A Reader's Respite is waxing a bit philosophical about books these days. Why, Kierkegaard might have wondered, are books about Tudor vampires so popular?
Immanual Kant may have wondered whether an author has a moral responsibility to refrain from writing bad historical fiction.
Or perhaps not.
Would Locke have said that each of the over 400 million people who have read Harry Potter come away with a different perception and therefore, a different reality? Or would Nietzsche have said none of it matters since we're all just going to trample over each other to get our hands on the newest Diana Gabaldron book anyway?
somehow, we're just not seeing Nietzsche as a big Outlander fanOkay, okay, we're not really thinking too much about all of this, but Charlotte Greig's novel,
A Girl's Guide to Modern European Philosophy, did get us thinking about our old university philosophy courses. (As it turns out, A Reader's Respite has forgotten most of our edu-ma-cation over the years.)
Greig's charming book recounts the story of Susannah, a young British university student majoring in philosophy during the turbulent 1970's, who plows through life's problems with a decidedly philosophical eye.
Finding herself unsure of her romantic choices and pregnant, Susannah uses her philosophical education to sort out her problems and try to make the right choices in life.
While you shouldn't expect a comprehensive education in philosophical schools of thought here, a general overview and historical perspective is woven into the story line as the reader follows Susannah's life, choices and the consequences.
Would you like to read it? Leave us a comment (all comers welcome, including international!) and on July 28th, we'll draw a random winner who will receive a copy!
