Literary periods and their historical context

¶ … Alchemist" by Paolo Coelho is the author's most famous book, the one that eventually brought about his fame and recognition as an important author of the 20th century.

The literary period of the book is the 20th century as the book was conceived and released in 1988. The story revolves around the story of a young shepherd boy who after having two strange dreams, goes in search of a treasure. The entire novel is focused on his travel and the events he is taking part in. However, the moral of the novel stands in the way in which the shepherd takes the challenge of finding the treasure and overcoming numerous challenges. The subject is important for the book; yet the significance of the journey reveal in fact the true meaning of the book. Eventually, after a series of challenges in his travels and shortcomings, the shepherd finds the treasure in his own yard.

The book was an immense success. There are opinions who argue that the marketing strategies as well as the translation into so many languages determined its success (Hejazi, 2009). At the same time however, the way in which the book was constructed and the trends it set are as important as the publicity strategies undergone for the promotion of the book. The most important element in the book is the idea it tries to portray.

The 80s literature are seen as a moment of literary dreaming. The basic idea behind the story is the man's quest for his dream and his mission in life. Despite the success, the subject is not new. As Hejazi pointed out, "the plot first appears, almost simultaneously, in a fable in the book VI of the Mathanawi by Rumi, the Iranian poet of 13th century, and a tale in One Thousand and One Nights. It also appears in the English folktale the Pedlar of Swaffham (Pryme, 1870) and several other tales (Ashliman, 1999-2008). Later, it found its way in a novel named Night under the Stone Bridge (1952) by the Austrian writer Leo Perutz. Jorge Luis Borges too adopted the story from One Thousand and One Nights, in his short story 'Historia de los dos que sonaron' in Historia universal de la infamia (Borges, 1974 ). The latter was the source that inspired Coelho to write the Alchemist (Morais, 2008)." (2009). The sources of inspiration for Coelho are important because they point out the way in which the subject of dream and their guidance to the inner soul reflect in literature throughout time.

The theme of dreaming is, as mentioned, not a new element. The history of literature saw playwrights, novel authors use it, from Shakespeare to Thomas Mann, the history of European literature in particular is filled with such examples. This is largely due to the influence romantic themes had on the history of literature. It is difficult to say precisely the trends set by Coelho or the influences it benefited from, especially given his place in Brazil. However, the deep influences related to particular themes were present throughout the world. In this sense, the recurrent element of dreaming not only offers coherence to the plot, but also places the novel in a particular set of literary influences. Romantic authors benefited from the use of "dreaming" as a means of escaping reality and diving into a fantasy world.

The work of Paolo Coelho is at the brick of reality and fantasy. The fact that he uses several almost imaginary characters points out to the nature of the book. In this sense, the Alchemist is a book on reflection and consideration. In one passage, the quote "whoever you are, or whatever it is that you do, when you really want something, it's because that desire originated in the soul of the universe. it's your mission on earth" (Coelho, 1995) the author clearly points out the message of the book. Thus, Santiago, the shepherd is the representative of the human condition in search of his mission on earth. Moreover, the challenges facing Santiago in quest of the treasure are in fact milestones humans have to overcome in order to achieve their goals and missions in life.

The book is relatively well entrenched in the typical 80s literature in the sense that it focuses on surreal events, in some ways magical, in order to depict in fact the non-existing journey of a shepherd. Indeed, it is rather hard to believe that a journey similar to that of Santiago's actually took place, but in a dream like background, this was possible. In this sense, the story is subscribed to the science fiction type, without however being an actual science fiction novel. In general terms, SF novels focus on "some imaginary time or place. In its original usage in the 1920s, science fiction referred to stories that appeared in cheap, so-called pulp magazines, but science fiction now appears in all media, including motion pictures, staged dramas, television programs, and video games, as well as short stories and book-length works" (Scribd., n.d.). Therefore, it can be pointed out that there are some elements of the science fiction, even if these are not strictly related to films that were afterwards made such as the Star Wars that was one of the most important creations of this kind.

The novel reflects elements of supernatural through the characters it presents as well as the situations through which Santiago goes through. More precisely, the fact that he takes one of the first journeys through the desert is relevant. The desert is often associated with ghostly apparitions, unreal which often plays with the mind of the human. Also, the desert is seen as great challenge for the human because the living conditions are often very difficult and take the resistance of the human being to the limit. This can be interpreted, as being one hurdle the main character has to overcome.

Another aspect that is important is the presence of the witch that foresees the future. Thus, when Santiago went to have his dreams interpreted, the witch asked for part of his treasure when he finds it. This comes to point out not necessarily a material reward, as the treasure to be found was more or less symbolic. The presence of the witch stands for a type of symbolic guide to his treasure and to his voyage.

Another character that can be considered important is that of Fatima, the beautiful woman Santiago meets in the desert. This woman can be associated with the typical apparitions that are sometimes seen in the desert because of heat and dehydration. She may symbolize the temptation Santiago is faced to deal in his pursuit of his dream. She represents a challenge he overcomes in order to move forward. Such symbols are visible throughout the literature especially that related to fairy tales or medieval knights. They are trials knights have to pass in order to prove their courage and determination to finalize the mission.