The Shepherd, July 2006
Philip Pullman
and “His Dark Materials” Series, 1
“Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?” (Matt. 7:15- 16). I intend to show in this article that the Philip Pullman is one of the most dangerous authors for Christian children to be exposed to; a man lionised by the modern secular and pagan children’s literary and educational authorities
Philip Pullman CBE is a British writer and supporter of the British Humanist Association and an Honourary Associate of the National Secular Society. Educated at Exeter College, Oxford, he is the best-selling author of the “His Dark Materials” trilogy of fantasy novels and a number of other books, purportedly for children, but attracting increasing attention by adult readers. “His Dark Materials” consisted of “Northern Lights” (“The Golden Compass” in the USA), “The Subtle Knife” and “The Amber Spyglass.” A short companion piece, “Lyra’s Oxford” has also been published, and another larger companion novel, “The Book of Dust,” is currently being written. Pullman was awarded a CBE in the New Year’s Honours list in 2004.
“Northern Lights,” won the Carnegie Medal for children’s fiction in the UK in 1995. “The Amber Spyglass,” the last volume, was awarded both the 2001 Whitbread Prize for best children’s book and the Whitbread Book of the Year prize in January 2002, the first children’s book to receive that award. The trilogy won popular acclaim in late 2003, taking third place in the BBC’s Big Read poll. (Biographical detail mainly from www.wikipedia.com)
Many have compared Pullman with C. S. Lewis and with his “Chronicles of Narnia.” The two series resemble each other in many ways. Both feature children facing adult moral choices, talking animals, religious allegories, parallel worlds, and the fate of those worlds hanging in the balance. The first published Narnia book, “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe” starts with a young girl hiding in a wardrobe, as does the first Dark Materials book, “Northern Lights.”
However Pullman sees the “His Dark Materials” series as a direct rebuttal of C. S. Lewis’s Christianity-inspired series. What does Pullman really think about C. S. Lewis? Pullman was interviewed by “The Guardian” newspaper on 1st October 1998 and said: “…But there is no doubt in the public mind that what matters is the Narnia cycle, and that is where the puzzle comes, because there is no doubt in my mind that it is one of the most ugly and poisonous things I’ve ever read…
…And the American critic John Goldthwaite, in his powerful and original study of children's literature “The Natural History Of Make- Believe” (OUP, 1996), lays bare the misogyny, the racism, the sadomasochistic relish for violence that permeates the whole cycle…
…it’s propaganda in the service of a life-hating ideology. But that’s par for the course. Death is better than life; boys are better than girls; light-coloured people are better than dark-coloured people; and so on. There is no shortage of such nauseating drivel in Narnia, if you can face it…
 …I haven’t the slightest doubt that the man will be sainted in due course: the legend is too potent. However, when that happens, those of us who detest the supernaturalism, the reactionary sneering, the misogyny, the racism, and the sheer dishonesty of his narrative method will still be arguing against him..."
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