The World of Infinite Jest

From sequart.org

...or, there are so many things I don't understand.  For starters, what is the 'Year of Glad?'  In the imagined future of Infinite Jest, the years have lost their numeric names and are instead called by their corporate sponsors.  There is general agreement that the sequence goes like this:

1. Year of the Whopper
2. Year of the Tucks Medicated Pad
3. Year of the Trial-Size Dove Bar
4. Year of the Perdue Wonderchicken
5. Year of the Whisper-Quiet Maytag Dishmaster
6. Year of the Yushityu 2007 Mimetic-Resolution-Cartridge-View-Motherboard-Easy-To-Install-Upgrade for Infernatron/InterLace TP Systems for Home, Office or Mobile [sic]
7. Year of Dairy Products from the American Heartland
8. Year of the Depend Adult Undergarment (Y.D.A.U.)
9. Year of Glad

There is disagreement, however, on what those years correspond to in real time.  It's worth noting that I read a blog that reported that in an interview Wallace said that the year of the Trial-Size Dove Bar referred to Dove soap rather than chocolate.  

In any case, most of the novel's chapters take place in the Year of the Depend Adult Undergarment (Y.D.A.U.)

Is that helpful?  Read more at Tim Ware's David Foster Wallace wiki.

FAQs: How to Choose Your Own Challenge

How soon may I pick up my books so I can get started?
We are hard at work getting the books and supporting materials ready to go for you.  Please complete the online RSVP if you haven't already.  That way we will be all set to reach out to you as soon as your items are available for pickup!


Do I need to have a University City card to participate?
Absolutely not!  You can check out the books with a card from any of the libraries in the Municipal Library Consortium. If you don’t have one yet, or you’re not sure,  you can sign up for a UCPL card here. If you are unable to obtain a card from the MLC, you are still encouraged to participate, but you will be unable to get a copy of the book from our library. Our reading selections, however, are very popular books, and there is a high likelihood that they are available in both print and digital format from your local library.

Is there any cost to participate?
Never!  All programs are free for everyone, and there is no charge to check out materials.

How we will have summer reading in the midst of our health crisis?
We know that things seem uncertain right now.  We are planning a series of online lectures, interviews, and question and answer sessions to reach the maximum number of participants. If you are new to experiencing content like this online, reference librarians will be available by telephone to help you get ready.  We will be relying on our blog more than ever as a primary communication tool: remember that you can always question and comment at the bottom of any post, and we encourage you to do so.  We monitor these communications carefully.  And if circumstances improve so that we are able to have activities in the library, you can be sure we will plan those.  We CAN do this!  Now more than ever, we need to come together to read great big books.

What is Beanstack?
Beanstack is an online tool for readers to track their progress.  You will be able to set progress goals, record reading-related activities, and leave reviews about your reading.  Best of all, if you have young people in your life who are participating in our youth summer reading program, they will also be using Beanstack to track reading, earn badges, and win prizes.  They will be thrilled to see you participating right alongside them.  More details about Beanstack coming very soon.

What do I win if I participate and finish the readings?
•  Bragging rights: You’ll receive a specially designed Summer Reading button showing the number of pages completed, as well as a one-of-a-kind homemade bookmark.
•  That all-important sense of accomplishment: We’re all working together to tackle a challenge and stretch our horizons!
•  New friends: You’ll meet new people from your neighborhood and beyond.
•  The best things in life aren’t things, right?

Are you ready to choose your challenge?

You can't go wrong with these two outstanding challenge options!  RSVP now and let us know which path you'll take!

More information coming soon!

As we get ready to choose our own big book challenge adventure this summer, your UCPL librarians are also working on how to get books to you and how to manage things online. Keep an eye on this page for more information as it becomes available. At the moment, we expect to kick things off in early June.