Told by the blurb that we have here 'one of the most unique and exciting books in the history of American letters,' one bridles both at the grammar of the claim and at its routine excess. The grammar stays irreparable. But I have a hunch that the assertion itself is valid... Zen and the Art is awkward both to live with and to write about. It lodges in the mind as few recent novels have, deepening its grip, compelling the landscape into unexpected planes of order and menace... the narrative tact, the perfect economy of effect, defy criticism... the analogies with Moby Dick are patent. Robert Pirsig invites the prodigious comparison... What more can one say?
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- The book is uniquely exciting but also awkward; it grips the mind, defies criticism, and draws parallels to Moby Dick.
- In plain terms
- The book is compelling, unconventional, and richly layered.
- What can you take from it?
- Embrace its challenges for deeper insight.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- Why does the book feel both gripping and uneasy?
- How do the Moby Dick parallels enrich it?
Another view
Its awkwardness may deter some readers.
More from Robert M. Pirsig
This book is brilliant beyond belief, it is probably a work of genius, and will, I'll wager, attain classic stature.
Permalink to quote #99 Profoundly important... full of insights into our most perplexing contemporary dilemmas... It is intellectual entertainment of the highest order.
Permalink to quote #101 Pirsig's Postulate: The number of hypotheses available to explain any given phenomenon is infinite.
Permalink to quote #98
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