A Novel About the History of Philosophy
By: Jostein Gaarder
Sitting here, I try to think of how I can express my feelings towards this book. A simple "it was excellent", does not come remotely close to the way I feel. Even such eloquence as "the book had touched the very essence of my soul and left me with nothing but tears of admiration for such a gifted author", only skims the surface of the pool of literary wonder that is SOPHIE’S WORLD.
The book, as the title says, is a novel about the history of philosophy. By the end of the novel, the reader has learned of three thousand years of philosopy; from Thales to Sartre. This, I must admit, may seem rather unappealing to some. Philosophy is a rather dense subject, and takes a lot of time getting used to. Jostein Gaarder has finally brought an end to all this. Through his mastery of the written language, Gaarder takes philosophy to a completely universal level. He interwines his philosophy lessons through the intricate story line of a 15 year old girl and a mysterious fellow who has taken it upon himself to teach her the past three thousand years of philosophy. I realize this may sound quite strange, but it is exactly this enigmatic quality which keeps the reader glued to every word, hoping that within the philosophical teachings lies the answers to their questions.
I have never been one to explain a novel’s plot in detail because I find it takes away from the quality of the novel. The last thing I want to do is to take away the quality of SOPHIE’S WORLD. This novel is a literary masterpiece. I would recommend it not only to adults, but to young adults as well. For as the German poet Goethe once said: "he who cannot draw on three thousand years is living from hand to mouth."
One rarely finds a novel such as SOPHIE’S WORLD, and if my review does nothing to spark interest in reading this novel, then at least take into consideration the simple fact that this novel has been a bestseller in Norway, Great Britain, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Denmark, Sweden, the United States, and Canada. That many countries can’t be wrong!!
by MARK JONES aka dopesick aka
THE Writers Club 'ROUND ROBIN' Master
mjones@globalserve.net
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