The small John

The fairy tale The Little John was written in the year 1884  by Frederik van Eeden . It was first published in the first edition of the magazine The New Guide in 1885. In 1887 it was first published in book form.

The main character of the story is the young John. This character represents the fantasy of Van Eeden.

Content

 * 1 Evolution Book
 * 2 The Story
 * 3 Symbolism
 * 4 Little John and literature education
 * 5 Footnotes
 * 6 External links

Evolution Book
This book is not just a fairy tale. The following elements play a role: the life stages of man; contrasts (good / evil, idealism / materialism); the reduction motive; criticism of human society; the search for happiness; positivism and pantheism (God in everything). In the story, the development from child to adult life and the struggle with the central mysteries. All this is an evolution of a person.

The story
John is an imaginative boy, with his father, his dog and his cat leads a carefree existence. One night he finds a boat in the lake, where he gets in. John falls asleep, and wakes up by a dragonfly that turns into a fairy: Windekind. He reduces him and takes him to a wondrous fantasy world. They go to a cricket school, and a party in a rabbit hole, and the "Peace Ants. One night he meets the gnome Wistik, who is looking for the 'real book' that answers everything. Windekind do not want John handles Wistik and makes him as punishment big again. John is captured by a gardener, lives a while with him and meet Robinetta, with whom he falls in love. John asks Robinetta to the "real book", which she shows him the Bible. John rejects this, and it's dazzling by Robinetta's father. Full of grief he goes away, and this time captured by Pluizer who takes him to the city. There he meets a doctor rating and Hein (Death). Ferreter show him the suffering in the city, the cemetery, and finally his own dead body in the tomb. This John faints. John remains a while at Ferreter and doctor rating to study, for the sake of the 'true book, but he longs for his youth and his father. Eventually take the two doctors John back to the house of his father, who is dying. When John's father is dead will perform Ferreter section on his corpse. John does not allow this. He Ferreter fight and win, which Hein says he has done good. John wants to go with Steven, but he can not. Windekind this comes back, he drives with Hein on a boat. An unknown person appears, and allows John to choose between Windekind and "The Great Light," or humanity with her grief and injustice. John chooses humanity and its pangs. The story ends with the sentence: "Maybe I'll tell you once more of the little John, but a fairy tale, it will no longer equals."

Symbolism
The adventure of the young John actually symbolizes the youth of Van Eeden and other people. The assertion at the beginning, it's all really happened, it must also be taken seriously. The four main characters (Windekind Wistik, Ferreter and rating) symbolize the different stages of Van Eeden's youth. Windekind stands for Van Eeden childish fantasy, Wistik for his urge for answers as he grows older, and Ferreter and rating stand for materialism which Van Eeden especially in college came in contact. Van Eeden is actually the little John who grows up in a world full of different viewpoints.

Little John and literature education
Along with Eric in the Land of Insects of Rabindranath Tagore stood for years in Belgium on the bibliography of secondary education in both the Flemish and the French-language education.