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Title: A Philosophy Lecture Posing as a Novel
Review: As an aspiring novelist with a degree in english and philosophy, I find it disheartening to find philosophy lectures thinly disguised as novels (Lila, Sophie's World -- could that title have slyly been borrowed from Sophie's Choice?). Also, Persig, in his so-called quest, refuses to acknowledge such modern philosophers as Nietzche, Kierkegaard, Sartre, Camus, or even Rand. He also doesn't attempt to create a synthesis between eastern and western philosophy, as the title would suggest. Herman Hesse, for example, does manage an intriguing blend of eastern mysticism with western philosophy -- he is greatly influence by Nietzsche. Persig's prose is often flat, but his protagonists are very driven in their quest for metaphysical quality. But as characters, they don't -- for me, seem very interesting. If the reader is interested in the philosophical novel, may I suggest reading Sartre, Camus, Hesse, Rand, Mann, Dostoievsky, or Tolstoi.
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