David Markson's Wittgenstein’s Mistress is a deeply cerebral novel that explores themes of loneliness and the nature of facts through the stream-of-consciousness musings of its sole protagonist, Kate. The novel's unique style, filled with atomic facts and philosophical musings, creates a poignant meditation on language and isolation.
David Markson's Wittgenstein’s Mistress is a novel that demands attention and reflection. The story revolves around Kate, the last person on earth, who grapples with the philosophical ideas of Ludwig Wittgenstein. The novel is a collage of facts, quotes, and philosophical musings, creating a deeply introspective and often melancholic narrative. The style is unique, with Markson's use of index cards filled with obscure facts adding a layer of complexity and richness to the story. The novel explores the relationship between language and loneliness, making it a powerful and thought-provoking read. Despite its challenging nature, the novel offers a profound exploration of human existence and the nature of reality.
Quick quotes
Mr. Markson has in this book succeeded already on all the really important levels of fictional conviction. He has fleshed the abstract sketches of Wittgensteinian doctrine into the concrete theater of human loneliness.
The novel’s diffracted system of allusions to everything from antiquity to Astroturf are a bitch to trace out.
The basic argument here is that Mr. Markson, by drawing on a definitive atomistic metaphysics and transfiguring it into art, has achieved something like the definitive anti-melodrama. He has made facts sad.