Post by Hardcase on Dec 9, 2007 10:12:12 GMT -5
Has anybody heard this?
The Golden Compass
Philip Nel, Associate Professor of English at Kansas State University writes to Snopes.com regarding their Golden Compass claims:
Dear Editors of Snopes.com,
I write to report an error in the Golden Compass entry (http://
snopes.com/politics/religion/compass.asp).
You identify the claim that the Golden Compass film is “based on a
series of books with anti-religious themes” as “True.” A better
answer would be either “False” or “It’s a matter of debate.” I teach
Philip Pullman’s series in my college-level Harry Potter class, and I
teach the first book (The Golden Compass) in my Literature for
Adolescents class.
One *can* interpret the novels as anti-religious, but only if you
equate the institution with the religion. That is, if a corrupt
church is synonymous with Christianity, then, yes, the books are anti-
religious. However, if you see a corrupt church as a perversion of
Christiainity, then you would be hard pressed to support the notion
that the books are anti-religious. The church in Pullman’s series is
very clearly a flawed institution, and — unlike the church in the
contemporary U.S. and U.K. — has the power to govern, to create
laws, to impose punishments, and to fight wars. The critique of the
church in Pullman’s series is a critique of a human institution that
seeks (wrongly) to impose its will on people’s lives.
However, the His Dark Materials series is very invested in
spirituality (in general) and Christianity (in particular). Some of
its central characters are angels. Ultimately, the series ends up
endorsing a Romantic or Transcendentalist notion of Christian fatih.
Nature becomes the route to the divine. For Pullman’s characters,
heaven is when the soul becomes one with the universe.
To claim that the protagonists “kill God” is also false. The
Authority dies while in the care of Will and Lyra, but the Authority
is *not* the creator of the universe. He has falsely claimed to be
the creator of the universe, but he is not the creator. If
Christians understand God as Creator, then we cannot claim that this
Authority is God: he is not a Creator. Also, he’s not *killed* by
Will and Lyra. He dies while they are trying to protect him. In
sum, this scene is far more complex than your website portrays it.
Your entry should distinguish betwen the words of a character and the
message of the author. To represent a certain point of view is not
necessarily to endorse that point of view. So, for example, the
quotation “every church is the same: control, destroy, obliterate
every good feeling” (The Subtle Knife, p. 50) is taken out of
context. Ruta Skadi — the “beautiful, proud, pitiless” Queen of the
Witches and a former lover of Lord Asriel (p. 49) — makes this
argument to convince the witches to support Lord Asriel, who, she
notes “hates the Church” (p. 51). However, supporting Lord Asriel is
a morally complex act. He is not a bad character, but nor his he a
good character. We are to value his battle against the corrupt
church, but not the means through which he wages that battle. He is
sympathetic, but also ruthless; smart, but dangerous. So, while it’s
true that those words (”every church is the same…”) appear in The
Subtle Knife, it’s not clear that they represent Pullman’s position.
The His Dark Materials trilogy is a rich and complex work of
fiction. Snopes.com is irresponsible to make the bold, broad claim
that it’s “True” that the series is anti-religious. Literature does
not work that way. As Emily thingyinson wrote, “Tell all the Truth,
but tell it slant — / Success in Circuit lies.” Literature tells
the truth slant; rarely does it make bold statements of policy. Some
characters may do this — characters created by Philip Pullman, Don
DeLillo, and Milan Kundera do make bold statements. But, as any
smart reader knows, the character is not the author. To get at the
“Truth” of a work of fiction, you need to read more carefully. You
need to consider all quotations in context. For these reasons, I
caution Snopes.com against making such claims. And I advise you to
be more careful, subtle readers.
Sincerely yours,
Philip Nel
Associate Professor
Director, Program in Children’s Literature
The Golden Compass
Philip Nel, Associate Professor of English at Kansas State University writes to Snopes.com regarding their Golden Compass claims:
Dear Editors of Snopes.com,
I write to report an error in the Golden Compass entry (http://
snopes.com/politics/religion/compass.asp).
You identify the claim that the Golden Compass film is “based on a
series of books with anti-religious themes” as “True.” A better
answer would be either “False” or “It’s a matter of debate.” I teach
Philip Pullman’s series in my college-level Harry Potter class, and I
teach the first book (The Golden Compass) in my Literature for
Adolescents class.
One *can* interpret the novels as anti-religious, but only if you
equate the institution with the religion. That is, if a corrupt
church is synonymous with Christianity, then, yes, the books are anti-
religious. However, if you see a corrupt church as a perversion of
Christiainity, then you would be hard pressed to support the notion
that the books are anti-religious. The church in Pullman’s series is
very clearly a flawed institution, and — unlike the church in the
contemporary U.S. and U.K. — has the power to govern, to create
laws, to impose punishments, and to fight wars. The critique of the
church in Pullman’s series is a critique of a human institution that
seeks (wrongly) to impose its will on people’s lives.
However, the His Dark Materials series is very invested in
spirituality (in general) and Christianity (in particular). Some of
its central characters are angels. Ultimately, the series ends up
endorsing a Romantic or Transcendentalist notion of Christian fatih.
Nature becomes the route to the divine. For Pullman’s characters,
heaven is when the soul becomes one with the universe.
To claim that the protagonists “kill God” is also false. The
Authority dies while in the care of Will and Lyra, but the Authority
is *not* the creator of the universe. He has falsely claimed to be
the creator of the universe, but he is not the creator. If
Christians understand God as Creator, then we cannot claim that this
Authority is God: he is not a Creator. Also, he’s not *killed* by
Will and Lyra. He dies while they are trying to protect him. In
sum, this scene is far more complex than your website portrays it.
Your entry should distinguish betwen the words of a character and the
message of the author. To represent a certain point of view is not
necessarily to endorse that point of view. So, for example, the
quotation “every church is the same: control, destroy, obliterate
every good feeling” (The Subtle Knife, p. 50) is taken out of
context. Ruta Skadi — the “beautiful, proud, pitiless” Queen of the
Witches and a former lover of Lord Asriel (p. 49) — makes this
argument to convince the witches to support Lord Asriel, who, she
notes “hates the Church” (p. 51). However, supporting Lord Asriel is
a morally complex act. He is not a bad character, but nor his he a
good character. We are to value his battle against the corrupt
church, but not the means through which he wages that battle. He is
sympathetic, but also ruthless; smart, but dangerous. So, while it’s
true that those words (”every church is the same…”) appear in The
Subtle Knife, it’s not clear that they represent Pullman’s position.
The His Dark Materials trilogy is a rich and complex work of
fiction. Snopes.com is irresponsible to make the bold, broad claim
that it’s “True” that the series is anti-religious. Literature does
not work that way. As Emily thingyinson wrote, “Tell all the Truth,
but tell it slant — / Success in Circuit lies.” Literature tells
the truth slant; rarely does it make bold statements of policy. Some
characters may do this — characters created by Philip Pullman, Don
DeLillo, and Milan Kundera do make bold statements. But, as any
smart reader knows, the character is not the author. To get at the
“Truth” of a work of fiction, you need to read more carefully. You
need to consider all quotations in context. For these reasons, I
caution Snopes.com against making such claims. And I advise you to
be more careful, subtle readers.
Sincerely yours,
Philip Nel
Associate Professor
Director, Program in Children’s Literature