The Neverending Story (LIT)

作者: Michael Ende

<< Buy This Book on Amazon >>

收藏推荐:

图书介绍

Author: Michael Ende

The Neverending Story (original German: Die Unendliche Geschichte) is a fantasy novel by Michael Ende, first published in Germany in 1979. The standard English translation, by Ralph Manheim, was first published in 1983 as The Neverending Story. The novel was later adapted into several films. The book centers on a boy, Bastian Balthazar Bux, who meets a mysterious man who owns a book shop, and steals a book called The Neverending Story from the man's small antique bookstore. Bastian is initially presented as part of a frame tale in which he is merely the enthralled reader of the book - an adventure story about the land of Fantastica[1], the realm in which all human fantasies and stories are played out. As the book progresses, however, it becomes clear that some of the inhabitants of Fantastica are aware of Bastian, and that he is the key to the success of the quest about which he is reading. Halfway through the book, he enters Fantastica himself, and begins to take an active role in events there. Thus, the work dramatizes the experience of being "caught up" in a story. The second half of the book introduces a number of psychologically rich themes, as Bastian comes to terms with his selfhood, faces his dark side, and moves toward maturity in a world shaped by his wishes. The overall theme of the book is the healing power of imagination, as represented by the way in which the world of Fantastica and the real world are presented as each vital to the other's survival. Each half of the book can also be viewed as an example of the Hero's Journey story outline.

Download this book from Usenet