Abstract
This chapter discusses Robert M. Pirsig’s novel Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance (1974) from the perspective of Jacques Derrida’s exploration of various forms of movement. In particular, the notions of counter-movement and “via rupta” are used in order to focus on the different “paths”, journeys, or identity travels that Pirsig, together with his main character Phedrus, pursues in the iconic narrative. It is argued that the novel’s very construction and its focus on philosophy and on the notions of going against the grain are an example of a deliberate attempt to document a particular counterpath to passive material consumption. This is done through undermining and problematizing the notions of journeying and identity, which offers a somewhat subversive approach to travelling.
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Adamczewski, T. (2018). Counterpath to Identity: Robert M. Pirsig’s Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance . In: Lipski, J. (eds) Travel and Identity: Studies in Literature, Culture and Language. Second Language Learning and Teaching(). Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-74021-8_5
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