Research Catalog

Philip Pullman's His dark materials--a multiple allegory : attacking religious superstition in The lion, the witch, and the wardrobe and Paradise lost / Leonard F. Wheat.

Title
Philip Pullman's His dark materials--a multiple allegory : attacking religious superstition in The lion, the witch, and the wardrobe and Paradise lost / Leonard F. Wheat.
Author
Wheat, Leonard F., 1931-2014.
Publication
Amherst, N.Y. : Prometheus Books, 2008.

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Details

Description
338 p.; 23 cm.
Summary
Wheat demonstrates how Pullman retells two prominent works of British literature--C. S. Lewis's The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe and John Milton's Paradise Lost. Pullman's aim is to counter Lewis's pro-Christian allegory with his own anti-Christian allegory. Pullman does this in his second allegory by turning Paradise Lost upside down. Satan and his daughter, Sin, along with Adam's murderous son Cain, become heroes; God and Jesus become villains. This retold story depicts our society's warfare between knowledge (symbolized by Dust) and religious superstitions (symbolized by Specters). Pullman adds an original third hidden story featuring Christian missionaries, Charles Darwin, agnostics, and atheists. Wheat's intriguing interpretation of Pullman's work is the first to point out the many allegorical features of His Dark Materials and to highlight the ingenious ways in which Pullman subtly attacks religious institutions and superstitions.
Subject
  • Pullman, Philip, 1946-
  • Young adult fiction, English > History and criticism
  • Fantasy fiction, English > History and criticism
  • Allegory
Genre/Form
Criticism, interpretation, etc.
Bibliography (note)
  • Includes bibliographical references (p. 301-322) and index.
Processing Action (note)
  • committed to retain
Contents
Pullman's surface story -- The lion, the witch and the wardrobe: C.S. Lewis's story and his allegory -- The lion, the witch and the wardrobe retold: Pullman's allegory -- Paradise lost retold: the hidden story and its themes -- Paradise lost retold: setting, characters, and events -- Missionaries, Darwin and conclusions.
ISBN
  • 9781591025894
  • 1591025893
LCCN
^^2007027085
OCLC
152580912
Owning Institutions
Harvard Library