More on "His Dark Materials"

[asterroc]

Here's a review of the series in the Boston Globe. It definitely contains spoilers, and I'm not sure I agree with the final punchline about exactly what Dust is, but it's worth reading. It focuses on just what about the series mainstream Christianity finds so subversive, and why, in fact, those things are actually pro-religion. Of course, entirely dismissing the fact that Pullman is a self-proclaimed atheist in the process, but still intriguing.

Comments

[freakylynx.livejournal.com]

Yikes, I forgot to tell you that I finished the final book a couple weeks back. I returned the book the library but I could definitely go back and check the passage or whatever that you had questions about.

[q10.livejournal.com]

whatever Pullman was trying to accomplish, the overall moral/metaphysical dynamic of the books is very pro-people-oriented-spirituality and very anti-institutionalized-religion.

[freakylynx.livejournal.com]

Ugh, unbelievable how many spoilers they lay out in that review. Someone reading that would probably lose all interest in reading the series, I can't believe they spoil the whole trilogy in a review of the first part.

I honestly didn't like the third book as much, the first two lead me believe it wasn't really anti-religion, the third had me questioning if that really wasn't the case. In the third he takes a number of jabs at the religious establishment, at one point one of the character's describes religion as a "beautiful lie," and goes on about how science was preferable - and that's referring to our world's religion where we we're not under the fascist rule of the Magisterium. Not to mention that every religious character was on the villain's side, or how in hindsight maybe he put in the witches as almost exclusively heroes and daemons to represent a person's soul in an attempt to squick christians. I don't think it's anti-Christian so far to the point where people should skip out on reading it or watching the movies, but I do see where some of the critics are coming from.

[weirdlilfaechld.livejournal.com]

Haven't read the book so I didn't read past the second paragraph, so I don't know if it really was as annoying the entire time as that was, but some Catholic groups almost make me not want to admit that I am Catholic.

[meleah.livejournal.com]

Come now Zandi, death of the author and all - doesn't really matter WHAT Pullman intended anymore.

Plus, can't an aetheist write a fantasy novel that is a critique of Catholic Church doctrine rather than a Dawkins-esque materialist polemic? It is, after all, a fantasy novel.

OT, am I the only one disturbed by how young the Lyra actress is, given how the books end?? (and as I understand it, after a fairly short time - not the 7 year span of Harry Potter, for example..)