A WebQuest of Textual Allusions in Paulo Coelho’s Novel
Introduction
Welcome to the WebQuest! As you move through this PowerPoint
slide presentation, you will be asked to click on links to other
internet sites in order to access specific readings that, you will soon
see, relate to Paulo Coelho’s novel, The Alchemist.
More specifically, you will be completing guided research into some
of the literary allusions that Coelho makes in his book. Your
introduction to these allusions will hopefully expand and deepen
your understanding of the novel.
So, it’s time to begin! Good luck, and learn lots. I’ll be around in
case you have any specific questions.
1.
Click on the term above. Find the definition of
‘allusion’ and rewrite it in your own words.
Recognizing Allusions
Coelho uses a lot of allusions in
his book, The Alchemist.
Can you recall the first allusion
made in the story?
What were some of the
suggestions for why Coelho
began his story with this literary
allusion?
Having read more of the book,
does the allusion seem any more
fitting?
‘What’s in a name?’
Names are one way authors can
create and deepen
characterization.
If I was to write a short story and
call the main character “Stewie,”
for instance, most of you would
think of the character from Family
Guy, and likely bring some
understanding of that character to
your reading of mine.
‘What’s in a name?’
Using information learned by following the links below,
suggest reasons why Coelho might have named his
characters as he did.
Urim & Thummim
The old man opened his cape, and the boy was struck by what he
saw. The old man wore a breastplate of heavy gold, covered with
precious stones. The boy recalled the brilliance he had noticed on
the previous day.
He really was a king! He must be disguised to avoid encounters with
thieves.
“Take these,” said the old man, holding out a white stone and a
black stone that had been embedded at the centre of the breastplate.
“They are called Urim and Thummim. The black signifies ‘yes,’
and the white ‘no.’ When you are unable to read omens, they will
help you to do so. Always ask an objective question. (Coelho, 29-30)
Urim & Thummim
The previous passage is quoted directly from Coelho’s
novel. Read the following link and see how much of
what Coelho says about Urim & Thummim was
taken from research :
1.
Name 3 things that are the same in both texts.
2.
Name 1 thing that is different in the two texts.
3.
What religion are Urim & Thummim discussed in
relation to the most?
The Philosopher’s Stone
Watch out Harry Potter; the Englishman’s
after the Philosopher’s Stone too!
Actually, a number of terms in The
Alchemist relate to alchemy, and the
Philosopher’s stone is just one of them.
See if you can identify two other terms in
The Alchemist that actually come from
theories of
(read under
“Philosopher’s Stone”)
So the question is:
why all the allusions?
In a short paragraph, explain why you think Coelho
would include so many allusions. How many readers
would actually get the allusions? Do you need to
understand them to understand the meaning behind
the book as a whole?
Websites

Allusion:
http://people.ucls.uchicago.edu/~snekros/Literary
%20Terms%20Glossary.html

Santiago 1: http://www.santjordiasociados.com/titles.htm

Santiago 2:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Way_of_St._James

Melchizedek:
http://www.crystalinks.com/melchizedek.html
Websites, cont.

Fatima:
http://www.ewtn.com/fatima/apparitions/angel.ht
m

Urim & Thummim:
http://www.crystalinks.com/urim.html

Alchemy:
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/4567
33/philosophers-stone