One thing that bugs me about the MOQ ... is why the MOQ gives no footnotes to any research
if it where re-edited as a MOQ without the character development parts (which
could be annotated) it would be easier to refer to in these discussions.
Ya' know, a lot of people have complained about the difficulty in citing Pirsig. No index, no footnotes. I completely agree. It sucks not having either. That is, if you're an academic who wants that kind of stuff. The first time I read Lila, I read it for a philosophy research paper that I was going to write on Pirsig.
It was mid-semester, the professor started calling for research topics, and I went into a panic. No one I had read really interested me. Not for a prolonged research paper, at least. But then it hit me, "Hey, this is a Contemporary Philosophy class. I do know of one Contemporary that's interesting! Pirsig!"
It should be noted that, at this time (Aprilish 2000), I had only read ZAMM once. And it was on my second try. My first try had been in high school, fall of 1997. I got through, maybe, the first 50 pages and was like, "Um, no." I cited not liking Pirsig's writing style very much. People kept saying he wrote like Hemingway and it fit: I hated Hemingway.
Then, in fall of '98, I was an undeclared freshman in college. Having signed up for a bunch intro classes in a range of subjects, hoping against hopes that one of them would spark a fire, I went to pick up my books for Philosophy 101. And there it was. That goddamn book I couldn't finish a year ago. ZAMM. And now I had to friggin' buy the damn thing! Life wasn't lookin' so hot.
Well, I took the class. The lecturer did the only thing she could possibly accomplish in a 101 class: turned my on to the subject material. She also hit my ego by asking me to be a Teaching Assistant for her Aesthetics 375 class. "An upper-level course? I'm an undeclared freshman. And I don't like art. Let alone the philosophy of it." Well, she didn't take back her offer and there I was, an undeclared freshman leading discussions for juniors and seniors in Aesthetics--the bane of my existence. (Half way through the semester the other TA asked me off-hand, "So, you joined the dark-side. Your a Phil major now." "Film? No, why would you--" "No, Philosophy." "Oh, heh. No." "No? Dude, why the hell aren't you? What else you gonna' do?" And that was that.)
But I've jumped ahead. During her 101 course we read ZAMM. And I got through it. Not only that but, to my astonishment, I loved it. The world does strange things.
While I was at home that summer I ran into my old high-school teacher. I told him my experience, "Yeah, never read it for your class, but DAMN! It kicked ass the second time around!" I asked him if the author-guy had written anything else. He mumbled that there was a second one, but I probably wouldn't like it 'cuz it was mostly about sailing. "And I like sailing, so there you go." And that was the last I thought about it.
So, another year goes by, and here I am, tryin' to come up with a research topic. "Hey, that Pirsig-guy wrote another book didn't he?" So I bought it. And read it like a detective. I kept a notecard and wrote topics and page numbers down so I would know where to go back.
And KABLAAM if it didn't save my life (Yep, that was an explosion). And it helps a lot here, too. (I should go back and do it for ZAMM. Damnit! And I just read it again, too.) The paper turned into Phenomenological-Existentialism and the Metaphysics of Quality, which will be posted soon (I think). I was so exicited about Pirsig that five days later, when another Phil Prof asked if some of us would rather write a paper than a final exam, I jumped at the chance to write again. It took me less than a week to write up the (longer) second one. Which, I think, is also going to be posted.
So my point is (other than to hype up to implosion my two essays, not to mention my now finished third essay Mechanical Philosophy and the Yellow Brick Road of Science) that I do have an ad hoc index. It kinda' works for me. I would be willing to post it or send it to people who want it. Now, mind you, it's by page number, which is different for some copies. So there would have to be adjustments afterwards.
And as for not having footnotes, it makes my job as a defender a lot harder in academic circles, but I feel like I'm doing something. I have to find the truth for myself.
Is so finished with that beastly third essay,
Matt
