So I trust that you will appreciate the gravity of me not finishing Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. I didn't even get halfway through!!!! This is one of those Big Shit books that everyone's heard of, and that has chaaaaaaaaaaaaanged people's liiiiiiiiiiiiiiives, and I couldn't even bat 500.
For those of you who were NOT YET BORN in the 70s, ZatAoMM is about this guy who takes his son Chris and his two friends on a motorcycle trip, and in between scenic interludes and What A Motorcycle Is Made Of For Dummies, he talks about...values? I think. It's kind of diffuse, and he spends a lot of time going on about how his one friend would be so much more groovy (did I mention that this was the 70s? And that Pirsig uses words like 'groovy' and 'square' TOTALLY tongue-out-of-cheek?) if he was more interested in how his motorcycle worked, instead of just wanting the damned thing to run like its supposed to.
And then he goes off on this tangent about this guy, Phaedrus, who was...a philosopher? Whatever. Anyway, it seems like Phaedrus is reincarnated in our narrator. Or something. Anyway, Phaedrus was the shit, and was waaaaaay smarter than anyone else, and totally had a higher calling in life and no one got him, but he didn't care because he was above caring.
And Phaedrus sounds like a total d-bag, and the narrator is fo' SHO a d-bag, all Zenner-than-thou and harping on his friends and never making any sense. I sort of stopped reading when he started talking about Quality, but I would like to bring in guest-snarker My Sister to give her thoughts on his thoughts on the word:
I know I will never understand a genius because they are so much smarter than me, but it's like this guy bought a Genius Robe for $5 and thinks he can use an everydayword and make it into some sort of 4D philisophical wonderment that even God is scratching his head at thinking, "Did I do that?"
And that pretty much sums it up. Robert Pirsig thinks he's smarter than God. And as much as it usually pains me to leave pages unturned, I feel like not reading this has given me several extra hours of life, and that now I can take a nap with impunity. As my sister said, at least I failed at something worth failing at.
A caterpillar.
God bless ya' for tryin' to read this thing! I'm from that annoying "groovy" generation, graduated High School in 75, etc. I thought the book sounded like stupid, touchy-feely drivel back then. You couldn't have paid me to read it then and anyone who reads it now is a better woman then me! I always thought it was one of those books that the author thought, "well, if they don't "get" it, then the reader just isn't as smart as me." Usually books and movies like that, we all "get" just fine, its just that they're crap.
ReplyDeleteI love your blog, you're funny, irreverent as hell and always make me laugh!
oh no - I've owned this book for years (although I've never read it), and my reading resolution for this year is to read all my owned by unread books...I just knew Zen would be one that will give me a hard time...
ReplyDeleteI looked at it and it screamed stay away!! Loved your review!
ReplyDeleteThis book sounds terrible. I have never had the yen to read this book, and now I'm quite certain I never will.
ReplyDeleteI'd throw my unread copy of this book into the garbage can (along with Eat, Love, Pray) if I didn't know how much I could get for it on ebay! LOVE your blog and your humor and your oh-so-much-smarter-than-me commentary. Glad you're out there!
ReplyDeleteCan I borrow your sister? Because that paragraph pretty much sums up how I'm currently feeling about James Loewen (of Lies My Teacher Told Me).
ReplyDeleteOh, for shit. You know, I'm totally with you. I always am, Raych. You're my Internet crush, after all.
ReplyDeleteAnd now I'm going to leave you a blomment (that's a blog disguised as a comment. Because I haven't felt like blogging lately). Because I'm also a firm believer in the idea that books come to us when we're ready for them. That sometimes, they just work for us, more than just as reading material. I totally met my best friend because she lent me The Alchemist.
Hanyway. I borrowed an old, ratty paperback of this book from my cousin once. I read twenty pages and thought it was crap. So I put it aside never again to return.
Only, you know how there are those songs you can't shake? It was sort of like that. I found myself still thinking about the book. Not so much wondering about it, but certainly curious.
I was like, okay. So I'll pick it up again, and I did, and I got twenty pages farther into it than I had before. Which was a bit of a minor victory. And then I set it aside again.
I don't remember why I returned to it. I think I was cleaning my room and found the coverless book hidden under my bed and started reading it, and it wasn't quite so bad as I remembered it, maybe? And then I kept reading. And reading.
And then I hit the final handsful of pages, and, like, whoa. I've read books (I'm looking at you, The Lovely Bones and The Time-Traveler's Wife) that have made me cry. Really hard, too, because I'm a sap. I've read books that have made me happy (thank you, Ms. Rowling). Exciting books that make me happy I'm a writer (nods to you, messrs. King and Gaiman). But Zen . . . never before and never since has a book re-wired me. Not just inspired new thoughts, but for a long while after I finished Zen, I literally felt like thought was unfamiliar territory. I had a transcendent experience reading it (and you know I wouldn't use a word like that, even if I fear it's a tad pretentious).
Years later, I gave the book to my best friend when he graduated from medical school and was promoted to a captain in the army. He opened the gift and smiled, and then he related to me a story that he had a copy, once upon a time, but brought it on a motorcycle trip through CA he embarked on with his brother, at one point during which a bear found his copy and mauled it.
His old copy was no longer readable. But still, it was Mauled by a Bear! (How rad is that)?
Hanyway. Ain't for everybody, certainly. But if you still have it, maybe read the final ten pages? They might not have the same effect out of context, but they might also be worth the glance.
Never can tell, can you?
Lurve!
I forced my way all through this crap book. Good for you for giving up on it!
ReplyDeleteAll I cam away with was that this guy was a self-important crap dad slowly going mad. It was not an enjoyable or enlightening read. Ugh!
Ha ha! I failed miserably the first time I tried to read this book. But for some reason it stayed on my shelf. I struggled through it again in college, and made it to the end though not without much confusion (as you've so aptly described). The third time went much better, I actually found some passages worth quoting. But I don't think many books would get a third try from me nowadays.
ReplyDelete"Zenner-than-thou"...very, VERY clever!
ReplyDeleteSo, I guess zero caterpillars is not an option? Great review of what sounds like a terrible book!
ReplyDeleteI just wanted to stop by and invite you over to Literary Menagerie. A friend of mine just gave her first stab at a book review, so if you could charm her into sticking around, I'd owe you a huge favor!
Happy reading!
I gave up on this book back in the 70s back when it was really popular. And I've never been sorry. A kiss of comiseration for your poor lone caterpillar.
ReplyDeleteZen and the Art of Not Finishing a Bad Book. Could be the next big seller...
ReplyDeleteYour caterpillar ratings always crack me up. It doesn't matter what they are-a caterpillar, seven caterpillars, eight-and-a-half caterpillars-it's always funny! I'm so jealous that I didn't think of that rating system first!
"Zenner than thou" - I think you've just coined a new phrase!
ReplyDeleteI feel a lot better for not having finished it myself :)
ReplyDeleteI commented on this instead of your top post because I hated this book too. :) And I think that it's a sign that we are meant to be partners.
ReplyDeleteI think I'm reading Lolita. You?
Kelly
khager.vox.com
kellyhager1234(at)comcast(dot)net
I am listening to the audio book and had to find out when it was written because of the language, which somehow led me to your page. I thought I was just some ignoramus that couldn't grasp this book's message. I am, however, like Will Entrekin, who said that he kept coming back to it. I have already thought about returning it to the library more than once, but hearing about the mc ride and Montana has kept me going. I hope it will turn out as well for me as it did for Will! Now that I've discovered your site, I'll be back to check out other books 'you done read.'
ReplyDeleteI just finished ZatAoMM. Trust me, if you have not finished it, you'll be back.
ReplyDeleteDiann, I started by first listening to the book on tape, then I came across the entire book on-line (it's easy to find). Once you begin to read the book, you'll realize just how much you're missing, and you'll stop listening to the tapes.
While not one of my favorite books, it's worth finishing.
I am using this book as the textbook for my Critical Thinking class---in high school. Yes, the book is quite "heady"---but worth the effort. Every "smarty-pants" in every family should read it---at least once.
ReplyDeleteYou know that writing experiment where your opinion supports something one time then you rewrite a totally non-supportive approach.
ReplyDeleteI can imagine all the loyalists comments swinging the other way if you wrote how much you got it.
I for free speech and I certainly don't think very much about our world is perfect. But to write a fluff piece criticizing a well known book that you didn't want to finish is self serving and puts you in a group of people that never have anything nice to say.
books I done read; reading books so you don't have to? Sounds like we should all have your opinion.
Nice graphics on your page though.
Hard to believe someone who writes a title "books I done read" didn't get this book, shocking especially considering you didn't even done read it or whatever you'd like to call it. For starters in order for it to be an interesting read you should try to understand the book, Phaedrus is the author before he was put into a mental hospital and given shock treatment therapy. His son Chris is upset mostly because the person that came back from the mental hospital is one he doesn't recognize as his father. As the book goes on we get farther into the story of not only what happened but the author realizes that regardless of whether or not society thins he's crazy he needs to get back to being his self. That along with values and an excellent narrative are what make this book one hell of a read. I don't expect everyone to get the book and this is a very basic rendering of what it is about, but anyone who actually takes the time to read the book would probably at least get a good thing or two out of it.
ReplyDeleteWhy is everyone hating on this book? I am reading it right now for my English class and it is great. I think you guys are being to critical. This book teaches you about how you should value quality, and teaches you about motorcycles, haha.
ReplyDeleteDon't hate, appreciate.
I read this book whilst backpacking around India - if that doesn't put me in the target demographic I don't know what does.
ReplyDeleteI thought it was the biggest pile of pretentious shite I have ever read. It's like you're living in Being John Malcovitch, but instead of "Malcovitch" the only word you hear is "quality" instead.
I almost pissed myself reading your sister's quote though - that is the most succinct description of this book I have ever seen. My wife loves the book though, so go figure.
You've obviously missed the entire point of this book.
ReplyDeleteyeah you definately missed the point of this book infact I'd go as far as to say this book and others like it were not written for you...don't bring something down just because you can't understand it...
ReplyDeleteThose that found this book boring are clearly the 'romantic' type discussed in the book. The beauty in this book is in the discussion of what constitutes quality and perhaps only those with a 'classical' understanding of beauty can appreciate that. As a scientist and maths teacher I found beauty in the the way the author dissects personality types into these two distinctions. Mathematics is much like the classical view point defined in this book where the details give a feeling of satisfaction to those who share this view, but to the romantic viewpoint it is just a bore. This is the whole discussion within the book and for that reason it is only right that view points on this book should be so divided.
ReplyDelete