Quest, Philosophical Literature
There are no dragons or rings to throw into Mount Doom, but Siddhartha’s life is directed toward one goal... which makes the story of his life a quest. And even though it doesn't have the fancy footnotes (eek!) you might expect out of a book of philosophical literature, the novel can be considered philosophical literature since Siddhartha’s goal is enlightenment—our hero rejects various philosophies on his way to inner peace and understanding.