This wild abyss”
The trope of home in Philip Pullman’s his dark materials trilogy
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 12943285 |
|---|---|
| Authors | David Levey (0000-0001-8431-9569, University of South Africa, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2016 |
| Volume | 21 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 18-32 |
| Publication date | 2016-01-02 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Scrutiny2 (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1812-5441 • E-ISSN: 1753-5409 |
| Publisher | Taylor & Francis (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/18125441.2015.1073344 |
| OpenAlex | W2533691837 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 8 |
This article discusses His dark materials trilogy by Philip Pullman, setting his concepts of home, which I regard as bearing a resemblance to Ernst Bloch’s Heimat or homeland, in the context of a 2002 interview with him and against the background of Bloch’s “atheism in Christianity”. I ask whether, against numerous odds, the protagonists Lyra and Will reach home, in Bloch’s understanding, and suggest that Pullman introduces a further dimension. The two characters eventually come to understand that their atoms will be reunited with each other in the universe. To my mind this, not the temporal worlds or even the republic of heaven advocated by Pullman, is the culmination of the trope of home in the series. Such a reunion will constitute their true, spiritual abode. I therefore differ from the broadly Marxist, earthbound and socially directed, perspectives expressed by Bloch and Jack Zipes.Keywords: atheistic Christianityatheism in ChristianityErnst BlochHis dark materialsHomeparallel universesPhilip Pullman
Art · Art history · Blues · Context (archaeology · Heaven · Literature · Theology · Trilogy · Trope (literature · Contemporary Literature and Criticism · History · Philosophy · Utopian, Dystopian, and Speculative Fiction · Violence, Religion, and Philosophy
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |