Sophie's World

[Insurgent]

Recently read Sophie's World By Jostein Gaarder and it left me abit lost.  Not sure of what to make of it, any thoughts on it or could someone explain it to me.

[Hermia]

Oooh, I read this as a teenager and loved it. I think it's probably best to just regard it as an introduction to the history of philosophy.

[WaldoMcFroog]

The problem with SW is that Gardner is ultimately a Christian. It's a really good introduction as Hermia says until it gets to about the late 19th/ 20th century. At that point it manages to omit rather major figures such as -from memory - Wittgenstein, Heiddegger, Neitzche and promotes a very-pro Christian view point. The sudden bias rather irritated me.

On the other hand, as a novel, it required some sort of resolution, so I suppose it had to happen somehow...

[Aschenbach]

Happy 15th Birthday Hilda! I hope to see you soon to give you a very special present.

I think it's much more than a historical introduction to philosophy. The actual medium of the book is used to help illustrate philosophical points. Therefore irony plays a large role throughout Sophie's World both Socratic irony and romantic.

Alberto also tells Sophie (and therefore Albert tells Hilde) about Freud and theories of dreams as wish fulfilment and links to the unconscious. As a literary device, the dreams in the book provide foreshadowing. However, their role is greater than simply to alert the reader to future occurrences. The dreams themselves bring into question our free will and our possibilities of understanding the world.

Hilde becomes certain that Sophie exists, that she is not just a character in a book. Alberto has a plan to escape Albert Knag's mind, and they must finish the philosophy course before that can happen. In the end Sophie and Alberto have a new existence as spirit�they have escaped from Albert Knag's mind but they are invisible to other people and can walk right through them. Sophie wants to try to interfere in the world of Hilde and her father, and at the end of the book she is learning how to do so.

And I think an important character to consider is Jostein Gaarner himself! (but I�m wise enough to know I know nothing).
 

[Insurgent]

Thanks for your thoughts everyone.  The philosophy in the book was easy to grasp, it was the vehicle in which it was delivered which was confusing.  Hadn't considered the bias before WaldoMcFroog. A good helpful explanation Aschenbach.