Pullman: religion, humor, pronunciation

[Amy Z]

GulPlum wrote:

> Pullman's solution of the establishment of 
> a "republic of heaven" is anathema to any self-respecting Christian 
> with an intellectual appreciation of what they believe in. 

You think so?  I am not sure, and I'm not Christian, but it seems to 
me I've met a lot of Christians who would embrace that idea as 
perfectly compatible with their faith.  In fact, the Jesus Seminar 
folks (who are admittedly controversial) tend to quibble with the 
phrase "kingdom of heaven," believing that what's in the Greek is 
actually much more egalitarian than that term suggests.  My 
concordance is at work and I find the online ones tedious, so I'll 
check tomorrow.

Pullman's opinion notwithstanding, one does not have to worship the 
Authority to be Christian.  Plenty of Christians believe that God 
does not want to rule us but created us to be free.  Likewise, plenty 
share Pullman's opinion that the Church's hatred of sexuality and the 
body/the physical has been very destructive and is not in keeping 
with the essence of Christian teaching.  Pullman may see Christianity 
as hopelessly out of step with his views, but I think he's wrong.  

I hope some Christians will weigh in.

Incidentally, I also think his views of Christianity--his residue of 
anger, yes, I agree, Lisa--get in the way of his literary 
interpretation.  He thinks Tolkien's sagas are infected with Roman 
Catholic dogma.  I think that like Granger, he is perhaps holding 
what he knows about the author's beliefs against him 
inappropriately.  JRRT was a devout RC, but he had no trouble at all 
creating a cosmology that explicitly contradicts Genesis, and IMO he 
is not in any way creating a Christian allegory, rife with images of 
sacrifice etc. though it may be (contrary to popular opinion, 
Christianity did not invent the idea of redemptive sacrifice).
I agree with Lisa and Richard re: humor--Pullman's writing is not in 
the least bit funny, whereas JKR makes me laugh out loud even on my 
umpteenth reading.  (What's more, I laugh at things I didn't laugh at 
on the first 5 readings.)

I don't agree with this, though . . .

> It's not just humour. I think (perhaps very personal opinion) that 
> JKR does emotion better than Pullman does, as well. 

<SPOILER ALERT . . . for His Dark Materials>

Yes, it is very personal.  JKR can reduce me to tears (in my case, 
NOT difficult to do), but so can Pullman.  When Lyra found Tony 
Makarios, I was trembling with fear and pity.  I was a wreck when she 
and Pan went under the knife, and when Lee and Hester died, and as 
for the end of the trilogy . . . absolute puddle time.  But like 
humor, tears are very idiosyncratic.

> The audiobooks are no real guide to what the author wanted 

I was figuring that when he's present and participating in the 
taping, they are . . . but if he pronounces the final "n" in 
Pantalaimon the French way, then I'm wrong, because that's not how 
it's pronounced on the tapes.

Amy