Good Philosophical Novel?
I just got done reading Ishmael by Daniel Quinn and Zen & the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert Pirsig. I was wondering if anyone has any other suggestions of similar type philosophical novels by other authors? I am looking for a book that considered a fictional story but which explores various philosophical ideas. Thanks!
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Crime and Punishment .
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The Old Man and the Sea isn't a philosophical novel. I'm a huge Hemmingway fan, but its just a fiction novel. Try Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, or Descartes Error.
Anything by Ayn Rand, but be prepared for some heavy-handed objectivist brow-beating. The Fountainhead was probably her most accessible, and a decent movie with Gary Cooper and Patricia Neal. She's probably better known for Atlas Shrugged, which I understand is undergoing a Hollywood treatment right now.
For something lighter, try Kurt Vonnegut. Everything he wrote was philosophical; much was humorous, some bizarre. My personal favorite is Sirens of Titan.
With Rand and Vonnegut, you can compare extremes in style and ponder the meaning of life from many perspectives.
Unbearable Lightness of Being (Milan Kundera)
"Herzog" by Saul Bellow fits that description perfectly. It's about the life of philosophy professor Moses Herzog, and takes place almost entirely inside his head, as he ruminates about his life and loves. One of my very favorite books by one of my very favorite authors.