The Moviegoer: In which we escape a deep existential malaise

A paradox: how can an author—say, Walker Percy—get the reader to care about a protagonist—say, Binx Bolling—who is stuck in a malaise and doesn't himself particularly care about anything?

A corollary: how can a book club have an engaging discussion when they don't particularly care about said book and said protagonist?

Honestly you might as well skip the first 10 minutes or so in which we half-assedly try to talk about the actual plot elements.

Luckily Cam saves the day with an impromptu lecture on Kierkegaard and we get to yapping about the meaning of life instead:

• Is it patronising to claim that everyone is living in a state of despair?
• Is self-gratification and individualism actually bad?
• What are the main avenues for having a meaningful life?
• How does society stigmatise or incentivise meaning-making activities?
• Has the existentialist project more or less been a success?
• Which of Popper's three worlds does 'meaning' fall into?

I can't be bothered doing chapter markers for this one so just take a leap of faith you cowards

 

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NEXT ON THE READING LIST:

Blood Meridian - Cormac McCarthy

The Odyssey - Homer (Emily Wilson translation)