In most of the fantasy literature that I have read, death in the fantasy world results in death in the real world. This was not the case in Phantastes. Anodos' death was actually the act that brought him back to reality. Throughout his journey in faerie land, Anodos had many different things revealed to him, and the thing that intrigued me was the problem of the adhesion of his lessons.
 When Anodos first encountered the faerie, she appeared tiny and magical. He couldn't handle this, so she changed her appearance. Once she met his preconceived idea of a woman, she was suitable for conversation. Additionally, when he learned of the faeries inhabiting the flowers of faerie land, he deduced that it was not just that the faeries used the flowers as houses, but the faeries actually created them. This added an element of importance to the faerie world. Now, instead of Anodos being transported to a world that was entirely other, he found that his world was interwoven into the reality of the faerie world. This changes the way in which he will carry himself when he returns to reality. The lessons he has learned and the wisdom that he has gained while in the faerie world will now impact his life more.