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Infinite Jest: Wherein We Begin By Beginning

February 1, 2026·1 hr 33 min·5 clips

Wallace says the postmodern era feels like a party after the parents leave, then asks who will “be the parents.”

The setup stays plain on purpose. The host tells regular listeners that Against the Day is still moving, then treats Infinite Jest as an added thread, not a replacement. Cody calls it punishment, with enough affection that the joke lands. It also tells you what kind of project this is: large, difficult, and maybe a little unreasonable. The conversation begins by beginning. Before the panel gets to the novel, they place Wallace next to the show's Pynchon work and the habit of reading maximalist fiction as a group. Rap becomes the first real snag. One speaker understands why Wallace would be drawn to a major new musical category that appeared in his lifetime. The verdict is still blunt. Being curious does not make the writing good, especially when better writing on hip hop is out there. Hanif Abdurakib comes up as the smarter path. That recommendation does some work, because the panel is asking who gets to explain a culture and what gives them the right. From there, the essay talk turns toward aesthetics. Wallace's critique of postmodernism brings them to the clunky phrase post-postmodernism and the cleaner New Sincerity. They think the name sounds ridiculous. Fair enough. They still use it to get at what Wallace wanted fiction to do after irony ran out of gas. The pace is patient and slightly messy in a good way. Context, complaint, comparison, caveat. The argument builds as they talk, instead of pretending it showed up complete. The ending comes back to the show itself. Ko-Fi and merchandise get mentioned through the practical costs of hosting, recording gear, and keeping both the Pynchon seasons and the Infinite Jest experiment alive.

As heard by us

A steady opening to a side series that brings Infinite Jest in without pushing Against the Day out of view.

The episode widens Mapping the Zone's frame by adding a side series on Infinite Jest while keeping Against the Day at the center. That gives the discussion a clear footing.

Read the full review in PlayNext →

Why you'd press play

A literary side quest for when you want Mapping the Zone to pivot from Wallace into hip hop and postmodernism.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

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