Arphenia started off as a red fox, went through two shapes I didn't catch, was a lynx or snow leopard for a while, and now she's a fennec, I think. Interesting choices. I wish the site logged who had answered the quiz; I'd like to thank you, and I'd like to know what parts of my personality you changed!
As much interest as I take in animals, the premise of familiars in The Golden Compass mainly just weirded me out. In truth, the alethiometer was the only thing to intrigue me. I didn't have the interest to pursue the sequels (which I later heard weren't as good), and Pullman's take on the Church ticked me off.
When I look at all the messages I've seen on the K&K mailing list about "what animal would you be if you were in Domain", and all the furry avatars on the TAC and Nice fora, it seems that having one's soul manifest as an animal would please a large number of people.
What ticked you off about the Church? Because I didn't see much there that didn't look like it couldn't have come right out of the RC church during the Renaissance. Remember, there was a lot more to the Protestant Reformation than theology.
More than anything, it was the last bit of conversation near the end of TGC to the effect of "The Church thinks it's bad, so it must be good." I was willing to give Pullman the same reprieve I give D.W. Griffith, who didn't really idolize the KKK but found it to be a useful hero-group for storytelling. (Another Griffith movie villified them.) But I heard later that Pullman wrote HDM largely as an antithesis to The Chronicles of Narnia, so there was no way I could appreciate it. (Remember, Lewis didn't stand in for Catholics in particular.) "His" is whose, Satan's?
It's not the totem animality of the daemons that bothers me. It's the concept of a soul manifestation being separate from oneself in mind as well as body -- not to mention the fact that people take them for granted despite living in a world that otherwise looks just like ours. Pullman even rewrote part of Genesis to suit that world. (This may sound strange coming from someone who accepts the world of Domain, but at least they're not human.) Furthermore, the very name made me assume at first that everyone with a daemon was evil. It threw me off for a while.
The panzerbjorns were too violent for my taste.
I feel a bit bad for writing all this. When someone expresses great dislike for something I love -- like K&K, most recently -- it can put me down in the dumps for hours. I didn't have to reply to your post at all. I considered dropping this one, but it seemed ruder to leave you without an honest answer. Sorry if you wish I didn't.
If it helps, I haven't ruled out watching the movie eventually. It might paint a better picture than the one in my head.
"not to mention the fact that people take them for granted despite living in a world that otherwise looks just like ours"
If you read "The Subtle Knife", you'll find how horrified Lyra is to find a world where people don't have daemons, despite living in a world that otherwise looks just like hers. ;)
I do not mean to distress you, Deckard, but how familiar are you with Church history? If you read how many times armies have been sent out to slaughter other Christians over matters of doctrine, you may see that, like every other organization, a church's primary purpose is its own existence, and it will use whatever means it has to continue it. As Orwell said, the purpose of power is power.
I am aware of plenty of atrocities in the history of my church. For most of my life, there were few denominations I liked less. But thru a series of revelations, I came to believe that the same church was the bride of Christ, still getting perfected. Whatever the moral character of the high-ranking members, the institution exists for reasons besides power. I hope that this difference of opinion won't drive a wedge between us.
I suppose I'd like the other-world discovery in TSK, but that's not enough motivation for me to pick it up.
sleepyjohn00
Comments
What ticked you off about the Church? Because I didn't see much there that didn't look like it couldn't have come right out of the RC church during the Renaissance. Remember, there was a lot more to the Protestant Reformation than theology.
And the panzerbjorns are just way too COOL!
It's not the totem animality of the daemons that bothers me. It's the concept of a soul manifestation being separate from oneself in mind as well as body -- not to mention the fact that people take them for granted despite living in a world that otherwise looks just like ours. Pullman even rewrote part of Genesis to suit that world. (This may sound strange coming from someone who accepts the world of Domain, but at least they're not human.) Furthermore, the very name made me assume at first that everyone with a daemon was evil. It threw me off for a while.
The panzerbjorns were too violent for my taste.
I feel a bit bad for writing all this. When someone expresses great dislike for something I love -- like K&K, most recently -- it can put me down in the dumps for hours. I didn't have to reply to your post at all. I considered dropping this one, but it seemed ruder to leave you without an honest answer. Sorry if you wish I didn't.
If it helps, I haven't ruled out watching the movie eventually. It might paint a better picture than the one in my head.
If you read "The Subtle Knife", you'll find how horrified Lyra is to find a world where people don't have daemons, despite living in a world that otherwise looks just like hers. ;)
I do not mean to distress you, Deckard, but how familiar are you with Church history? If you read how many times armies have been sent out to slaughter other Christians over matters of doctrine, you may see that, like every other organization, a church's primary purpose is its own existence, and it will use whatever means it has to continue it. As Orwell said, the purpose of power is power.
I suppose I'd like the other-world discovery in TSK, but that's not enough motivation for me to pick it up.
You may want to hold off on The Subtle Knife and The Amber Spyglass, though.