enough to plow through the remaining 800. (Nearly everyone I've given this advice to did end up finishing the book.)
(1a) There's a part about 20 pages in that's verrrrrry dense and slow and hard to get through. ("Where was the woman who said she'd come.") If you can muscle your way through that part, almost everything that follows will feel light and breezy in comparison. The whole book is not like this :P
(2) Not a requirement by any means—I didn't use it on my first read-through—but if you find yourself stopping to Google stuff a lot, the Infinite Jest Wiki is a great resource. They have a spoiler-free page annotations to define some of the more esoteric vocab and explain some of the more niche cultural references. You won't miss a ton by not using it, but there are nice little tidbits.
https://infinitejest.wallacewiki.com/david-foster-wallace/in...