Build something with legos that symbolizes an important substance in. A novel about the history of philosophy by jostein gaarder. How did you first respond to the initial two questions, who are you. How many of the novels terms and references were you already familiar with. How to find your local book club in the uk, because sometimes you need to discuss that ending. Book questions and reading guides discussion guides for book clubs more than 500 printable reading guides for exceptional books. I wasnt particularly interested in the story as such. The story explores themes of philosophy, reality, and literature as. Sophie certainly had one and was quite happy with it. Discussion of sophies world online philosophy club. Bbc world service world book club, jostein gaarder.
She encounters first some odd philosophical questions and then the first chapter of a written philosophy course in her mailbox. The essential charm of sophies world lies in the innocent curiosity of the young character, and the clever narrative structure gaarder designed to. This is a great mixture of historical christian fiction. But at the moment i would only recommend it in book form as the audible version has serious glitches which spoil the experience. Gaarder presents sophies mom as a kind of foilan example of what happens to adults when they lose their sense of wonder and curiosity about the world. Jostein gaarders world bestseller sophies world is a book about philosophy, as you may have guessed from the title of this article. Id recommend for anyone with an an interest in philosophy, especially if youve previously struggled with the dry, overcomplicated phrasing of many textbooks.
She jokes that sophie has been mixed up with drugs. Study questions, project ideas and discussion topics based on important themes running throughout sophies world by jostein gaarder. Both of them enjoy thinking and like to wonder about life and the unknown. Opinion as an introduction to philosophy, this book is quite wonderful and manages to hold your attention in a way not many nonfictional introductions can. If you want to experience the twists and turns of the story for yourself, stop reading right here. Does reading a novelor any book constitute a philosophical.
Letters give way to lectures, questions give way to quests, and the dimensions of sophies world as well as. Sophies world, a novel about the history of philosophy by. It is likely that the following reading guide will reveal, or at least allude to, key plot details. It follows sophie amundsen, a norwegian teenager who is introduced to the history of philosophy by alberto knox, a middleaged philosopher sophie s world became a bestseller in norway and won the deutscher jugendliteraturpreis in 1994. Sophie s world is novel by norwegian author jostein gaarder, published in norway in 1991 and in english in 1995. 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 sophie s world. She wonders if the same goes for horses and cookiesi.
They are jumps back to earlier sections which then repeat and also break ups in audio quality combined with said jumps. Teach your students to analyze literature like litcharts does. A unique global community of book lovers in discussion with some of the world s greatest writers. Use these book club discussion questions on the thirteenth tale to delve into diane setterfields magical world. Goodreads members who liked sophie s world also liked. It had begun with the three goldfish, goldtop, red ridinghood, and black jack. Next she got two budgerigars called smitt and smule. This was my very first indepth reading on philosophy. Its no secret that brooklyns global cachet continues to reach new heights across th. Norwegian schoolgirl hilde receives a book from her father called sophie s world on her 15th birthday, which is june 15th. It has been translated into 60 languages and has sold over 40 million copies. The suggested questions are intended to help your reading group find new and interesting angles and topics for your discussion. Did your answers change by the time you reached the end of the novel. Sophies world by jostein gaarder is, in my view, a highly successful attempt to write a history of philosophy together with a story.
This book was chosen by my book club group a group of four, grade 7 girls. Sophie wonders what plato meant when he asked if horses could be identical. Each day we read after school a chapter of sophies world, and my 5th and 3rd grade girls can relate to sophies life, her imagination, and the struggles to fit in with peers. Each day we read after school a chapter of sophie s world, and my 5th and 3rd grade girls can relate to sophie s life, her imagination, and the struggles to fit in with peers. When santiago asks the old man to show him the path to the treasure, the old man requests one tenth of his flock as payment. Sophies world by jostein gaarder ing your later enjoyment. An outline of the topics appearing in the novel sophies world by jostein gaarder prepared for students enrolled in phi 106, critical thinking. This long, substantial novel, sophies world a best seller in many countries, weaves an interlaced net of the history of philosophy. Furthermore, the rhetorical choices made in the story was masterful, at times. Dec 22, 2007 sophies world was a long, strange, and most unpredictable novel.
Jul 14, 2019 the story, however, careened more on the latter, gaarder weaving it into the book to enhance its complexion. The book had clearly made a profound impact on the audience, and it was a mixture of this enthusiasm and the intrigue of a book that aimed to make philosophy more accessible that attracted me to the novel. If youre smart enough to pick up a margaret atwood book this summer then, firstly, well done, and secondly, youre in for a treat. Did it hook you immediately, or take some time to get. Sophies world was written as an introduction to philosophy for young people. But the history of philosophy is very well done and informative. Sophie amundsen is a 14yearold girl who lives in lillesand, norway. Write a newspaper article informing the public about a portion of sophie s life, as if it is the romantic time period. The washington post book world just as remarkable for its playful premise as it is for its accessibility.
The night circus by erin morgenstern book club discussion. This aspect of sophies world was its most magnificent and most riveting. Detailed explanations, analysis, and citation info for every important quote on litcharts. Sofies verden is a 1991 novel by norwegian writer jostein gaarder.
Jan 08, 2018 sophies world, written by jostein gaarder and translated by paulette moller, was published in 1991 by phoenix. One way to include all members is to write questions on an index card for e. 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. Sophie, without the knowledge of her mother, becomes the student of an old philosopher, alberto knox. Sophie loses interest in school while she is taking the philosophy course and hilde skips school on her birthday to read the book. An awardwinning team of journalists, designers, and videog. Delve deeper into the books making the charts, and get tips for keeping your reading group engaged. The english translation was published in 1995, and the book was. Start a book club discussion and challenge your group to deepen their analysis of the reading material with this set of sample book club questions. There is a great deal of similarity between sophie and hilde. One day fourteenyearold sophie amundsen comes home from school to find in her mailbox two notes, with one question on each. Sophie tries to explain the letters analogy about rabbits and fur, but sophies mom tells sophie to be quiet. She begins a strange correspondence course in philosophy.
The first chapters title, the garden of eden, underscores the concept of beginnings and origins. 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. 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. I was asked to speak at jillians book club, and of course i said yes.
Discover mustread book club picks for 2021 with books that everyone is talking about. Openended questions help ignite discussions involving the whole group. Sophies world is a pageturning adventure as well as a histo. As they sail across the atlantic toward england, the land of her grandfather, the sea calls to sophie. After some increasingly absurd occurrences, sophie and albert disappear. Therefore, if you havent yet read this book, but are planning on doing so, you may wish to proceed with caution to avoid spoiling your later enjoyment. Find resources for your book club, whether it meets in your living room or across cyberspace. Please use this thread to discuss the september 2010 book of the month, by jostein gaarder.
Ebenezer scrooge shows up before alberto and sophie s discussion on marx. The teacherpupil structure enhances the plot, whose mysteries will keep you wondering to the last page. From here, with the aid of a devoted but mysterious instructor, sophie sets off on a fantastic philosophical saga that will take her far beyond her small norwegian hometown. Favourite episodes of world book club, featuring maya angelou and. The missing place book by sophie littlefield official. The fiction story of the girl sophie amundsen with a philosophical effect is much catchy and hooking. Sophies world encompasses numerous time periods, cultures, discoveries, and belief systems. Two decades ago, a history of philosophy by an unknown norwegian teacher.
Living as though everything centres on our time is just as naive as thinking the earth is flat. With the endless supply of literature both online and in shops, it comes as no surprise that finding the perfect book can be a big challenge and thats one of the reasons why book clubs are so great. This detailed literature summary also contains topics for discussion and a free quiz on sophie s world by jostein gaarder. Instant downloads of all 1427 litchart pdfs including sophies world. 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. Discussion of sophies world philosophy discussion forums. Gaarder, through alberto knox, was an enthralling teacher. Use these book club discussion questions on the night circus to lead your reading group into the intricacies of morgensterns novel.
Thirteenyearold sophie is the only girl among the surly crew of the wanderer, made up of her three uncles and two cousins. Every day, a letter comes to her mailbox that contains a few questions and then later in the day a package comes with some typed pages describing the ideas of a philosopher who dealt with the issues raised by the questions. I loved sophie s world when i first read it in high school i should try it again now and see if it holds up. Noah appears before alberto and sophie s discussion on darwin. Afterwards, she receives a packet of papers, part of a course in philosophy.
She has days as frazzled as my daughters, riding range over her small crazy boys. And now, in the era of donald trump, its important to consider whether or not the books you read are working to dismantle structures of inequalit. The thirteenth tale by diane setterfield is a rich story about secrets, ghosts, winter, books and family. Not only were they engaged in the conversations but were inspired to think more deeply about their world, their choices, and their influences. With more than thirty million copies in print, sophies world is an exciting. Buy a discounted paperback of sophie s world online from australias leading online bookstore. Jostein gaarder talks about his novel sophies world, the story of a teenage girl and a. Googles trying to digitize all the books in the world, which leads first to a seemingly simple question. There is a story, but its a big book and much of the text is lessons. The following questions are designed to help you guide your students through a structured discussion about the plot, characters, and themes of jostein gaardens metafictional novel sophie s world. Mar 20, 2007 the games begin when fourteenyearold sophie amundsen finds two notes in her mailbox.
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. Finally, midsummers eve arrives and guests show up in sophie s garden for her party. Book club discussions are great conversations based on a common book that everyone has read. Feb 23, 2021 exquisitely rendered and morally complex, news of the world is a brilliant work of historical fiction that explores the boundaries of family, responsibility, honor, and trust harper collins readers guide. I also read one of jostein gaarders other books, the solitaire mystery, and it has a similar feel, with intertwining and vaguely supernatural story lines, but its not a beginners textbook as sophie s world. Which aspects did you most want to research further. Both girls are angered by the opinions of many of the philosophers about women. They remember previous chapters, love the introduction of new vocabulary words, and look forward to the next chapter. The book begins with sophie receiving two messages in her mailbox and a postcard addressed to hilde moller knag. Questions about plot and characters in one sentence, how would you describe sophies world. Booktopia has sophie s world, a novel about the history of philosophy by jostein gaarder. Sophies world is the story of a young scandinavian girl named sophie amundsen. In chapter 5, alberto tells sophie that lego is the most ingenious toy.
Find books like sophie s world from the world s largest community of readers. The book s most interesting facet is its detailed take into the history of philosophy. The story centers around fourteenyearold sophie amundsen who one day comes home from school to find two notes in her mailbox. Whenever sophies mother was in a bad mood, she would call the house they lived in a menagerie. A pageturning novel that is also an exploration of the great philosophical concepts of western thought, sophie s world has fired the imagination of readers all over the world, with more than twenty million copies in print. The questions and discussion topics that follow are designed to enhance your read ing of jostein gaarders classic bestseller, sophies world. A book of history may drag you to the boredom but this piece of work will rise an engagement and curiosity in. Outline of topics appearing in novel sophies world. Sophie amundsen is fourteen years old when the book begins, living in norway. From croatian discotheques to vampire clubs, from beaches to warehouses, from tel aviv to singapore, these are the world’s best clubs. I came across sophies world last summer in an edition of harriet gilberts world book club on the bbc world service, in which gilbert and a group of readers were given the opportunity to discuss the novel with gaarder at the literaturhutset house of literature in oslo. She in turn learns about philosophy by reading about sophie s study of philosophy, never suspecting that she is merely a character in a book sophie s world written by a philosophy teacher named. General book club questions for study and discussion.
He is just one of the many fictional characters albert uses in sophie s world to send a message to hilde. Mar 08, 2017 he night circus by erin morgenstern is a debut novel that transports readers into a fantastical world in another time. The world s great authors discuss their bestknown novel. Books similar to sophies world meet your next favorite book. At the start of his journey, when santiago asks a gypsy woman to interpret his dream about a treasure in the egyptian pyramids, she asks for one tenth of the treasure in return. Sophies world january 28, 2017 january 23, 2021 by shal i recently finished reading another novel one which, on a normal day, i wouldnt really pick up if i wandered into a book store back home. Jul 27, 2020 to unravel this riddle, sophie must use the philosophy she is learningbut the truth turns out to be far more complicated than she could have imagined.
Copyright goes to berkley books, farrar, straus and gir. Hilde loves the novel and starts to believe sophie really exists. The most sold novel in the world 1995 an international bestseller translated into 65 languages and sold over 50 million copies an absorbing, original and fascinating book for everyone who wishes to know more about the history of our own culture, interwoven with the history of western philosophy and the imaginary story of sophie and hilde. Theres no better way to introduce yourself and others to new books than through a book club. Sophies world what four tasks and questions is sophie given next. Then, she wonders if the soul is immortalperhaps there is an immortal soul that operates independent of the body. A pageturning novel that is also an exploration of the great philosophical concepts of western thought, sophie s world has fired the imagination of readers all over the world. Discussion of sophie s world post by scott fri sep 24, 2010 7. With sophie, the reader is encouraged to question the world around themselves. As a member or leader of a book club, you are likely to be reading books on a wide variety o.
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