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Thread: 20th century philosophical novels

  1. #1
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    20th century philosophical novels

    Can anyone recommend any modern philosophical novels - fiction and non-fiction? I've read some Camus, and that is as far as my knowledge goes. Hoping to take a couple of books on holiday in a few weeks. I'd be very grateful for any advice! Thanks, Neil

  2. #2
    Nausea by Jean-Paul Sartre would qualify, I think.

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    perhapsist Panglossian's Avatar
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    Sophie's Choice - Jostein Gaarder
    The Unbearable Lightness of Being - Milan Kundera
    The Third Policeman - Flann O'Brien
    Last edited by Panglossian; 08-08-2011 at 08:45 AM.

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    Registered User Des Essientes's Avatar
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    A Voyage To Arcturus by: David Lindsay (Schopenhauerean)
    The Plumed Serpent by: D.H. Lawrence (Nietzschean)
    The Story Of An Eye by: Georges Bataille (Sadean)
    Dog Years by: Gunter Grass (Heideggerean)

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    λάθε arrytus's Avatar
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    -The Alexandria Quartet, most notably Justine, -by- Durrell
    -In Search of Lost Time -by- Proust
    -The Immoralist -by- Gide
    -Sartor Resartus -by- Carlyle
    -Louis Lambert -by- Balzac
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  6. #6
    Genre writing was a great 20th century source of philosophy, fantasy and science fiction in particular but not exclusively. Mainstream novels will keep you warm at night as you burn them that much I can say.

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    perhapsist Panglossian's Avatar
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    I've nothing against philosophy in novels, but when the author uses the novel form as a vehicle to expound his or her philosophical and political convictions, that gets my goat.

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    In the fog Charles Darnay's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Panglossian View Post
    Sophie's Choice - Jostein Gaarder
    The Unbearable Lightness of Being - Milan Kundera
    The Third Policeman - Flann O'Brien
    All excellent choices....except it's Sophie's World....Sophie's Choice is a bit different...although also philosophical I guess.
    I wrote a poem on a leaf and it blew away...

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    Registered User Rores28's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Panglossian View Post
    I've nothing against philosophy in novels, but when the author uses the novel form as a vehicle to expound his or her philosophical and political convictions, that gets my goat.
    I'm just the opposite... those are my favorites!
    Check out my blog it has basically nothing to do with literature.
    http://slingsandarrowsandtheproudman.blogspot.com/

  10. #10
    Registered User Rores28's Avatar
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    Not novels but Samuel Beckett is very philosophical.

    Waiting for Godot is quite dense philosophically, and I believe it is considered to be his masterpiece.
    Check out my blog it has basically nothing to do with literature.
    http://slingsandarrowsandtheproudman.blogspot.com/

  11. #11
    muaz jalil muazjalil's Avatar
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    1. The Roads to Freedom trilogy by Sartre
    2. Brave new world Aldous Huxley (more Dystopian but still philosophical)
    3. 1984 Orwell (Same as 2)
    4. Zen and the Art of motorcycle maintenance by Robert Pirsig (nothing to do with Motorcycle or Zen....excellent book)
    5. Lila by robert pirsig (Kinda like the Part 2 of Zen but not as good as above but still pretty good)

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    Registered User Brett Cottrell's Avatar
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    Margaret Atwood's Oryx and Crake and The Handmaid's Tale

    John Williams's Stoner

    Vonnegut: Pretty much anything, they're all about the absurdity of the human situation, but I suggest Cat's Cradle or Galapogos

    Kafka The Trial

    Heller Catch 22

    Bradbury Martian Chronicles

    Phillip K. Dick- Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep (Blade Runner)

    Chuck Palahniuk Fight Club

    Herta Müller's The Passport and The Appointment

    Barnes's A History of the World in 10 1/2 Chapters

    Christopher Moore's Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff

  13. #13
    Executioner, protect me Kyriakos's Avatar
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    I would not call Kafka's The Trial a 'philosophical' novel. Surely Kafka was a very intelligent person involved in highly theoretical thinking (along with having hyper-anxiety about the basest matters) but i think his novels, and all of his work apart from his diary, are so symbolic that you can hardly claim they are philosophy in any presentable form. I do not doubt that philosophy, and intricate one at that, is part of his work, but it is always presented as a riddle, as a metaphor, or rather webs of metaphors, a complete, closed to itself, allegory
    At least that is my take on it.

    As for my own suggestions: try Hamsun's "Hunger".

  14. #14
    Registered User Brett Cottrell's Avatar
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    The Trial

    Let's see.
    A distopian societey? Check (while its status as dystopian doesn't prove it's philosophy, it is still indicative).
    An all powerful goverment bureaucracy? Check.
    The struggle to maintain a sense of both self and communtity in the face of politcal powerlessness? Check.

    Now it's not a philosophical novel like The Republic or Brave New World, to be sure. It doesn't lay down a coherent theory of morals or government. And that's part of its brilliance. Perhaps at that point in his life he couldn't define the good society. Nevertheless, he could describe what type of society isn't good, and why.

    As a work of political philosophy, it's top knotch.

    Having said all that, I just look at most literature from a philosophic standpoint, and that probably taints my view.

    Cheers

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    Philosophy?

    I think Kafka is definitely philosophical, even as antiphilosophical. But what does that tell me about the role of philosophy in the 21st century?
    Today I view philosophy as a system of confusions that has been put in a museum to never come back to the forefront of literature or where we are going in any non-illusive way. There is too much multiplicity in this postmodern age for any philosophical position to be taken seriously. One would have to be narrowminded to embrace any wisdom whatsoever. Philosophy as love of wisdom or even as a way of life is a thing of the past for keeps, as I see it.

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