Paper Summary:

In this paper, the writer describes the meaning and symbolism found in Hans Christian Anderson's "The Philosopher's Stone". The author examines the allegorical meaning behind the garden motif and blindness in the story. The paper also considers the intellectual times in which Anderson wrote this work, including the problems facing the 19th century. Despite these problems, Anderson concludes with encouraging his audience to have faith in humanity.

From the Paper:

"The mid to late 19th century was a time of questioning and change. It was the period that saw the prominence of revolutionary thinkers like Freud, Marx, and Darwin and literary innovators like Dickens and Zola. Thinking people of the period questioned what had come before them, but more importantly questioned what life had become. Social commentary and revolutionary thinking took center stage in this period (Morris). Hans Christian Andersen's tale "The Philosopher's Stone" comments on what has become of life by seeking the answer to one of the most important questions for humanity: What happens after death? Andersen uses this question to guide his tale. As Andersen has the characters search for the Philosopher's Stone, he weaves social commentary into the tradition of fairy tales in this piece from 1859."

Sample of Sources Used:

• "19th Century Intellectual Currents." 18 July 2006. http://www.loyno.edu/~seduffy/victorianism.html
• Andersen, Hans Christian. "The Philosopher's Stone." http://hca.gilead.org.il/ 21 Jan. 2006 Hans Christian Andersen: Fairy Tales and Stories. 18 July 2006. http://hca.gilead.org.il/p_stone.html
• Hartman, Dorothy. "Women's Roles in the Late 19th Century." 18 July 2006. History Online Index. http://www.connerprairie.org/historyonline/1880wom.html
• Jernigan, Kenneth. "Blindness: Is Literature Against Us?" 1999. National Federation of the Blind. 18 July 2006. http://www.blind.net/bpba1974.htm
• "Literature of the 19th century." Jahsonic. 2006. Jahsonic.com: a vocabulary of culture. 18 July 2006. http://www.jahsonic.com/1900sLiterature.html

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