Sophie's World: Facts, Discussion Forum, and Encyclopedia Article

All Topics

Sophie's World

	Email		Print
	Bookmark		Link

	Sophie's World
	Home Discussion
	Topics Sophie's World Topic Home *Sophie's World* (*Sofies verden* in the original NorwegianNorwegian language Summary Norwegian is a Germanic language spoken in Norway.... ) is a novelNovel A novel is an extended, generally fictional narrative in prose.... by Jostein GaarderJostein Gaarder Jostein Gaarder is a Norwegian intellectual and author of several novels, short stories and children's books.... , published in 1991. It was originally written in Norwegian, but has since been translated into EnglishEnglish language English is a widely distributed language that originated in England but is now the primary language in numerous countries.... (1995) and many other languages. Mostly consisting of dialogueDialogue A dialogue is a reciprocal conversation between two or more persons.... s between Sophie Amundsen and a mysterious man named Alberto Knox, interwoven with an increasingly bizarre and mysterious plot, Sophie's World acts as both a novel and a basic guide to philosophyPhilosophy Philosophy is a field of study that includes diverse subfields such as aesthetics, epistemology, ethics, logic, and metaphys... . Plot summary Sophie Amundsen (Sofie Amundsen in the Norwegian version) is a fourteen year old girl living in NorwayNorway Insert non-formatted text hereNorway is a Nordic country on the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, bordering S... in 1990. She lives with her cat Sherekan, her goldfish, a tortoise, and her mother. Her father is a captain of an oiltanker, and is away for most of the year. He does not appear in the book. Sophie's life is rattled as the book begins, when she receives two anonymous messages in her mailbox (Who are you? Where does the world come from?), as well as a post card addressed to 'Hilde Møller Knag, c/o Sophie Amundsen'. Shortly afterwards she receives a packet of papers, part of a correspondence course in philosophy. With these mysterious communications, Sophie becomes the student of a fifty-year-old philosopher, Alberto Knox. He starts out as totally anonymous, but as the story unfolds he reveals more and more about himself. The papers and the packet both turn out to be from him, although the post card is not; it is addressed from someone called Albert Knag, who is a major in a United NationsUnited Nations name = United NationsNations Unies... peacekeepingPeacekeeping Summary Peacekeeping, as defined by the United Nations, is "a way to help countries torn by conflict create conditions for sustainab... unit stationed in LebanonLebanon Lebanon, officially the Lebanese democratic Republic , is a small, largely mountainous country in the Middle East, loc... . Alberto teaches her about the history of philosophy. She gets a substantive and understandable review from the Pre-Socratic GreeksPre-Socratic philosophy The Pre-Socratic philosophers were active before Socrates or contemporaneously, but expounding knowledge developed earlier.... through Jean-Paul SartreJean-Paul Sartre Jean-Paul Charles Aymard Sartre , normally known simply as Jean-Paul Sartre , was a French existentialist philosopher,... . Along with the philosophy lessons, Sophie and Alberto try to outwit the mysterious Albert Knag, who appears to have God-like powers, which Alberto finds quite troubling. Sophie learns about medieval philosophy while being lectured by Alberto, dressed as a monk, in an ancient church, and she learns about Jean-Paul Sartre and Simone de BeauvoirSimone de Beauvoir Simone de Beauvoir was a French author and philosopher.... in a French café. Various philosophical questions and methods of reasoning are put before Sophie, as she attempts to work them out on her own. Many of Knox's philosophic packets to her are preluded by more short questions, such as "Why is LegoFacts About Lego Lego is a line of toys manufactured by Lego Group, a privately-held company based in Denmark.... the most ingenious toy in the world?". Alberto takes Sophie from HellenismHellenistic civilization The term Hellenistic was established by the German historian Johann Gustav Droysen to refer to the spreading of Greek cultu... to the rise of ChristianityChristianity Christianity is a monotheistic religion centered on Jesus of Nazareth, and on his life and teachings as presented in the New... and its interaction with GreekAncient Greece Ancient Greece is the period in Greek history which lasted for around one thousand years and ended with the rise of Christia... thought and on into the Middle AgesMiddle Ages The Middle Ages formed the middle period in a traditional schematic division of European history into three "ages": the clas... . Over the course of the book, he covers the RenaissanceFacts About Renaissance In the traditional view, the Renaissance was understood as a historical age in Europe that followed the Middle Ages and ... , BaroqueBaroque In the arts, Baroque is both a period and the style that dominated it.... , EnlightenmentAge of Enlightenment The Age of Enlightenment refers to either the eighteenth century in European philosophy, or the longer period including the ... and RomanticRomanticism Romanticism was an artistic and intellectual movement that originated in late 18th century Western Europe.... periods, and the philosophies that stemmed from them. Mixed in with the philosophy lessons is a plot rather more akin to normal teenage novels, in which Sophie interacts with her mother and her friends. This is not the focus of the story, however; it simply serves to move the plot along. As Albert Knag continues to meddle with Sophie's life, Alberto helps her fight back by teaching her everything he knows about philosophy. This, he explains, is the only way to understand her world. This is laced with events which appear scientifically impossible, such as Sophie seeing her reflection in a mirror winkWink The wink is an intentional facial expression made by closing one eye; it is distinguished from the blink by the fact that t... with both eyes, or actually seeing SocratesSocrates Socrates was an ancient Greek philosopher who is widely credited for laying the foundation for Western philosophy.... and PlatoPlato Plato , whose real name is believed to have been Aristocles, was an immensely influential ancient Greek philosopher, ... . Being a book based on philosophy, however, it promises—and delivers—an explanation for everything in the end, when Sophie and Alberto Knox escape from Albert Knag. The explanation is that the aforementioned Hilde has been given a book titled Sophie's World as a birthday gift. Sophie and Alberto are merely characters existing within the world of the gift book. Utilizing the newfound philosophy of the book, Sophie and Alberto are able to transcend their own reality to that of the "author", Albert Knag and his daughter, Hilde. This is an example of both metafictionMetafiction Metafiction is a type of fiction which self-consciously addresses the devices of fiction.... and an unreliable narratorUnreliable narrator In literature and film, an unreliable narrator... . Adaptation In 1999 Sophie's World was adapted into a Norwegian movie by screenwriter Petter Skavlan. It was not widely released outside of Norway. It has, however, been dubbed into GermanGerman language German is a West Germanic language.... and is available on DVD there as Sofies Welt. The movie was also presented as an eight-part TV series in AustraliaAustralia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland o... and IcelandIceland Iceland, officially the Republic of Iceland is a volcanic island nation in the northern Atlantic Ocean between Greenl... , again scripted by Petter Skavlan. Kjersti HolmenKjersti Holmen Kjersti Holmen is a Norwegian actress.... won an Amanda AwardAmanda (award) The Amanda is an award given annually at the Norwegian International Film Festival in Haugesund, Norway, since 1985.... for her role in the movie. It was also adapted into a PC and Mac CD-ROM game by The MultiMedia Corporation in 1998. It was also adapted for television by Paul GreengrassPaul Greengrass Paul Greengrass is an English writer and film director.... and shown on the BBC as part of The Late Show in 1995. See also Simulated realitySimulated reality Simulated reality describes a hypothetical environment that, although experienced as real, is actually a highly detailed sim... Pantheistic solipsismPantheistic solipsism Pantheistic solipsism is a technical term that has been advanced for the World as Myth idea proposed by science fictio... External links