His Dark Materials 37223 226166354 2008-07-17T03:14:21Z Mnmazur 6909589 /* The Amber Spyglass */ {{Infobox Book |bgcolour = blue | name = [[His Dark Materials]] | image = [[Image:hisdarkm.jpg]] | image_caption = The trilogy (British versions), in order of succession from left to right. | author = [[Philip Pullman]] | language = English | genre = [[Fantasy]] | publisher = [[Scholastic Point]] | release_date = 1995&ndash;2000 | media_type = Print ([[Hardcover|Hardback]] & [[Paperback]]) }} [[Image:HisDarkMaterialsUS.jpg|thumb|right|300px|The trilogy (North American versions)]] '''''His Dark Materials''''', a [[trilogy]] of [[fantasy]] [[novel]]s (some of which have won awards<ref> For example, the first volume, ''Northern Lights'', won the Carnegie Medal for children's fiction in the UK in 1995; the final volume, ''The Amber Spyglass'', won both 2001 Whitbread Prize for best children's book and the Whitbread Book of the Year prize in January 2002. The trilogy as a whole took third place in the BBC's [[Big Read]] poll in 2003. </ref>) by [[Philip Pullman]], comprises ''[[Northern Lights (novel)|Northern Lights]]'' (1995 — released as ''The Golden Compass'' in North America), ''[[The Subtle Knife]]'' (1997) and ''[[The Amber Spyglass]]'' (2000). (The books have also appeared as a single-volume omnibus in the [[United Kingdom]] and in North America, titled ''His Dark Materials''.) The trilogy follows the [[coming-of-age]] of two children, [[Lyra Belacqua]] and [[Will Parry]], as they wander through a series of [[parallel universe (fiction)|parallel universes]] against a backdrop of epic events. The story involves fantasy elements such as [[witches]] and [[Panserbjørne|armoured polar bears]], and alludes to a broad range of ideas from fields such as [[physics]], [[philosophy]], [[theology]] and [[spirituality]]. The trilogy functions in part as a retelling and inversion of [[John Milton]]'s epic, ''[[Paradise Lost]]''; Pullman commends humanity for its attainment of wisdom and knowledge rather than condemning it (as in Milton's poem).<ref name="butler"/> Because of this and of other elements such as the negative portrayal of organized religion, the series has drawn criticism from some religious individuals and groups. Pullman's publishers have primarily marketed the series to [[young adult literature|young adults]], but Pullman also intended to speak to adults.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbninquiry.asp?ean=9780440238133&displayonly=ITV&z=y |title=The Man Behind the Magic: An Interview with Philip Pullman|accessdate=2007-03-08}} </ref> North American printings of ''The Amber Spyglass'' have censored passages describing Lyra's incipient sexuality.<ref name="atlantic">{{cite news | url=http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200712/religious-movies | title=How Hollywood Saved God | publisher=[[The Atlantic]] | author=Hanna Rosin | date=[[2007-12-01]] | accessdate=2007-12-01 }}</ref><ref name="Corliss">{{cite news | url=http://www.time.com/time/arts/article/0,8599,1692926,00.html| title=What Would Jesus See?| publisher=[[The Atlantic]] | author=Corliss, Richard| date= December 08, 2007 | accessdate=2008-5-04 }}</ref> Pullman has published two short stories related to ''His Dark Materials'': ''Lyra and the Birds'', which appears with accompanying illustrations in the small hardcover book ''[[Lyra's Oxford]]'', and ''[[Once Upon a Time in the North]]''. He has worked on another, larger companion book to the series, ''[[The Book of Dust]]'', for several years. The London [[Royal National Theatre]] staged a major, [[His Dark Materials (play)|two-part adaptation]] of the series in 2003-2004, and [[New Line Cinema]] released a film based on ''Northern Lights'' and titled ''[[The Golden Compass (film)|The Golden Compass]]'' in 2007. == Series titles == [[Image:Paradise Lost 9.jpg|right|thumb|170px|Satan struggles through hell in a [[Gustave Doré]] illustration of ''[[Paradise Lost]]''.]] The title of the series, ''His Dark Materials'', comes from 17th-century poet [[John Milton]]'s ''[[Paradise Lost]]'', Book 2: <blockquote><poem> Into this wilde Abyss, The Womb of nature and perhaps her Grave, Of neither Sea, nor Shore, nor Air, nor Fire, But all these in their pregnant causes mixt Confus'dly, and which thus must ever fight, Unless th' Almighty Maker them ordain His dark materials to create more Worlds, Into this wilde Abyss the warie fiend Stood on the brink of Hell and look'd a while, Pondering his Voyage; for no narrow frith He had to cross. </poem> - Book 2, lines 910&ndash;920 </blockquote> Pullman earlier proposed to name the series ''The Golden Compasses''.<ref name="btts"> {{cite web |url= http://www.bridgetothestars.net/index.php?p=FAQ#4|title= Frequently Asked Questions|accessdate=2007-04-05 |publisher= BridgeToTheStars.net}} </ref> This term also appears in the poem ''Paradise Lost'', where it poetically refers to the "[[compass (drafting)|compasses]]" with which God shaped the world, an idea depicted in William Blake's painting ''[[:Image:Blake ancient of days.jpg|The Ancient of Days]]''. Due to confusion with the other common meaning of ''compass'' ([[compass|the navigational instrument]]) this phrase in the singular became the title of the American edition of ''Northern Lights'' (the book prominently features a device that one might label a "golden compass"). == Settings == The trilogy takes place across a [[multiverse]], moving between many parallel worlds. In ''Northern Lights'', the story takes place in a world with some similarities to our own; dress-style resembles that of our [[Victorian era]], and technology has not evolved to include automobiles or fixed-wing aircraft; [[zeppelin]]s feature as a notable mode of transport. (It appears that in this world the [[Protestant Reformation]] never took place — the text refers to [[John Calvin]] as a [[Pope]] — or possibly the Reformation succeeded so well that it overthrew the Catholic Church and installed a Protestant clerical hierarchy. The Church as portrayed by Pullman (often referred to as the "[[Magisterium]]") exerts a strong control over his fictional world.) In ''The Subtle Knife'', the story moves between the world of the first novel, our own world and in another world, a city called [[Cittàgazze]]. In ''The Amber Spyglass'' it crosses through an array of diverse worlds. One distinctive aspect of Pullman's story comes from his concept of "[[Dæmon (His Dark Materials)|dæmon]]s". In the birth-universe of the story's protagonist [[Lyra Belacqua]], a human individual's [[soul]] manifests itself throughout [[lifetime| life]] as an animal-shaped "dæmon" that always stays near its human counterpart. Witches and some humans have entered areas where dæmons cannot physically enter; after suffering horrific separation-trauma, their dæmons can then move as far away from their humans as desired.<ref name="daemonseparation"> {{cite book |last=Pullman |first=Philip |authorlink=Philip Pullman |title=The Amber Spyglass |origyear=2000 |series=''His Dark Materials'' |year=2007 |publisher=Random House, Inc. |location=New York |isbn=978-0-440-23815-7 |pages=p. 423 |quote=There's a region of our north land, a desolate, abominable place... No daemons can enter it. To become a witch, a girl must cross it alone and leave her daemon behind. You know the suffering they must undergo. But having done it... [their daemon] can roam free, and go to far places. }} </ref> [[Image:Giovanni Battista Tiepolo 071b.jpg|right|thumb|160px|[[Giovanni Battista Tiepolo]]'s "Young Lady with a Parrot" (1758-60) helped inspire Pullman's "dæmon" concept.<ref name="butler"/>]] [[Image:Lady with a Squirrel.jpg|right|thumb|155px|[[Hans Holbein the Younger]]'s "Lady with a Squirrel" (1526-8) helped inspire Pullman's "dæmon" concept.<ref name="butler"/>]] Dæmons usually only talk to their own associated humans, but they can communicate with other humans and with other dæmons autonomously. During the childhood of its associated human, a dæmon can change its shape at will, but with the onset of adolescence it settles into a single form. The final form reveals the person's true nature and personality, implying that these stabilize after adolescence. Pullmanian society considers it "the grossest offence"{{citequote}} for another person to touch someone else's daemon — this would violate the most strict of taboos. Seeing a person without a daemon seems to them as a bad as seeing someone without a head, or some other crucial organ.{{Fact|date=July 2008}} [[Spectre (His Dark Materials)|Spectres]], in some of the universes, prey upon the dæmons of adolescents and adults, consuming them and rendering said dæmons' humans essentially [[catatonia| catatonic]]; they lose all [[thought]] and eventually fade away and die. Dæmons and their humans can also become separated through [[intercision]], a process involving cutting the dæmon away from the human. This process can take place in a medical setting, as with the [[titanium]] and [[manganese]] [[guillotine]] used at [[Bolvangar]], or as a form of torture used by the [[Skraelings]]. This separation entails a high mortality-rate and renders both human and dæmon little more than obedient zombies. Severing the link using the silver guillotine method releases tremendous amounts of unnamed [[energy]], convertible to [[anbaric]] (electric) power. The universe of ''Northern Lights'' has interesting technology; at first glance, it appears considerably behind that of our own world, but in many fields it equals or surpasses ours. For instance, it emerges that Lyra's world has the same knowledge of [[particle physics]], referred to as "experimental theology", as we do. In ''The Amber Spyglass'' discussion takes place about an advanced inter-dimensional weapon which, when aimed using a sample of the target's DNA, can track the target to any universe and disrupt the very fabric of space-time to form a bottomless abyss into [[nothing]], forcing the target to suffer a fate far worse than normal death. Other advanced devices include the [[Objects_of_His_Dark_Materials#Intention_craft|Intention Craft]], which carries (amongst other things) an extremely potent [[energy weapon| energy-weapon]] (though this craft, first seen and used outside Lyra's universe, may originate with engineers from other universes.) == Plot summaries == === ''Northern Lights/The Golden Compass'' === {{Main|Northern Lights (novel)}} In ''Northern Lights'' (released in the United States and Canada as ''The Golden Compass''), the heroine, [[Lyra Belacqua]], a young girl brought up in the cloistered world of [[Jordan College, Oxford]], and her [[dæmon (His Dark Materials)|dæmon]], Pantalaimon, learn of the existence of [[Dust (His Dark Materials)|Dust]], a strange elementary particle believed by the Magisterium to provide evidence for [[Original Sin]]. Dust appears less attracted to the innocence of children, and this gives rise to grisly experiments being carried out on kidnapped children and their daemons in the distant North by scientists of the Magisterium. Lyra, initially excited at being placed in the care of the elegant and mysterious [[Mrs. Coulter]], is horrified to discover that the latter is a member of the secretive General Oblation Board (known as the "Gobblers") which kidnaps the children and runs the experiments, a horror compounded later when she finds that Coulter is her mother. She also learns that [[Lord Asriel]], ostensibly her uncle who placed her at Jordan College, is her father. Lyra runs away from Coulter and is found by the Gyptians, who mount an expedition to rescue the missing children. Lyra and Pantalaimon accompany them, also hoping to save their best friend [[Roger Parslow]]. With the aid of the exiled ''[[panserbjørne]]'' (armoured bear) [[Iorek Byrnison]] who becomes her protector, [[John Faa]] and [[Farder Coram]], the leaders of the [[Gyptians|Gyptian]] people, the [[aeronaut]] [[Lee Scoresby]], and the witch [[Serafina Pekkala]], they succeed in saving the children from the experiments and destroy the research station, then continue on to [[Svalbard]], the home of the armoured bears, where Lyra aids Iorek in winning back his kingdom by killing the current king of the bears. Lyra continues on to find Lord Asriel, exiled to Svalbard at Mrs. Coulter's request. Lord Asriel had been researching how to open a bridge to another world. This requires a vast amount of energy, acquired by severing Roger from his daemon, killing Roger in the process. Lord Asriel, followed by Lyra and Pantalaimon, journey through the gate separately in search of the source of Dust. Lord Asriel claims to want to destroy Dust (and thus original sin); Lyra, recoiling in horror from her parents, decides that Dust must be a good thing and worth saving. === ''The Subtle Knife'' === {{Main|The Subtle Knife}} In ''The Subtle Knife'', Lyra journeys through the Aurora to [[Cittàgazze]], an otherworldly city whose denizens have discovered a clean path between worlds at a far earlier point in time than others in the storyline. Cittàgazze's reckless use of the technology has released soul-eating [[Spectre (His Dark Materials)|Spectre]]s, rendering much of the world incapable of transit by post-adolescence. Here, Lyra meets [[Will Parry]], a twelve-year-old boy from our world who has stumbled into Cittàgazze after recently killing a man to protect his ailing mother in an effort to locate his long-lost father. Will becomes the bearer of the eponymous Subtle Knife, a tool forged 300 years ago by Cittàgazze's scientists from the same materials as the silver guillotine. One edge of the knife can create portals between worlds and the other edge easily cuts through any form of matter. After meeting with witches from Lyra's world, they journey on. Will finds his father, who has been lost in Lyra's world under the assumed name of Stanislaus Grumman, only to watch him murdered almost immediately, and Lyra is kidnapped by her mother, [[Marisa Coulter|Mrs. Coulter]], an agent of the Magisterium who has learned of the prophecy that Lyra is to be the next [[Adam and Eve|Eve]]. Will is then instructed by a pair of angels, Balthamos and Baruch, that he must travel with them to give the Subtle Knife to Lyra's father, [[Lord Asriel]], as a weapon against [[Authority (His Dark Materials)|The Authority]]. === ''The Amber Spyglass''=== {{Main|The Amber Spyglass}} In ''The Amber Spyglass'', Will ignores the angels and with the help of a local girl named Ama, the Bear King Iorek Byrnison, and [[Lord Asriel]]'s [[Gallivespian]] spies, the [[Chevalier Tialys]] and the [[Lady Salmakia]], rescues Lyra from the cave where her mother has hidden her from the Magisterium, which has become determined to kill her before she yields to temptation and sin like the original Eve. They journey to the Land of the Dead, temporarily parting with their [[dæmons]] to release the ghosts from their captivity imposed by the oppressive [[The Authority (His Dark Materials)|Authority]]. [[Mary Malone]], a scientist of the world of Will, interested in Dust (or Dark Matter/Shadows, as she knows them), travels to a land populated by strange sentient creatures called [[Mulefa]]. There she learns of the true nature of Dust, existing as panpsychic particles of self-awareness. [[Lord Asriel]] and the reformed [[Mrs. Coulter]] team up to destroy The Authority's Regent [[Metatron]], succeeding in slaying Metatron, but perishing in the attempt. The Authority himself dies of his own frailty when Will and Lyra free him from the crystal prison Metatron has trapped him in, able to do so because an attack by [[ghast|cliff-ghasts]] kills or drives away the prison's protectors. When Will and Lyra emerge from the land of the dead, they find their daemons (Serafina names Will's soul, now in a daemon form, "Kirjava"). After all of this, Lyra loses her ability to read the [[alethiometer]], and the book ends with Will and Lyra falling in love but realising they cannot live together in the same world; because all windows must be closed to prevent the flow of Dust, and because they can each only live full lives in the world they are born into. During the return, Mary learns how to see her own daemon, who takes the form of a black Alpine [[chough]]. ==Related works by Philip Pullman== === ''Lyra's Oxford''=== {{Main|Lyra's Oxford}} The first of two short novels, ''Lyra's Oxford'' takes place two years after the timeline of ''The Amber Spyglass''. A witch who seeks revenge for her son's death in the war against the Authority draws Lyra, now 15, into a trap. Birds mysteriously rescue her and Pan, and she makes the acquaintance of an alchemist, formerly the witch's lover. ===''Once Upon a Time in the North'' === {{Main|Once Upon a Time in the North}} This short novel serves as a prequel to ''His Dark Materials'' and focuses on the once 24-year-old Texan aeronaut Lee Scoresby. After winning his hot-air balloon, Scoresby heads to the North, landing on the Arctic island Novy Odense, where he finds himself pulled into a dangerous conflict between the oil-tycoon Larsen Manganese, the corrupt mayoral candidate Ivan Poliakov, and his longtime enemy of the Dakota Country, Pierre McConville. The story tells of Lee and Iorek's first meeting, and of how they overcame these enemies. ===''The Book of Dust''=== {{Main|The Book of Dust}} The in-the-works companion to the trilogy, ''The Book of Dust'' will not continue the story, but will offer several [[short story| short stories]] with the same characters, world, etc. The book will touch on research into Dust as well as on the portrayal of religion in ''His Dark Materials''. Pullman has not [[as of 2008| yet]] finished writing this work. == Character histories == <!-- Please add to this section. Stubs like [[The Authority]] can be moved here, but larger articles like [[Will Parry]] can remain to detail the character. --> : ''See [[Characters of His Dark Materials]]'' *'''[[Lyra Belacqua]]''', a wild, tomboyish 12-year-old girl, has grown up in the fictional [[Jordan College, Oxford]]. She prides herself on her capacity for mischief, especially her ability to lie with "bare-faced conviction". Because of this ability, she was given the surname Silvertongue by Iorek Byrnison. Her constant companion is her dæmon [[Pantalaimon]], a shapeshifting incarnation of a part of her soul that all characters from her world have. *'''[[Will Parry]]''', a sensible, morally conscious, highly assertive 12-year-old boy from our world, serves as the bearer of the Subtle Knife. He is very independent and responsible for his age, having looked after his mentally unstable mother for many years. He is strong for his age, and knows how to remain inconspicuous. At the end of his adventures he discovers the name and form of his dæmon, Kirjava, a cat. *'''[[Lord Asriel]]''', ostensibly Lyra's uncle, later emerges as her father. He opens a rift between the worlds in his pursuit of Dust. His dream of establishing a Republic of Heaven to rival The Authority's Kingdom leads him to use his considerable power and force of will to raise a grand army from across the multiverse to rise up in rebellion. Stelmaria the [[snow leopard]] is his dæmon. *'''[[Marisa Coulter]]''', the coldly beautiful, highly [[manipulative]] mother of Lyra and former lover of Lord Asriel, serves the Church in kidnapping children for research into the nature of Dust. She has black hair, a thin build, and looks younger than she is. She later captures Lyra and hides her away, perhaps seeking to protect her. Later in the story, [[Marisa Coulter|Mrs. Coulter]] switches sides regularly between the Authority and Lord Asriel's Republic. Her maternal instincts finally win out in the end, as she uses her duplicitous core to deceive the Regent [[Metatron]], working together with her former lover to pull him down into the [[abyss]]. Her dæmon (named Ozymandias in the BBC Radio adaptations but never named in the books), is a [[gold]]en [[monkey]] with a cruel, abusive streak. Though he often communicates with Mrs. Coulter, he is rarely heard to speak. *'''[[Mary Malone]]''', a [[physicist]] and former [[nun]] from the same world as Will, finds her studies of Dust (referred to as Shadows, shadow particles or dark matter in her world) draw her into Lyra's adventures. She lives for a time amongst the [[mulefa]], and constructs the Amber Spyglass in an effort to discern why Dust appears to be leaving the universe. Mary relates a story of a lost love to Will and Lyra, playing the [[Serpent (symbolism)| serpent]] to the children's [[Adam and Eve]] and serving as the catalyst for their coming-of-age and the halting of Dust's exodus. With effort, Mary discovers that she too has a dæmon, unnamed, which takes the shape of an [[Alpine chough]]. *'''[[Metatron]]''', a human being of biblical times, [[Enoch (ancestor of Noah)| Enoch]], transfigured into an [[angel]]. After the rebellion of the "[[fallen angel]]s" he took the regency of the throne of the Authority, implanting the monotheistic religions across the universes and so affirming his power and rule. Though an angel, he still feels human feelings, and so becomes vulnerable to the temptation of Marisa Coulter. *'''[[Iorek Byrnison]]''', a massive armoured bear, regains his armour, his dignity, and his kingship over the Panserbjørne with Lyra's help. In gratitude, and impressed by her cunning, he dubs her "Lyra Silvertongue". A powerful warrior and [[armour]]smith, Iorek repairs the Subtle Knife when it shatters and goes to war against The Authority when it threatens Lyra and Will. As a [[bear]] (as opposed to a human), he has no dæmon; instead, his armour, which he himself shapes, constitutes his soul. *'''[[John Faa]]''' and '''[[Farder Coram]]''' lead the community of river [[gyptians]]. When the Church kidnaps the gyptians' children to serve in experiments in the frozen outpost of Bolvangar, John Faa and Farder Coram mount a rescue-expedition, bringing Lyra along. (Outside Pullman-land, several historical [[Roma people|Gypsies]] have borne the name [[King_of_the_Gypsies#John_.28Johnnie.29_Faa| "John Faa"]], and a "John Faa" also appears as a romantic hero in a [[ballad]] about Gypsies.) *'''[[Lee Scoresby]]''', a rangy [[Texan]] aeronaut, pilots a [[balloon]] for Lyra and the [[gyptians]] in their expedition North; he is also a friend of Iorek Byrnison, and comes to aid Lyra in a number of her battles. His loyal dæmon Hester takes the form of a [[hare]]. He dies while fending off soldiers of the Muscovey Empire in an effort to save [[Stanislaus Grumman]]. *'''[[Stanislaus Grumman]]''' (also known as John Parry, or Jopari [Tartar pronunciation]), Will Parry's explorer father, once served as an officer in the Royal Marines. As an expedition-guide he leaves his/Will's world by accident during a blizzard in the Brooks Range, Alaska (see the Alaska letters sent to his wife [1985] in ''The Subtle Knife''). He traverses by one of the many trans-dimensional windows which leads to Lyra's World. Arriving there, he uses the name Stanislaus Grumman, earns a doctorate, and explores the northern lands, unsuccessfully trying to find the entry/exit window he came through. The indigenous Tartars, believing him a [[shaman]], initiate him into their tribe. During the initiation he receives a small ceremonial [[Trepanation| hole in the top of his skull]]. His inherited dæmon, a female osprey named Sayan Kötör, disappears when he dies. Lee Scoresby gives his life to save Grumman, and eventually he meets up with his son, but a vengeful witch whose love he once spurned shoots him down. (Grumman's pseudonym may allude to [[Stanislaw Ulam]], the renowned nuclear physicist.) *'''[[Serafina Pekkala]]''' reigns as the beautiful queen of a clan of Northern [[witches]]. Her [[snow goose| snow-goose]] dæmon Kaisa, as with all witch-dæmons, can travel much farther apart from her than the dæmons of humans. Serafina Pekkala comes to the aid of Lyra and her friends on a number of occasions. Though several hundred years old when Lyra encounters her, as a non-human she will live many hundreds more. *'''[[Roger Parslow]]''', a young boy, becomes Lyra's best friend and loyal compatriot at Jordan College. His death at the hands of Lord Asriel tears open a bridge between the worlds, through which Lyra and Asriel travel in a search for the origins of Dust. Guilt-stricken over Roger's death, Lyra determines to travel through the Land of Dead to apologize and release him; in doing so, she and Will succeed in liberating the lost souls of the dead, allowing their essence to merge with the particles of Dust that permeate the universe. His dæmon was Salcilia, who frequently took the form of a [[terrier]]. *'''[[Authority (His Dark Materials)|The Authority]]''', the first angel to have emerged from Dust, though not God the Creator (a figure completely absent from the trilogy, given that all the angels come about by chance, in a casual aggregation of cosmic dust), poses as such to subsequently-formed angels. At the time of the trilogy, the Authority appears quite weak, having given most of his power to his regent, [[Metatron]], and having spent most of his existence in retirement to "comprehend deeper mysteries". Pullman portrays him as extremely aged, fragile, kind, and naїve; unlike his bitter and thoroughly malicious underling. He eventually dies on exposure to a gust of wind, his weak form unable to resist it, but appears to find death a release. == Awards and recognition == ''The Amber Spyglass'' won the [[2001 in literature|2001]] [[Whitbread Book of the Year]] award, a prestigious British literary award. This is the first time that such an award has been bestowed on a book from their "children's literature" category. The first volume, ''Northern Lights'', won the [[Carnegie Medal]] for children's fiction in the UK in [[1995 in literature|1995]].<ref name="carnegie"> {{cite web |url= http://www.carnegiegreenaway.org.uk/livingarchive/title.php?id=63 |title= Living Archive — Celebrating the Carnegie and Greenaway Winners|accessdate=2007-04-05 |publisher= CarnegieGreenaway.org.uk}} </ref> In 2007 the judges of the CILIP Carnegie Medal for children's literature selected it as one of the ten most important children's novels of the previous 70 years. In June 2007 it was voted, in an online poll, as the best Carnegie Medal winner in the seventy-year history of the award, the Carnegie of Carnegies<ref>{{cite web |url=http://books.guardian.co.uk/news/articles/0,,2108541,00.html | title="Pullman wins 'Carnegie of Carnegies'}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.carnegiegreenaway.org.uk/celebration/winners.php |title="70 years celebration the publics favourite winners of all time" }}</ref> ''[[The Observer]]'' cites ''Northern Lights'' as one of the 100 best novels.<ref> [http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/observer/archives/2005/05/11/the_best_novels_ever_version_12.html The best novels ever (version 1.2) from Observer Blog<!-- Bot generated title -->] </ref> On [[May 19]], [[2005 in literature|2005]], Pullman attended the [[British Library]] in London to receive formal congratulations for his work from [[Secretary of State for Culture|culture secretary]] [[Tessa Jowell]] "on behalf of the government" On [[25 May]] 2005 Pullman received the Swedish government's [[Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award]] for children's and youth literature (sharing it with Japanese illustrator [[Ryôji Arai]]).<ref> [http://www.sla.org.uk/blg-philip-pullman-receives-the-astrid.php SLA - Philip Pullman receives the Astrid Lindgren Award<!-- Bot generated title -->] </ref> Swedes regard this prize as second only to the [[Nobel Prize in Literature]]; it has a value of 5 million Swedish Kronor or approximately £385,000. The trilogy came third in the 2003 [[BBC]]'s ''[[Big Read]]'', a national poll of viewers' favourite books, after ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'' and ''[[Pride and Prejudice]]'' (the only entries in the "top ten" written before 1978). At the time, only ''His Dark Materials'' and ''[[Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire]]'' amongst the top five works lacked a screen-adaptation (the film version of ''Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire'', which came fifth, went into release in 2005). [[Image:The Lady with an Ermine.jpg|right|thumb|170px|Leonardo da Vinci's "[[Lady with an Ermine]]" (1489-90), along with two portraits by [[Giovanni Battista Tiepolo]] and [[Hans Holbein the Younger]], helped inspire Pullman's "dæmon" concept.<ref name="butler">{{Cite news | author=Robert Butler | title=An Interview with Philip Pullman | work = Intelligent Life | publisher=[[The Economist]] |date= [[2007-12-03]] | url=http://www.moreintelligentlife.com/node/697| accessdate=2008-07-10}}</ref>]] == Influences == Pullman has identified three major literary influences on ''His Dark Materials'': the essay ''[[On the Marionette Theatre]]'' by [[Heinrich von Kleist]] (online at [http://www.southerncrossreview.org/9/kleist.htm southerncrossreview.org]), the works of [[William Blake]], and, most important, [[John Milton|John Milton's]] ''[[Paradise Lost]]'', from which the trilogy derives its title.<ref>{{cite web | last =Fried | first =Kerry | authorlink = | coauthors = | title =Darkness Visible: An Interview with Philip Pullman | work = | publisher =Amazon.com | date = | url =http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html/ref=amb_link_2079432_11/002-7083137-2301611?ie=UTF8&docId=94589&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-2&pf_rd_r=0QW4GD8JBKQXMTFSBZT2&pf_rd_t=1401&pf_rd_p=196508801&pf_rd_i=9459 | accessdate = 2007-04-13 }}</ref> Pullman had the stated intention of inverting Milton's story of a war between [[heaven]] and [[hell]], such that the devil would appear as the hero.<ref> {{cite news | last =Mitchison | first =Amanda | coauthors = | title = The art of darkness | work =[[Daily Telegraph]] | pages = | language = | publisher = | date =[[2003-11-03]] | url =http://www.telegraph.co.uk/arts/main.jhtml?xml=/arts/2003/11/04/bopull04.xml&page=1 | accessdate = 2007-04-12 }} </ref> In his introduction, he adapts a famous description of Milton by Blake to quip that he (Pullman) "is of the Devil's party and ''does'' know it." Pullman also referred to [[Gnosticism|gnostic ideas]] in his description of the novels' underlying [[mythic]] structure.<ref>{{cite news | last =| first =| coauthors = | title = The Dark Materials debate: life, God, the universe... | work =[[Daily Telegraph]] | pages = | language = | publisher = | date = [[2004-03-17]] | url = http://www.telegraph.co.uk/arts/main.jhtml;jsessionid=TJR5TSEZILCCXQFIQMFSFF4AVCBQ0IV0?xml=/arts/2004/03/17/bodark17.xml&page=2 | accessdate = 2008-04-01 }}</ref>. ''[[The Chronicles of Narnia]]'', a series of books by [[C. S. Lewis]], appears to have had a negative influence on Pullman's trilogy. Pullman has characterised [[C. S. Lewis]]'s series as "blatantly racist", "monumentally disparaging of women", "immoral", and "evil".<ref>{{cite news |first= John|last= Ezard|title= Narnia books attacked as racist and sexist|url= http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,3604,726739,00.html|work= [[The Guardian]]|publisher= [[Guardian Unlimited]]|date= [[June 3]], [[2002]]|accessdate=2007-04-04 }}</ref><ref>[http://www.thestar.com/comment/article/282172 TheStar.com | comment | Writing the book on intolerance<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> Critics have compared the trilogy with such fantasy books as ''[[A Wrinkle in Time]]'' by [[Madeleine L'Engle]]<ref> {{cite web | last =Crosby | first =Vanessa | authorlink = | coauthors = | title =Innocence and Experience: The Subversion of the Child Hero Archetype in Philip Pullman's Speculative Soteriology | work = | publisher =University of Sydney | date = | url =http://ses.library.usyd.edu.au/bitstream/2123/1250/1/CrosbyF.pdf | format = | doi = | accessdate = 2007-04-12 }} </ref> as well as the ''Narnia'' series.<ref> {{cite news | last =Miller | first =Laura | coauthors = | title =Far From Narnia Philip Pullman's secular fantasy for children | work =[[The New Yorker]] | date =[[2005-12-26]] | url =http://www.newyorker.com/archive/2005/12/26/051226fa_fact | accessdate = 2007-04-12 }} </ref> == Controversies == ''His Dark Materials'' has occasioned some controversy, primarily amongst some [[Christianity|Christian]] groups.<ref> {{cite news | last =Overstreet | first =Jeffrey | coauthors = | title =His Dark Materials… here's what… reviewers are saying | work =[[Christianity Today]] | date =[[2006-02-20]] | url =http://www.christianitytoday.com/movies/reviews/hisdarkmaterials.html | accessdate = 2007-04-12}} </ref><ref> {{cite news | last =Thomas | first =John | coauthors = | title =Opinion | work =Librarians' Christian Fellowship | date=2006 | url =http://www.librarianscf.org.uk/bookshelf/opinion/houghton.html | accessdate = 2007-04-12}} </ref> Pullman has expressed surprise over what he perceives as a low level of criticism for ''His Dark Materials'' on religious grounds, saying "I've been surprised by how little criticism I've got. [[Harry Potter]]'s been taking all the flak… Meanwhile, I've been flying under the radar, saying things that are far more subversive than anything poor old Harry has said. My books are about killing God."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/12/12/1071125644900.html |title= The shed where God died | last = Meacham | first = Steve |accessdate=2003-12-13 |publisher= Sydney Morning Herald Online}}</ref> Some of the characters criticize institutional religion. For example, [[Ruta Skadi]], a witch and friend of Lyra's calling for war against the Magisterium in Lyra's world, says that "''For all of [the Church's] history… it's tried to suppress and control every natural impulse. And when it can't control them, it cuts them out.''" (see [[intercision]]). Skadi later extends her criticism to all organized religion: "''That's what the Church does, and every church is the same: control, destroy, obliterate every good feeling.''" (By this part of the book, the witches have made reference to how they are treated criminally by the church in their worlds.) [[Mary Malone]], one of Pullman's main characters, states that "''the Christian religion… is a very powerful and convincing mistake, that's all.''" (Formerly a Catholic nun, she gave up her vows when the experience of falling in love caused her to doubt her faith.) Pullman has warned, however, against equating these views with his own, saying of Malone: "Mary is a character in a book. Mary's not me. It's a story, not a treatise, not a sermon or a work of philosophy."<ref> {{cite news | title =A dark agenda? Interview with Philip Pullman |publisher = surefish.co.uk| date =November, 2002. | url =http://www.surefish.co.uk/culture/features/pullman_interview.htm | accessdate = 2008-05-04 }} </ref> Pullman portrays life after death very differently from the Christian concept of [[Heaven#In Christianity|heaven]]. In the third book, the afterlife plays out in a bleak place where [[harpy|harpies]] torment people until Lyra and Will descend into the land of the dead. At their intercession, the harpies agree to stop tormenting the dead souls, and instead receive the true stories of the dead in exchange for leading them again to the upper world. When the dead souls emerge, they dissolve as they become one with the universe. [[Image:Cole Thomas Expulsion from the Garden of Eden 1828.jpg|right|thumb|200px|A traditional depiction of the [[Fall of Man|Fall of Man Doctrine]] by [[Thomas Cole]] (''Expulsion from the Garden of Eden'', 1828). ''His Dark Materials'' presents the Fall as a positive act of maturation.]] Pullman's "Authority", though worshipped on Lyra's earth as God, emerges as the first creature to evolve. Pullman makes it explicit that the Authority did not create worlds, and his trilogy does not speculate on who or what might have created worlds. Members of the Church are typically displayed as [[zealots]].<ref> {{cite web | last =Ebbs | first =Rachael | authorlink = | coauthors = | title =Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials: An Attack Against Christianity or a Confirmation of Human Worth? | work = | publisher =BridgeToTheStars.Net | date = | url =http://www.bridgetothestars.net/index.php?d=commentaries&p=attackcomment | format = | doi = | accessdate = 2007-04-13}} </ref><ref> {{cite web | last =Greene | first =Mark | authorlink = | coauthors = | title =Pullman's Purpose | work = | publisher =The London Institute for Contemporary Christianity | date = | url =http://www.licc.org.uk/articles/pullmans-purpose | accessdate = 2007-04-14 }}</ref> Cynthia Grenier, in the ''Catholic Culture'', has said: "In the world of Pullman, God Himself (the Authority) is a merciless tyrant,<ref>Grenier, however, misrepresents the Authority. Pullman actually presents the Authority as a frail old man whose power the angel Metatron has taken over.</ref> His Church is an instrument of oppression, and true heroism consists of overthrowing both."<ref name="catholicculture"> {{cite web |url= http://www.catholicculture.org/docs/doc_view.cfm?recnum=4004|title= Philip Pullman's Dark Materials|accessdate=2007-04-05 |last= Grenier|first= Cynthia|date= October 2001|publisher= The Morley Institute Inc}} </ref> [[William A. Donohue]] of the [[Catholic League (U.S.)|Catholic League]] has described Pullman's trilogy as "atheism for kids".<ref>{{cite web | last = Donohue | first = Bill | authorlink =William A. Donohue | coauthors = | title =“The Golden Compass” Sparks Protest | work = | publisher =[[The Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights]] | date =[[2007-10-09]] | url =http://www.catholicleague.org/release.php?id=1342 | format = | doi = | accessdate =2008-01-04 }} </ref> Pullman has said of Donohue's call for a boycott, "Why don't we trust readers? …Oh, it causes me to shake my head with sorrow that such nitwits could be loose in the world."<ref name="nitwits">{{cite news | url=http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/film/article2953880.ece | title=Philip Pullman: Catholic boycotters are 'nitwits' | publisher=[[The Times]] | author=David Byers | date=2007-11-27 | accessdate=2007-11-28 }}</ref> Pullman has, however, found support from some other Christians, most notably from [[Rowan Williams]], the [[Archbishop of Canterbury]] (head of the [[Church of England| Anglican church]]), who argues that Pullman's attacks focus on the constraints and dangers of [[dogma]]tism and the use of religion to [[oppression|oppress]], not on Christianity itself.<ref> {{cite news | last =Petre | first =Jonathan | coauthors = | title =Williams backs Pullman | work =[[Daily Telegraph]] | pages = | language = | publisher = | date =[[2004-03-10]] | url =http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2004/03/10/npull10.xml | accessdate = 2007-04-12 }}</ref> Williams has also recommended the ''His Dark Materials'' series of books for inclusion and discussion in [[Religious Education]] classes, and stated that "To see large school-parties in the audience of the Pullman plays at the National Theatre is vastly encouraging."<ref name="WilliamsSchools"> {{cite news|last=Rowan|first=Williams|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/3497702.stm |title=Archbishop wants Pullman in class|publisher=The BBC |date=2004-03-10 |accessdate=2004-03-10}} </ref> Pullman has singled out certain elements of Christianity for criticism, as in the following: "I suppose technically, you'd have to put me down as an agnostic. But if there is a God, and he is as the Christians describe him, then he deserves to be put down and rebelled against."<ref> {{cite web |url=http://www.pluggedinonline.com/thisweekonly/a0003516.cfm |title= Sympathy for the Devil by Adam R. Holz |accessdate=2007-12-16 |publisher= Plugged In Online}} </ref> However, Pullman has also said in interviews and appearances that his argument can extend to all religions.<ref name="Thirdway"> {{cite web |url= http://www.thirdway.org.uk/past/showpage.asp?page=3949|title= Heat and Dust|accessdate=2007-04-05 |last= Spanner|first= Huw|date= [[February 13]], [[2002]]|publisher= ThirdWay.org.uk}} </ref><ref> {{cite web |url= http://web.archive.org/web/20040911070237/http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/programmes/belief/scripts/philip_pullman.html|title= Belief|accessdate=2007-04-05 |last= Bakewell|first= Joan|date= 2001|publisher= [[BBC]]}} </ref> == Adaptations == ''His Dark Materials'' has appeared in adaptation on radio, in theatre and on film. === Radio === The BBC made ''His Dark Materials'' into a [[radio drama]] on [[BBC Radio 4]] starring [[Terence Stamp]] as [[Lord Asriel]] and Lulu Popplewell as Lyra. The play was broadcast in 2003 and is now published by the BBC on [[compact disc|CD]] and [[compact audio cassette|cassette]]. In the same year, a radio drama of ''Northern Lights'' was made by [[Radio Telefís Éireann|RTÉ]] ([[Republic of Ireland|Irish]] [[public radio]]). === Theatre === {{main|His Dark Materials (play)}} [[Nicholas Hytner]] directed a theatrical version of the books as a two-part, six-hour performance for [[London]]'s [[Royal National Theatre]] in December 2003, running until March 2004. It starred [[Anna Maxwell-Martin]] as Lyra, [[Dominic Cooper]] as Will, [[Timothy Dalton]] as Lord Asriel and [[Patricia Hodge]] as Mrs Coulter with dæmon puppets designed by [[Michael Curry (Puppet Designer)|Michael Curry]]. The play was enormously successful and was revived (with a different cast and a revised script) for a second run between November 2004 and April 2005. It has since been staged by several less known theatres in the UK, notably at the Playbox Theatre in Warwick (a major youth theatre company in the West Midlands). The play had its Irish Premiere at the O'Reilly Theatre in Dublin when it was staged by the dramatic society of [[Belvedere College]]. === Film === {{main|The Golden Compass (film)}} [[New Line Cinema]] released a film adaptation, titled ''[[The Golden Compass (film)|The Golden Compass]]'', on [[December 7]] [[2007]]. Directed by [[Chris Weitz]], the production obscures{{Fact|date=March 2008}} the explicitly [[religious]] character of The Authority so as to avoid offending some viewers{{Fact|date=March 2008}}. "Whereas ''The Golden Compass'' had to be introduced to the public carefully", Weitz said, "the religious themes in the second and third books can't be minimized without destroying the spirit of these books. …I will not be involved with any 'watering down' of books two and three, since what I have been working towards the whole time in the first film is to be able to deliver on the second and third films."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://moviesblog.mtv.com/2007/11/14/golden-compass-director-chris-weitz-answers-your-questions-part-i/ |title= ‘Golden Compass’ Director Chris Weitz Answers Your Questions: Part I by Brian Jacks |accessdate=2007-11-14 |publisher= MTV Movies Blog}}</ref> Pullman [http://www.philip-pullman.com/pages/content/index.asp?PageID=126 since stated] that "all the important scenes are there and will have their full value." ''The Golden Compass'' film stars [[Dakota Blue Richards]] as Lyra, [[Nicole Kidman]] as Mrs. Coulter and [[Daniel Craig]] as Lord Asriel. Plans envisage [[Eva Green]] playing Serafina Pekkala throughout the trilogy{{Fact|date=March 2008}}. [[Ian McKellen]] voices Iorek Byrnison, and [[Freddie Highmore]] voices Pantalaimon. [[The Golden Compass (film)|The film]] has had a mixed reception.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.latimes.com/business/printedition/la-fi-boxoffice10dec10,0,1063819.story | title='Golden Compass' points overseas | author=Josh Friedman | publisher=[[Los Angeles Times]] | date=[[2007-12-10]] | accessdate=2007-12-10 }}</ref> == Terminology == {{Main|His Dark Materials terminology}} == Further reading == * {{cite book | last=Frost | first=Laurie et al. | year=2006 | title=The Elements of His Dark Materials: A Guide to Phillip Pullman's trilogy | place=Buffalo Grove, IL| publisher=Fell Press | id=ISBN 0-9759430-1-4 | oclc=73312820}} * {{cite book | last=Gribbin | first=John and Mary | year=2005 | title=The Science of Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials | publisher=Knopf Books for Young Readers | id=ISBN 0-375-83144-4}} * {{cite book | last=Lenz | first=Millicent and Carole Scott| year=2005 | title=His Dark Materials Illuminated: Critical Essays on Phillip Pullman's Trilogy | place=Detroit | publisher=Wayne State University Press | id=ISBN 0-8143-3207-2}} * {{cite book | last=Raymond-Pickard | first=Hugh | year=2004 | title=The Devil's Account: Philip Pullman and Christianity | place=London | publisher=Darton, Longman & Todd | id=ISBN 978-0232525632}} * {{cite book | last=Squires | first=Claire | year=2003 | title=Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials Trilogy: A Reader's Guide | place=New York, N.Y.| publisher=Continuum | id=ISBN 0-8264-1479-6}} * {{cite book | last=Squires | first = Claire| year=2006 | title = Philip Pullman, Master Storyteller — A Guide to the Worlds of His Dark Materials| place=New York, N.Y. | publisher=Continuum | id=ISBN 978-0-8264-1716-9 | oclc=70158423}} * {{cite book | last=Tucker | first = Nicholas| year=2003 | title = Darkness Visible: Inside the World of Philip Pullman| place=Cambridge | publisher=Wizard Books | id=ISBN 978-1840464825 | oclc=52876221}} * {{cite book | last=Wheat | first=Leonard F. | year=2008 | title=Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials — A Multiple Allegory: Attacking Religious Superstition in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe and Paradise Lost | place=Amherst, N.Y. | publisher=Prometheus Books | id=ISBN 978-1591025894 | oclc=152580912}} * {{cite book | last=Yeffeth | first=Glenn | year=2005 | title=Navigating the Golden Compass: Religion, Science and Daemonology in His Dark Materials| place=Dallas | publisher=Benbella Books | id=ISBN 1-932100-52-0}} == References == {{reflist}} == External links == * [http://www.philip-pullman.com/ Philip Pullman], author's website * [http://bridgetothestars.net/ BridgetotheStars.net], a ''His Dark Materials'' fansite * [http://www.hisdarkmaterials.org/ HisDarkMaterials.org], an alternative ''His Dark Materials'' fansite * [http://www.cittagazze.com/ Cittagazze.com], the ''His Dark Materials'', a French fansite * [http://www.scholastic.co.uk/zone/book_philip-pullman.htm Scholastic: ''His Dark Materials''], the UK publisher's website * [http://www.randomhouse.com/features/pullman/ Randomhouse: ''His Dark Materials''], the U.S. publisher's website * [http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/arts/hisdarkmaterials/characters.shtml The BBC's ''His Dark Materials'' pages] * [http://www.telegraph.co.uk/arts/main.jhtml?xml=/arts/2004/03/17/bodark17.xml The Archbishop of Canterbury and Philip Pullman in conversation], from "[[The Daily Telegraph]]" ---- {{His Dark Materials}} [[Category:Alternate history novels]] [[Category:Anti-Christianity]] [[Category:Books critical of Christianity]] [[Category:Fantasy books by series]] [[Category:His Dark Materials]] [[Category:Novels by Philip Pullman]] [[Category:Religious themed fiction]] [[Category:Steampunk novels]] [[Category:Trilogies]] [[bg:Тъмните му материи]] [[ca:La matèria fosca]] [[cs:Jeho temné esence]] [[da:Det gyldne kompas]] [[de:His Dark Materials]] [[el:Η Τριλογία του Κόσμου]] [[es:La materia oscura]] [[fa:نیروی اهریمنی‌اش]] [[fr:À la croisée des mondes]] [[id:His Dark Materials]] [[it:Queste oscure materie]] [[he:חומריו האפלים]] [[nl:Het Gouden Kompas (trilogie)]] [[ja:ライラの冒険]] [[no:Den mørke materien]] [[pl:Mroczne materie]] [[pt:His Dark Materials]] [[ru:Тёмные начала]] [[fi:Universumien tomu]] [[sv:Den mörka materian]] [[th:ธุลีปริศนา]] [[zh:黑暗元素三部曲]]