There is no universally accepted definition of philosophical fiction, but a sampling of notable works can help to outline its history.
[1] Some modern philosophers have written novels, plays, or short fiction in order to demonstrate or introduce their ideas.
Common examples include Voltaire, Fyodor Dostoevsky, Thomas Mann, Hermann Hesse, Albert Camus, Jean-Paul Sartre, Simone de Beauvoir and Ayn Rand.
Authors who admire certain philosophers may incorporate their ideas into the principal themes or central narratives of novels.
Some examples include The Moviegoer (Walker Percy), Thus Spake Zarathustra (Nietzsche), Wittgenstein's Mistress (David Markson), and Speedboat (post-structuralism).