Customer Reviews

Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials: A Multiple Allegory: Attacking Religious Superstition in the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe and Paradise Lost

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Philip Pullman's HIS DARK MATERIALS trilogy is a modern fantasy hit, so any college-level collection strong in science fiction analysis will find Leonard Wheat's title the perfect analytical companion piece to the series. Readers will find discussions of symbolism and allegory - as well as religion and British literature as a whole - to be insightful and revealing, lending to classroom discussion at either the high school or college levels.

Could have been an interesting read, but makes too many far-fetched and tendentious assertions about C.S. Lewis' symbolism. For example, the claim that the Pevensie children at the conclusion of the first Narnia book represent the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse is utterly unconvincing, among many other odd claims. I was interested in reading this author's book on ''2001:A Space Odyssey'' but after slogging through much of this one, I think I'll skip it.

I saw and enjoyed the movie "The Golden Compass." Later, I learned from a relative that it was anti Christian. Not sensing this from the movie, and wishing to understand the issue, I purchased this book and "Discovering the Golden Compass" by George Beahm. My overall impression after reading Leonardo Wheat's book is either he has a very active imagination or is compulsively dedicated to making every combination an allegory. Not withstanding, many of his "allegories" were worth consideration. I recommend both books to the interested reader.

Wheat's text is, to my knowledge, the most detailed attempt to comparatively analyse the allegory of Pullman's His Dark Materials and Lewis's Narnia chronicles, however his final product is so dry and takes deconstructive text analysis to the very extreme. I found his assumptions in analysing both Lewis and Pullman to be, at times, poorly constructed and agenda driven, to support his conclusions without providing alternative perspectives.

This is a book about allegory by someone who does not understand allegory. From a literary perspective, it is naive and virtually unreadable. It is thesis ridden in the worst possible way. Were one of my freshman composition students to have written something like this, I would give them a "F". Terrible book with an ignorant, untenable thesis. I write this not because I disagree with him (I do), but because the book offends me with its simplistic analysis and simple ignorance. While the title is promising; the execution is execrable.

This book is to be read AFTER you have finished all 3 books of the trilogy. The author has obviously done a ton of research into this book and relates it to Paradise Lost and The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe (Narnia). The symbols and allegories are outlined, sometimes they seem a stretch, but you after reading this book are have much more depth about the driving force of His Dark Materials (Pullman's books). This book has lots of footnotes and reads more like a textbook, which is ok for me becaue I am a PhD type, but general audiences may find it someone cumbersome. It went from a 4 to a 3 partially because in the first chapters, the author will ask a question, and never provide the answer, e.g. "and what character in Will's world is similar to the Snake in the garden of Eden". But doesn't answer it, and the questions weren't no-brainers for the reader - that is why we are reading this. However, in later chapters these questions are answered, but I found the first portion of the book annoying by not providing information, but instead using teaser questions with no footnote of the correct answer. If you are eruditic you will enjoy this book as I did, and come away more knowledgeable about Milton's Paradise Lost, Lewis' Narnia and organized religion/bible.

Everyone gets all wound up about books like this. It isn't "anti" anything. It is a great trilogy that explores science, philosophy, religion, human nature, and world nature. It idea that humans don't rule all OR know all.

Anyone who likes to think and imagine and enjoys a great fantasy/adventure story will love this trilogy. Don't let anyone label you (or it) and keep you from enjoying it.

It is a must read.