Book cover of The Moviegoer

Book description

Winner of the 1962 National Book Award and one of Time magazine’s 100 Best English-Language Novels, Walker Percy’s debut The Moviegoer is an American masterpiece and a classic of Southern literature. Insightful, romantic, and humorous, it is the story of a young man’s search for meaning amid a shallow consumerist…

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Why read it?

2 authors picked The Moviegoer as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

The Moviegoer was the first novel I read which had little plot and a great deal of meaning. Basically, it’s about one man’s search for meaning in a world which values shallowness and consumerism above all else. It’s as relevant today as it was when written and the prose is amazing!

For some philosophical subjects, a novel or play can convey more than an essay. Think Camus's “The Myth of Sisyphus" for conveying the absurdity of life. Well, ditto for Walker Percy's “The Moviegoer". One of the first American Existentialist novels, it also happens to be hilarious.

From Thomas' list on a taste of philosophy.

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Book cover of The High House

The High House by James Stoddard,

The Victorian mansion, Evenmere, is the mechanism that runs the universe.

The lamps must be lit, or the stars die. The clocks must be wound, or Time ceases. The Balance between Order and Chaos must be preserved, or Existence crumbles.

Appointed the Steward of Evenmere, Carter Anderson must learn the…

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