Sophies World

A detailed Summary of Sophies World

"REMARKABLE... a whimsical and ingenious mystery novel that also happens to be the history of Philosophy."

Jostein Gaarder made his Norwegian literary debut in 1986 with a collection of short stories, followed by two young adult novels. In 1990 he received the Norwegian Literary Critics' Award and the Ministry of Cultural and Scientific affairs Literary Prize for his book The Solitaire Mystery. Mr. Gaarder taught high school philosophy for eleven years in Norway, giving him a strong basis for writing Sophie's World, his first book to be published in English. After it's three-year spot at number one on Norway's bestseller list, it has held the same status in Great Britain, Germany, and France also appearing on bestseller lists in Italy, Spain, Canada, Denmark, Sweden, and the United States. In Sophie's World, Jostein Gaarder twines the history of philosophy with the supernatural antics of Alice in Wonderland.

The main character is a girl named Sophie Admunsen, the novels namesake. Sophie is fourteen years old, and lives in Norway with her mother and all of the animals in her Garden. She is soon joined by the mysterious Alberto Knox, first through correspo

One of the passages in this book illustrates Gaarder's power of tweaking thought to create non-conformist ( or philosophical) thinking.

ndence, and then linked by a full-scale philosophy course he has chosen her for. He seems to have lived forever, with the ability to bring magic and supernatural lessons into her life. Alberto is old, kind, extremely wise, and cloaked in mystery for much of the novel.

Sophie's World is deserving of the highest praise. It is the history of philosophy wrapped into an engaging story that will tickle the mind and reality of the reader. It is a magical novel that critiques how we function everyday through the presentation of all aspects of thought. The reader can draw upon every major philosopher, and their extremely different views of the world. It not only suggests, but demands, that one climbs up the fine hairs of the rabbit and stares the magician in the eye.

Metaphors are used brilliantly and effectively throughout the novel. Large concepts, from the ancient Greeks to Freud, Democritus to Kierkegaard, are all explained with metaphors and language that would be conducive to teaching a person of fifteen years, perhaps a wise fifteen years. The simplicity is subtle enough that it does not detract from the overall meaning of the novel. The tone staggers between lightly introspective and gravely serious. For example, there are points where Sophie is walking through her garden, admiring beauty of 'her nature'. A feeling of serenity pulses through her observations, a feeling of being grounded. Conversely, she realizes that every blade of grass is merely an idea in the Major's mind. Shattered reality and escaping being a pawn in a birthday game color the serious side of the dichotomy. This novel is comparable to Alice in Wonderland. Though it is unfortunate that Alice cannot find her way home, the characters she meets, and the situations she is in have an interesting feel. It is difficult to decipher if the story is positive or distressing, it relies completely on how it is analyzed.

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Approximate Word count = 1480
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: Novels