Philip Pullman and the historical imagination : seventeenth-century literature, science, and religion in His Dark Materials and The Book of Dust / Kristen Poole.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Poole, Kristen, author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Pullman, Philip, 1946---Criticism and interpretation.

Pullman, Philip.

Pullman, Philip, 1946- His dark materials.

Pullman, Philip, 1946- Book of dust.

Civilization, Modern--17th century.

Civilization, Modern.

Science--17th century.

Science.

Science in literature.

Civilization, Modern, in literature.

Physical Description:

xx, 268 pages : illustrations (black and white) ; 24 cm

Place of Publication:

Oxford ; New York : Oxford University Press, 2025.

Summary:

"In Part One, readers are taken into the mysteries of Renaissance allegory and hieroglyphics, tracing how the alethiometer and Lyra's way of reading the device emerged from these traditions. Part Two enters the exciting and revolutionary world of seventeenth-century science. We see how the amber spyglass imitates Galileo's telescope, how early modern fantasies of space travel led to ideas of multiple worlds, how alchemy entered Lyra's later adventures in Oxford and Prague, and how the concept of Dust shares in the physics and philosophies of early scientists like Margaret Cavendish. Part Three invites readers into the thrilling epic poem Paradise Lost--John Milton's dramatic account of the creation of the world following a violent war in Heaven--that was Pullman's inspiration for His Dark Materials. Pullman's vibrant re-telling of this core story brings us rebel angels, recasts Satan as a brooding Lord Asriel, and presents Lyra as the new Eve." -- Publisher's website.

Contents:

Introduction. All this history around you

Language and meaning. A short introduction : what is truth?

The alethiometer I : allegory and interpretation

The alethiometer II : literalism and universal language

The language of pictures : daemons and hieroglyphs

Science. A short introduction : experiment and the new science

Spyglasses and other worlds

The secrets of alchemy

Margaret Cavendish and the physics of dust

Religion. A short introduction : Pullman and religion

Angels and the war in heaven

Rebelling against authority : Satan and Asriel

Back to the garden : Eve and Lyra.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Other Format:

Electronic version: Poole, Kristen. Philip Pullman and the historical imagination.

ISBN:

0192889311

9780192889317

OCLC:

1464023777

Publisher Number:

CIPO000208063