A review by agirlwithredhair
Wittgenstein Jr by Lars Iyer

5.0

It's quite a book, and I can say whole heartedly that I loved it. As the summary says, we watch as Peters and his cohort try to understand their philosophy professor, who is, without a doubt, a new Wittgenstein. Perhaps calling him Wittgenstein-reincarnate is more accurate. It is a coming of age story in which a handful of Cambridge boys realize they have no idea what the real world will be like and have an inane need to impress their professor- things that many college students (myself included) identify with. Characters come and go, we get glimpses of their lives together just as though we were Cambridge students as well. Secondly, however, it's a modern retelling of Wittgenstein's first stint as a Cambridge professor. The loss of his brother, his realization that his original work (the Tracatus Logico-Philisophicus) was wrong, and his need to set it right. Wittgenstein's philosophy is woven in every page, through phrases spoken, actions lived, and the plentiful one-way conversations in class (and I would be lying if I said I wasn't absolutely delighted every time I caught it). Peters and Company are pretentious and entirely Cambridge in every sense, but they did remind me of my own friends and our time in college. There was a lot of giggling happening through most of the pages.

The italics were a bit annoying, but can be quickly overcome. Most of the italicized words were ideas or keywords from what I remember studying of Wittgenstein's philosophy. A few people have noted that the romantic relationship that forms was forced, but I didn't find it to be so. Comments were made early on and wasn't a surprise (although it developed rather quickly).

I think this book may not be enjoyed as heartily by someone without a philosophy background or had not previously encountered Wittgenstein. I've spent the entirety of my last semester studying Wittgenstein and I absolutely loved it, and I think that had a lot do with why I enjoyed this book so much.