From LISTSERV@LISTSERV.UIC.EDU Thu Jul 12 20:26:03 2001 Date: Mon, 9 Jul 2001 07:40:05 -0500 From: "L-Soft list server at UIC (1.8d)" To: Laura Quilter Subject: File: "FEMINISTSF-LIT LOG0011E" ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 29 Nov 2000 14:39:28 -0500 Reply-To: Feminist SF/Fantasy and Utopia Literature ON TOPIC Sender: Feminist SF/Fantasy and Utopia Literature ON TOPIC From: Marcie McCauley Organization: @Home Network Subject: Pullman's Dark Materials Series MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit I've just finished the Philip Pullman series (The Golden Compass, The Subtle Knife, and The Amber Spyglass). The first book was recommended to me as a great read with a wonderful heroine about a year ago; despite the fact that the recommendation came from a trusted friend, however, I didn't respond quickly because I rarely read books penned by men (in an effort to "make up" for all those years of formal study devoted to them). In fact, if another friend (who has read one other fantasy novel that I know of in the past ten years!) had not given me the first two paperbacks for my birthday, I likely still wouldn't have made the effort. And that would have been my loss. I've been completely absorbed in them for more than a week. More so in the third book, whether because I enjoy his retelling of "Paradise Lost" or because I am just that much more involved in the characters and their quest, but unfailingly so. And I stayed up way past my bedtime last night to read the last 100 pages and am already lamenting that that third volume will have to go back to the library tomorrow. Lyra's character is just the sort I would like to see more of in young people's fiction. Actually, in adult fiction too as far as that goes. She is not only smart and brave, but right at the centre of the action, not a tagalong with a lucky good idea here and there. And even when Will enters the picture in the second book, and the adventure seems to be shared, it's Lyra's purpose driving them onward. The other female characters were of considerable interest as well: Mrs. Coulter, certainly not the stereotypical mother but a complex character in her own right (though not always a likeable one); Mary Malone, the capable and intuitive scientist; Serafina Pekkala, who shatters every stereotype of the "wicked witch" without evoking Glenda; and the Lady Salmakia, courageous and loyal Gallivespian. Strong women all, I'd say! I don't recall any discussion of these titles (though since the first was originally published in 1995, I'm not trusting my memory in this case!) but I'm wondering how other people on this list have reacted to them. I've heard people call Harry Potter a "feminist book" and I think it will be interesting to compare the two series and see which appeals to me more. Surely there are lotsa people out there with something to say about that ... Marcie ------------------------------------------------------ This is the FEMINISTSF-LIT listserve, intended only for discussion of feminism and Speculative Fiction. To unsubscribe from this listserve, send a message to LISTSERV@LISTSERV.UIC.EDU and in the body of the message say: unsubscribe FEMINISTSF-LIT Contact FEMINISTSF-LIT-request@LISTSERV.UIC.EDU if there are problems. ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 29 Nov 2000 13:54:48 -0600 Reply-To: Feminist SF/Fantasy and Utopia Literature ON TOPIC Sender: Feminist SF/Fantasy and Utopia Literature ON TOPIC From: Todd Mason Subject: A Pullman importer MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" of relevant web materials, I guess I am. -----Original Message----- From: Richard C. West [mailto:rcw@wendt.engr.wisc.edu] Sent: Wednesday, November 29, 2000 11:13 AM To: Multiple recipients of list Subject: RE: Pullman and Golden Compass Thanks, Jan. People interested in this thread might also want to look at: the Pullman spot on the Random House website: http://www.randomhouse.com/features/pullman/ The most interesting thing is the text of Pullman's Carnegie Medal acceptance speech, which is specifically at: http://www.randomhouse.com/features/pullman/philippullman/speec h.html http://www.salon.com/books/feature/2000/10/18/pullman/index.html Newsweek article at http://www.msnbc.com/news/479510.asp?cp1=1#BODY http://www.cnn.com/2000/books/news/11/10/philip.pullman/ http://nytimes.com/books/00/11/19/reviews/001119.19alderst.html Gregory Maguire reviews _Amber Spyglass_ in the latest issue of _Horn Book_, vol. LXXVI [==76], no. 6 (November/December, 2000), pp. 735-738. (BTW, this issue is also of interest in that a number of writers were asked to "choose one book from the twentieth century that he or she would most like to see survive into the twenty-second". Their choices, and their reasons why, are spotted throughout the issue, which is a special number on "The Future of Children's Books".) There is also an interview with Pullman in the current issue of _Interzone_, but I'm afraid I don't have the citation at hand. Regards, Richard West On 27 Nov 2000, at 17:40, bogstajm@uwec.edu wrote: > They might want to look at a few of these articles: > Interview with Pullman: http://www.achuka.co.uk/ppint.htm > Scholastic biography > http://teacher.scholastic.com/authorsandbooks/authors/pullman/bio.htm > > "Talking to Philip Pullman: An Interview (Wendy Parsons and Catriona > Nicholson) The Lion and the Unicorn, vo. 23, No. 1 January 1999 p. > 116-134. > > Gotterdammerung or Bust, by Philip Pullman, the horn Book Magazine. > V. LCC ==75, no 1 January/February 1999 > > > I am just finishing an encyclopedia article on Pullman's Golden > Compass. It's a lot easier to see what he's doing in the first book > once you've read all three, but the Gotterdammerung article and the > Acuka interview give you a lot of information on his use of Milton. > > -----Original Message----- > From: Ringel, Faye Prof [mailto:FRingel@EXMAIL.USCGA.EDU] > Sent: Monday, November 27, 2000 5:32 PM > To: Multiple recipients of list > Subject: Re: Pullman and Golden Compass > > > A colleague is planning to teach Pullman's Golden Compass to high > school seniors; I remember that a few weeks ago, during the heated > C.S. Lewis discussion, someone mentioned Pullman as writing a > deliberately different or counter-Lewis allegory of Christianity. > > If that person is interested in reprising that discussion, or for that > matter if anyone else is interested in discussing theological insights > into Pullman, could you answer off list to Scotti Jencks > SMJencks@aol.com > > Thank you. > Faye Ringel ------------------------------------------------------ This is the FEMINISTSF-LIT listserve, intended only for discussion of feminism and Speculative Fiction. To unsubscribe from this listserve, send a message to LISTSERV@LISTSERV.UIC.EDU and in the body of the message say: unsubscribe FEMINISTSF-LIT Contact FEMINISTSF-LIT-request@LISTSERV.UIC.EDU if there are problems.