(Untitled)

[stsisyphus]

Okay, among the many things that I've done since my last update, I went to go see The Golden CompassI've not read the books and only have passing hearsay about the events of the novels. But regardless, if it weren't for the energetic campaign by both sides of the religion issue (Fundies: "By Jove, they KILL GOD in that movie!" Pagans: "Bet'cher Ass

Comments

[cucumberseed]

Of course, sitting in a theater with your ex hugging your shoulder might also have something to do with assuming a bit of a self-conscious critical mindset.Ook

[stsisyphus]

Ook.

Evening was lackluster, I was distracted. Fallout continues.

...reinforces the image of our crazy bastards...

Yes, well, Ol' Pappy Kookinuts is usually fun at parties with all of his hollerin', doomsayin', and flailin' all about. That is, of course, until he goes and brings out his guns and starts shooting at all of us "godless commie sodomohammudittians liberals." And then takes it to the streets to "minister" to the neighborhood.

I wasn't aware the novels had been written in the pre-9/11 world. I'm fairly certain they would not have done nearly as well as children's novels if they had been written after (having probably included seditious intertext about the War on Other).

...all that history blurs in our experience and we have to actually go and do the work of picking it all out.

Yes, and that whole second paragraph is why I love reading your social/political commentary.

[unsi_sempai]

I really disliked this series, because it took a bunch of great fantasy ideas (daemons! armored bears! dust! magical gizmos!) and bogged them down in dull writing, irritating characters, and Pullman's annoying vendetta against the Narnia series. I can't help but think that most of the love for the His Dark Materials books comes from Edgy Atheists (and I say this as an Edgy Agnostic).

[stsisyphus]

This is, perhaps, the first dissatisfied review I've heard of the novels. I found Lyra's character to be just a bit too handily charming and plucky. Danger rolled off of her like water off a duck's back.
Yeah, there seems to be some kind of contrarian motive here, the need to push forward a "hey, athesists can have epic literature too! Besides Existentialists! We like to party too!" Meh.

[unsi_sempai]

Lyra was a brat and no character in those books seemed to have any sort of motivation for what they did, where they went, etc. Things just happened and the reader is supposed to believe that some sort of story is being told.

I tried to read Pullman's Victorian Girl Detective series and was bored out of my mind by the third chapter.

[stsisyphus]

...no character in those books seemed to have any sort of motivation for what they did, where they went, etc.

Good god, that was the word I've been searching for. Motivation. I can has some? Seriously, that was the question at the back of my mind and the tip of my tongue the whole time. Why the hell are these people so damn interested in helping her? What makes complete strangers just so f'in charmed by her as to want to make offers of undying loyalty and aid? The bear, at least, had something he might have felt honorbound to follow through on. The aeronaut? Everyone else who somehow bought into some vague "prophecy" about the girl? What prophecy? Who says that some moldy old prophecy has more authenticity than the vaunted authority of the Magisterium? Why? Why? Why

[severelyconfuse]

you need to read the books, for the movie to make sense. Pullman based the books loosely on milton's paradise lost, and also a bunch of william's blakes work. you were right about it having to do with the original sin. lyra represents eve, but you arent suppose to find that out yet so i may have ruined it for you. i had to read the books twice to get the deeper issues.