In Mary K. Holland's "'The Art's Heart's Purpose:'" Braving the Narcissistic Loop of David Foster Wallace's Infinite Jest the author argues that despite Wallace's intentions to write a post-modern novel devoid of irony, he has in fact done just that. Holland cites an interview with Wallace in which he discusses the goals of the novel and of himself as a writer. He finds irony to be the dominant voice in our culture and feels it has lost much of its ferocity. Instead, he hopes to write without irony and instead allow himself to "return to emotion, earnestness, belief and straightforwardness." Holland believes that Wallace is incapable of both writing the kinds of observational essays and novels that he is famous for and doing so without the irony that is so pervasive in our society. Instead, Holland posits that the author merely replaces irony with narcissism.
"The nagging compulsion of narcissism, left unfaced and unresolved, quietly but insistently overwhelms the considerable bravery exhibited
by the novel, its author, and its characters as they labor to re-create individual integrity and communal connection from their cultural ruins" (8).
Holland states that this point is missed by most who read the novel. Many see Infinite Jest as just the unironic antidote to the negativity that has plagued modern literature. The author, cites for example, the pages devoted to story of Jim Incandenza's father and how his self-absorption and alcohol addiction have trickled down the family tree. In fact, many of the characters in the novel have cruel and haunting childhoods. This leads them to behave as children, self-destructive misbehaving children. In the novel many of the characters find themselves confronted with memories from their familial past that they thought were buried. This combination of "infantilization" and narcissism circle back to connect with irony. In fact Donald Gately struggles with this issue head-on by wondering if he is simply replacing one drug for another by giving in to the brainwashing of Alcoholics Anonymous. The same thing that lead him to drugs is leading him to sobriety. Isn't that ironic?
However, there are exceptions to this looping effect throughout the novel as well. Mario's ceaseless positivity and Lyle's selfless wisdom seem empty of irony or narcissism. Holland accepts that Wallace has clearly made a valiant and ambitious effort to create a hopeful and unironic novel, but that he has failed. She concludes "that, given the inescapibility of the drive to infantile self-satisfaction that permeates this novel, regardless of its near-heroics attempts to break free from its culture of disaffection and irony, Infinite Jest capture American society after the party is over and while everyone is standing around waiting for parents who will never come: The selfish chaos no longer feels like fun, but no one has grown up enough to clean up the mess," (22). There is certainly evidence to support Holland's argument, the novel is full of characters dealing with the mistakes of their parents. Also, there is plenty of self-reflection and forced isolation. Perhaps those characters, admittedly some of the major ones, are simply a distraction from others that fulfill Wallace's desire for a post-modern story, free from irony. Characters like, the previously mentioned, Mario and Lyle or Schact and Schtitt. In fact the entire arc of Don Gately's story could be read as a man who is able to escape his own narcissism and realize that the key to life is similar to pain management. It has to be endured, free of drugs, and without blame.

Holland, Mary K. "The Art's Heart's Purpose": Braving the Narcissistic Loop of David Foster Wallace's Infinite Jest. Critique: Vol. 47 Issue 3, p218-242. 2006