“The novel, published in 1974, uses a long motorcycle trip to frame a prolonged exploration of the world of ideas about life and how best to live it. It references perspectives from Western and Eastern Civilizations as it explores the central question of the how to pursue technology so that human life is enriched rather than degraded. Narrated in the first person, it incorporates a parallel presentation of trip details and an ongoing retrospective concerning dramatic events from the Narrator's past, creating rich symbolism and including numerous analogies reinforcing the overall theme of coming to terms with the mysteries of why we exist and how best to live.”
In the first few pages of the book Pirsig notes "it should in no way be associated with that great body of factual information relating to orthodox Zen Buddhist practice. It's not very factual on motorcycles, either."
I saw my friend Annie Lam carrying this book around and I was immediately caught by the title, and the cover.. I picked up a copy at my school's library and I'm just getting started. Pretty psyched on it.
No comments:
Post a Comment