Pullman review, Dust, Manichaeanism (SPOILERS)

Spectacled Bear · 30 May 2001, 11:33 · from urth-v0030.mbox · original

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From: Spectacled Bear <spectacled.bear at pobox.com>
Subject: Re: (urth) Re: Pullman review, Dust, Manichaeanism (SPOILERS)
Date: Wed, 30 May 2001 12:33:51 +0100
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At 00:03 2001-05-26, Adam Stephanides wrote:
>on 5/24/01 2:56 PM, Alice Turner at akt at attglobal.net wrote:
>
>>> At 18:51 2001-05-24, alga wrote:
>>>> "An Almost Christian Fantasy," the review by Daniel Maloney in the
>>>> Catholic journal First Things of Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy
>> is
>>>> up. Intelligent analysis, I think, not just religious but literary.
>>>> http://print.firstthings.com/ftissues/ft0105/reviews/moloney.html
>
>Thanks for pointing this out.  I agree it's a very perceptive review.  I
>think Moloney has put his finger on the basic flaws of the ending, though
>he's wrong to state as a definite fact that Will and Lyra do no more than
>kiss.

And even more wrong to describe the moment as "maudlin" and "banal".
Were he and I reading the same book?

>> Bear, the Eve thing is very difficult to figure in a truthful, honorable
>> way. I waver, but mostly I feel that it was a mistake on Pullman's part,
>> both in a moral and in a religious sense. The kids seem to adore it in a
>> tearjerker way.

Another reason for children to like this more than adults is that
are are too young for the idea of lifelong commitment to appeal.
Which is more or less what you said:

>> Is that because my daemon has settled and theirs have
>> not?

Spectacled Bear.



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