The Blue Bird

“The Blue Bird” is a feverish fairytale-philософical fable that embodies the philosophy of dreams. One could even say this dramatic parable is both utopia and prophecy at once—an emblematic, symbolist slice of “The Divine Comedy” by Dante. For, like the great Florentine, Maeterlinck leads his heroes both through the Kingdom of the Dead and through the Country of Bliss, through the Past, the Present, and the Future. At the same time, in the animated anthropomorphic elements—Fire, Water, Light, and Night (Darkness), and Time—ancient features of pagan deities appear, while in animals, plants, and things there are echoes of ancient totems. Philosophy multiplied by Fantasy results in an effect of extraordinary expressiveness and beauty.