Infinite Jest Lesson Plan

Demystifying the Great Concavity

Kind of Activity:

Research

Objective:

In groups, students will research and prepare a report on the Great Concavity, which features prominently within the novel.

Common Core Standards:

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.11-12.1, CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.11-12.1

Structure:

In keeping with the rest of his exposition, Wallace doles out information about the Great Concavity in small doses, followed by a massive section of the text explaining everything to do with what the Concavity actually is, how it came to be, and how it's driven the novel's plot up until this point.

Although this information is present, it's delivered through Mario's I-Day film, which...