Posted on 12/04/2007 8:49:42 AM PST by NYer
An excellent analysis.
The sad thing is that if these “books take root” in 20 years or so we WILL have a VERY Evil and murderous society, according to reviews (from a theological viewpoint)!
Then later you find out he's Lyra's father, who in fact abandoned her at Jordan College and had no hand in providing for her, educating her, or raising her.
Yet despite all this, Lyra wants to accompany him to the North and even to give him the Aleithiometer (a most powerful tool) --- why? Why would she want to be with someone who treats her cruelly and abandons her? And even after he coldly murders her best friend Roger (her main reason of wanting to go to the North, after all, was to rescue Roger), she seems more attracted by his power than revulsed by his evil.
I mean, if Pullman were interested in liberating human beings from oppression, it's truly strange that he makes his youthful heroine a little girl who abjectly loves an evil, abusive man.
It's so twisted. Even the twists are twisted.
If I read any such books as described when I was a kid I would have been repelled utterly. I didn’t know from “Oblation Boards” but I sure knew of bullies.
Yeah, 36%, and even some of the positive reviews are guarded or with qualifications.
My 13 1/2 year old son (neither of us had read the books) was excited to see it when he heard it was coming out. After viewing the trailer we couldn’t care less about it.
The world of “Dune” always repelled me as well. I did not like to think of a future humanity that had regressed to ugly feudalism.
I certainly do not think Frank Herbert was trying to glorify the coldbloodedness and ruthlessness depicted. I always saw it as a warning against thinking that democracy and freedom was somehow guaranteed in the future.
But isn't a "atheist" someone that believes there is no God
While these people talk about killing god, hating god... seem to be they must believe there is a God... this is more Satin like, wanting to murder your way to the top to be "god"
The sanitizing of the violence in the Narnia battle scenes and the brutality of the White Witch I found off-putting and cartoonish.
One of the most gripping scenes in the book was when the Witch came across the animals enjoying the feast Father Christmas laid out for them and sadistically turning them to stone. Edmund’s horror and pity at that moment seemed to mark the turning point in his moral redemption. It’s the first moment he ever starts to give a damn about anyone but himself.
“Bent” . . .
C.S. Lewis’ term from the “Out of the Silent Planet,” “Perelandra,” and “That Hideous Strength” space trilogy. I finished “Perelandra” last night at midnight (couldn’t put it down . . . way past my typical bedtime).
Bent men are more useful for evil than broken ones you see . .
Satin= Satan
Dang typo
The Dune universe, like the Star Wars universe is different from ours in that human beings actually do have superhuman powers. Something that simply refuses to happen in real world. We can’t entrust power to philosopher kings because no one is above human frailty and temptation.
Looking back on Dune I’d say Paul’s intitial motivation in fulfilling the prophecy is to fundamentally to obtain the power to avenge himself on his father’s murderers. Then he gradually realizes that he’s stuck on his course and can do nothing to stop his Fremen legions from overrunning the galaxy.
You’ll really enjoy “That Hideous Strength” then. What I thought was some of the most powerful writing and ideas in my not inconsiderable experience with books.
I have enjoyed Dune. It is a remarkeable book and less ham handed, and more morally ambiguous, than this tripe sounds. I did not associate the attempt to create the Maud Dib with Nietzsche’s idea of the superman before reading this though . . . the nature of the Maud Dib is so fantastic. That said Dune is a “buyer beware” sort of book in terms of its effect on your thinking; particularly for the young. Sci-Fi has a basic humanist, “man can solve all problems,” ethos at its core. “Dune” is actually outside of this pollyanna type tradition in my opinion, even with the traditional sci-fi superman protaganist. In that sense most sci-fi leans to Nietzsche like forms . . . as do westerns . . . as do . . .
I’m looking forward to “That Hideous Strength.” Will try to buy it before Sunday and see if my family will give me some time to read then . . .
I was twelve when I read Dune and I remember disliking the hell out everybody in it. The elitism of this future galaxy was revolting. There was no doubt as to what little, ordinary folks like myself could expect in such a world.
I wonder which fast food chain will have the "Golden Compass" happy meal toys?
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