What Do I Read Next?
In a blend of poignant humor and existential inquiry, Walker Percy's 1961 novel The Moviegoer unveils the journey of a young soul wrestling with life's meaning against the backdrop of the silver screen. The protagonist seeks fulfillment in the flickering shadows of the cinema, yet finds himself enveloped in discontent.
Nobel laureate Saul Bellow's debut novel, Dangling Man (1944), introduces readers to a young man suspended in an existential limbo. Drafted into the army and awaiting his call to duty, his life becomes a study of uncertainty and anticipation.
The Plague, a profound work by Albert Camus, delves into the human psyche as an epidemic of bubonic plague sweeps through the Algerian town of Oran. The spectrum of human reactions depicted in the novel remains as pertinent today as when it first emerged in 1947.
While Jean-Paul Sartre's philosophical musings can often appear daunting, his collection Existentialism and Human Emotions serves as an accessible gateway to his philosophical universe. These essays aim to introduce existential thought to a diverse readership.
Thus Spake Zarathustra, crafted by the imaginative mind of philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche, weaves a tapestry of allegory exploring mankind's intricate ties to the universe. Esteemed as the pinnacle of Nietzsche's illustrious career, the book eschews direct instruction in favor of an enigmatic series of vignettes, mysteries, and puzzles, laying the groundwork for existential literature.
By the time Joseph Heller's Catch-22 emerged in 1961, the doctrine of existential nihilism had deeply embedded itself within a generation. Set amidst a World War II bombing squadron, this absurdist novel wields humor to highlight the paradoxes birthed from order and reason.
John Barth's expansive 1956 novel The Floating Opera tackles grave existential themes with a whimsical twist of humor and fantasy. Eschewing a single narrative thread, the novel orbits a man so profoundly disenchanted with life that even the rationale for his own demise eludes him.
Central to existential philosophy, Søren Kierkegaard's 1843 work Fear and Trembling dissects the Biblical tale of Abraham and Isaac, posing profound questions about humanity's role in the cosmos and its connection to the divine. This text stands as a quintessential piece of religious Existentialism, diverging from its atheistic French counterparts.
Renowned psychotherapist and theologian Rollo May illustrated the profound significance of Existentialism in unraveling the complexities of the human psyche in his compilation The Discovery of Being: Writings in Existential Psychology. These insightful essays, reprinted in 1983, illuminate the psychological applications of existential thought.
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