Done with Pullman

So, I spent the end of last week and the weekend at the Children's Literature Association Conference. It was great, highly motivating to get myself on track. I'll write more about what I learned later.

At this time, I want to write about Phillip Pullman. I brought the 2nd and 3rd books to read while on the plane. After reading the second I thought I might not finish the series. Then after reading some of Pullman's belief system, I realized that I'm done with Pullman.

I want to say this-- I do think that Pullman is a quality writer. I think that he comes up with good, complex plots that successfully entertain readers. I think that he uses fantasy the way it was meant to be used--to take us to the place beyond disbelief-- his worlds are similar and yet fantastic-- His work is the uncanny.

But--he is all that he says he hates about C.S. Lewis. He fills his work with propaganda against God more fully than Lewis fills the Narnia series with messages that are pro-God. His vengeful attitude towards God goes beyond trying to get a reader to think that there is a possibility that there is no God-- rather, he believes that God should be attacked-- that he can be attacked, and that is the mindset he takes up in his text. I think that is quite a dangerous position to assume.

On a different note-- I am also annoyed that Lyra's thoughts are in this well thought out language, but when she opens her mouth she cannot state a grammatically correct sentence. If she has truly been around scholars for her entire life, she would have more eloquent speech-- or at least her vocal speech would match the language of her thoughts.

So, all of that to say-- I am done with Phillip Pullman.