This months wsj book club host is thriller writer lee child, author of the bestselling jack reacher books. How human creativity remakes the world by david eagleman and anthony brandt february 2019 philosophy book of the month. Reading strategies for sophies choice wsj book club. It is a pageturning adventure as well as a history of. Sophies world is novel by norwegian author jostein gaarder, published in norway in 1991 and in english in 1995. Dec 22, 2007 sophies world was a long, strange, and most unpredictable novel. Jostein gaarder talks about his novel sophies world, the story of a teenage girl and a philospher.
Christina olsons life is limited by her parents, her illness, and the realities of a rural life in the first half of the 20 th but she does make decisions that affect the course of her life. Sophies world became a bestseller in norway and won the deutscher jugendliteraturpreis in 1994. I wasnt particularly interested in the story as such. Jan 01, 2007 sophies world by jostein gaarder is, in my view, a highly successful attempt to write a history of philosophy together with a story. A piece of the world by christina baker kline book club. This study guide and infographic for jostein gaarder s sophie s world offer summary and analysis on themes, symbols, and other literary devices found in the text. Sophies world by jostein gaarder overdrive rakuten. Discussion of sophies world philosophy discussion forums. Smart robots, conscious computers, and the future of humanity by byron reese nominated by rjg. The essential charm of sophies world lies in the innocent curiosity of the young character, and the clever narrative structure gaarder designed to. Both girls are angered by the opinions of many of the philosophers about women. Sophie s world a novel about the history of philosophy jostein gaarder translated by paulette miller berkley books, new york if you purchased this book without a cover, you should be aware that this book is stolen property. Mar 20, 2007 sophies world by jostein gaarder, 9780374530716, available at book depository with free delivery worldwide. This study guide consists of approximately 58 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of sophie s world.
The following discussion questions about this story are intended for high school. Please use this thread to discuss the september 2010 book of the month, sophie s world. Aristotle, the letter begins, was a pupil of plato. Find a summary of this and each chapter of sophies world. This study guide consists of approximately 58 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of sophies world. Sep 03, 2014 this months wsj book club host is thriller writer lee child, author of the bestselling jack reacher books. Sophie and hilde are both similar young girls with the same birthday. Sophies world is novel by norwegian author jostein gaarder, published in norway. Jostein gaarder is the author of sophies world, an international bestseller that has been translated into more than 50 languages. Sophie loses interest in school while she is taking the philosophy course and hilde skips school on her birthday to read the book.
Sophie s world is a novel by jostein gaarder that was first published 1991. It goes from presocratic philosophy all the way to sartre. Published in 1991, the book was a resounding success selling millions of copies and being translated into over 50 different languages the original book was written in gaarders native norwegian. Aristotle was a good student, but he disagreed with plato about the idea of forms, arguing that plato was neglecting the concrete realities of the world in. This detailed literature summary also contains topics for discussion and a free quiz on sophie s world by jostein gaarder. Two decades ago, a history of philosophy by an unknown. It is one of the most commercially successful norwegian novels. Which aspects did you most want to research further. Chapter summary for jostein gaarders sophies world, chapter summary. The english translation was published in 1995, and the book was reported to be the bestselling book in the world in that year.
How many of the novels terms and references were you already familiar with. What effect does this have on the books dealing with two parallel universes. The physical world through which sophie and alberto are moving may be real, or it may be nothing more than paper and writing, the product of hildes fathers imagination. Read a plot overview of the entire book or a chapter by chapter summary and analysis. Discuss news of the world by paulette jiles in an online book club. Jostein gaarders world bestseller sophies world is a book about philosophy, as you may have guessed from the title of this article. Jostein gaarder does a very good job not just by writing a concise history of philosophy, but also by writing a very accessible book for as far as early teenagers, which in itself is. The washington post book world just as remarkable for its playful premise as it is for its accessibility.
The sophie s world lesson plan contains a variety of teaching materials that cater to all learning styles. Start discussion here for sophies world by jostein gaarder. The sophies world lesson plan contains a variety of teaching materials that cater to all learning styles. It was reported as unsold and destroyed to the publisher, and. Sophies world by jostein gaarder, 9780374530716, available at book depository with free delivery worldwide. Alberto knoxsophies teacher, alberto knox represents the ideal philosopher. It follows the events of sophie amundsen, a teenage girl living in norway, and alberto knox, a middleaged philosopher who introduces her to philosophical thinking and the history of philosophy. Sophie and alberto learns that the two of them are actually just figments of some authors imagination. It isnt the regular i think this book is going to be a good read feeling or sheer excitement to get home and read it its the type of feeling where you want to clutch the book to your chest and dance around the library. With more than thirty million copies in print, sophies world is an exciting, entirely innovative novel that thrives on its contradictions.
If i had written sophies world today, is there something important i would. Kant was concerned with the way we perceive the world. The philosophical world which is often complex, vast, and difficult to contemplate in a limited time we have needs simplified parables and analogies. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. Both girls are fairly practical and have a good deal of selfconfidence. How do sophie and alberto figure out that they are characters in a book. See a complete list of the characters in sophie s world and indepth analyses of sophie, alberto, hilde, and albert knag. The book won many awards for the amazing story and the way it was written philosophically. Dec 05, 1991 sofies verden sophie s world, jostein gaarder sophie s world is a 1991 novel by norwegian writer jostein gaarder. She in turn learns about philosophy by reading about sophies study of philosophy, never suspecting that she is merely a character in a booksophies worldwritten by a philosophy teacher named.
A novel about the history of philosophy by jostein gaarder. This was my very first indepth reading on philosophy. Genus edition aimed at the philosophical and hellenistic crowd. Jostein gaarders world bestseller sophie s world is a book about philosophy, as you may have guessed from the title of this article. He inherited a host of questions from the debate between the empiricists and the rationalists, and he made an attempt to come up with a solution to that debate. Inside youll find 30 daily lessons, 20 fun activities, 180 multiple choice questions, 60 short essay questions, 20 essay questions.
Sophies world by jostein gaarder is, in my view, a highly successful attempt to write a history of philosophy together with a story. A novel about the history of philosophy fsg classics. It follows sophie amundsen, a norwegian teenager who is introduced to the history of philosophy by alberto knox, a middleaged philosopher. Sophie begins to read alberto s main letter, philosopher and scientist. They discover, to their horror, that the world in which they live in and all the people in it, including sophies mom and friends, are. His solution was undoubtedly brilliant, and his philosophy encompasses many. The age of the latter was determined more by the fact that sophie is 15 and. Ive found that the best book club discussion questions are ones that are openended and that get people to share their personal opinions.
Hilde, on the other hand, whom we meet halfway through the book, appears to be a real girl whose father has written a novel entitled sophies world. Bbc world service world book club, jostein gaarder. The questions and discussion topics that follow are designed to enhance your read ing of jostein gaarders classic bestseller, sophies world. The different philosophers from sophies world learn with flashcards, games, and more for free.
If i were to teach philosophy 101, ill put this has a required reading. By 2011 the novel had been translated into fiftynine languages, with over forty million print copies sold. Sophies world became an alltime hit at the time of release and more when the english version got published. Sophies world is an outline of western philosophy that is beautifully set in a fictional story. This study guide and infographic for jostein gaarders sophies world offer summary and analysis on themes, symbols, and other literary devices found in the text.
Both of them enjoy thinking and like to wonder about life and the unknown. Inside youll find 30 daily lessons, 20 fun activities, 180 multiple choice questions, 60 short essay questions, 20 essay questions, quizzeshomework assignments, tests, and more. The book simplifies the complex world of philosophy. Here, we come to the central twist of the bookthe strong possibility that sophie and alberto are just fictions, creature who only exist as words on a printed page. Sophies world encompasses numerous time periods, cultures, discoveries, and belief systems. Youll also find printable book club questions at the end of this post to bring to your meeting. Discussion of sophies world online philosophy club. They discover, to their horror, that the world in which they live in and all the people in it, including sophies mom and friends, are just products of another persons mind.
Loosely based on the book by jostein gaarder, sophie s world can best be described as a specialized game of trivial pursuit. Loosely based on the book by jostein gaarder, sophies world can best be described as a specialized game of trivial pursuit. It is a pageturning adventure as well as a history of western philosophyfrom the discourse of ancient greece to debates about the big bang. Sophie s world topics for discussion jostein gaarder this study guide consists of approximately 58 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of sophie s world. Apr 09, 2017 the book is written by jostein gaarder who is a norwegian writer.
Check out mumsnet s childrens book club for author webchats, recommendations, tips and freebies. He selected william styrons 1979 novel, sophies choice, and will lead a. Living as though everything centres on our time is just as naive as thinking the earth is flat. But the history of philosophy is very well done and informative. Alberto is an excellent teacher because he forces sophie to think things out on her own and does not make things easy for her but he also cares about her and wants her to learn. Sofies verden is a 1991 novel by norwegian writer jostein gaarder. The book begins with sophie receiving two messages in her mailbox and a. A novel about the history of philosophy fsg classics kindle edition by gaarder, jostein, moller, paulette. Sophies world 1999 a teenager silje storstein discovers her world is not what it seems when she meets a philosopher who has a portal that leads to historical philosophers.
When sophies world was published, it became a sensation for both adults and children from 10 and 11yearolds up. Not all books are for everyone but this book is definitely for me. Start a free trial of quizlet plus by thanksgiving lock in 50% off all year try it free ends in 00d 08h 20m 43s. Heres where youll find analysis about the book as a whole. Oct 07, 2015 culture books sophies world in danger. Jan 02, 20 when sophie s world was published, it became a sensation for both adults and children from 10 and 11yearolds up. Would sophies world be too difficult for an inquisitive. Sophies world in comparison examines both the objective and the subjective and while it doesnt lay out a straight path to follow or cover every philosopher in history, jostien is bold yet diplomatic in making clear where he stands. I read this book over the course of a month, while reading other books in parallel, and sometimes taking a break from it on purpose. If youre ready to start a book club, heres 40 of the best book club questions, for fiction and nonfiction alike.
We choose one book per month to read and discuss philosophically as a group. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading sophies world. A piece of the world discussion questions christina baker kline. Around the world in 80 books group reads discussions. The essential charm of sophies world lies in the innocent curiosity of the young character, and the clever narrative structure gaarder designed to pique it. Daily mail what is admirable in the novel is the utter unpretentiousness of the philosophical lessons, the plain and workmanlike prose which manages to deliver western philosophy in accounts that are crystal clear. There is a great deal of similarity between sophie and hilde. News of the world by paulette jiles book club discussion.
Aristotle was a good student, but he disagreed with plato about the idea of forms, arguing that plato was neglecting the concrete realities of the world in favor of the moreabstract world of ideas. Mar 20, 2007 with more than thirty million copies in print, sophies world is an exciting, entirely innovative novel that thrives on its contradictions. Jostein gaarder s sophie s world provides a child like introduction to the world of philosophy. Need answer for 124 learn with flashcards, games, and more for free. Does reading a novelor any bookconstitute a philosophical project. Summarysophies worldmain characterssophie amundsenshe is very curious about the things surrounded her. Writer jostein gaarder being interviewed by hsh prince alfred of liechtenstein at the forum 2000 duration.
This detailed literature summary also contains topics for discussion and a. Content includes books from bestselling, midlist and debut authors. Nov 18, 2014 writer jostein gaarder being interviewed by hsh prince alfred of liechtenstein at the forum 2000 duration. I am amazed at how well the author packed in the history of philosophy, including a lot of nonphilosophical information for. Sofies verden sophies world, jostein gaarder sophies world is a 1991 novel by norwegian writer jostein gaarder. Please note, this thread will contain spoilers so please do not read or participate in this thread until you have read the whole book. However, there are some differences between them as well. The book is written by jostein gaarder who is a norwegian writer. Sophies world was a long, strange, and most unpredictable novel. Gaarder here reading to schoolchildren tapped into. A piece of the world discussion questions christina. A site dedicated to book lovers providing a forum to discover and share commentary about the books and authors they enjoy. Not now though, as after the lovely rita chose sophies world for book club and so, after initially having been very excited and run to the. Jostein gaarder is the author of sophie s world, an international bestseller that has been translated into more than 50 languages.
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