Chronicals of Narnia disliked by Pullman

[Destiny]

Phillip Pullman (Author of 'The Golden Compass' ) nurses a ridiculous hatred of Chronicles of Narnia.

Philip Pullman, atheist and author of the children's series His Dark Materials, openly criticized The Chronicles of Narnia for the religious "propaganda" they contain. Speaking at the Guardian Hay Festival, Pullman said the Narnia stories were "blatantly racist" and "monumentally disparaging of women." In an interview with The Observer, Pullman criticized the film adaptation of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by saying, "if the Disney corporation wants to market this film as a great Christian story, they'll just have to tell lies about it." He added, "it's not the presence of Christian doctrine I object to so much as the absence of Christian virtue," and that the books contained "a peevish blend of racist, misogynistic, and reactionary prejudice."

I took this from Wikipedia, there's loads more.

Through out several interviews which were complied into an article, Pullman goes on to say all sorts of nasty things about Chronicles of Narnia. Really I was getting quite angry as I continued to read.

While I did enjoy The Golden Compass... really after that his series went downhill. (Make note he never pretended that "His Dark Materials" was Christian friendly.) But still, I find it extremely rude that he dares to point fingers at C.S. Lewis, who wrote wholesome books in a completely different time (well... not to long ago but you get my jist) and he writes material that completely blows God and Angels out of the water!

The Article
Here's the article that contains all of his complaints.

So what do you guys think?? Is he right or wrong? Does Pullman have the right to point fingers? What do you think about his claims?

[Tenshi no Ai]

Does Pullman have the right to point fingers?

Well, this is just how the world goes :/ People can be quite opinionated and think what they want, and being an athiest, gives him all the more reason that he just wouldn't understand... People can complain, criticize all they want, cause they are being people. Especially those who don't believe, seem to point out all the more, just cause that's how it is.

[uc pseudonym]

Well, there have even been Christians who have said that Lewis writes with subconscious racism or sexism. I can't say I entirely agree with them, but at the same time I'm slightly uncomfortable with how he does make entire people groups basically evil. As for the sexism, I can see how someone who objects to the values of a different era (for example, Saint Nicholas says something to the effect of "Wars are ugly when women fight") would find them offensive.

That was my disclaimer paragraph to hopefully keep this post balanced. I'll be forward in saying that I strongly dislike Pullman as far as I know him from his opinions. I would say that his series is essentially secular propaganda and he has little right to use that term.

[quote="Pullman"]“Susan, like Cinderella, is undergoing a transition from one phase of her life to another. Lewis didn't approve of that. He didn't like women in general, or sexuality at all, at least at the stage in his life when he wrote the Narnia books. He was frightened and appalled at the notion of wanting to grow up.â€

[Zarn Ishtare]

I've been trying to find a polite way to join the discussion about this man, but as I find his writing to be highly repugnant, I cannot find a balanced tone, so I respectfully add my sentiment to those who have spoken of his writing in a negative light.

[Maledicte]

He makes the opposite opinion pretty clear in His Dark Materials. But actually I think this criticism is unfounded. Like Rowling earlier in the Wikipedia article, though not as badly, he places his assumptions upon the text and then condemns it.

There's actually a really good essay on LiveJournal http://synaesthete7.livejournal.com/176635.html that's a great rebuttal to the assumptions made by Rowling, Pullman and others.

Those who argue for Susan's absence from Narnia being a kind of punishment for discovering sex usually zero in on Jill's words: "nylons and lipstick and invitations". But if Lewis had meant that Susan was obsessed with her romantic life and conquests, why didn't he simply tell us as much, which he could have done without any controversy whatsoever -- "she's interested in nothing nowadays except dressing up and having boys come to call on her"? Instead he chooses to zero in on material superficialities: nylons, lipstick, and invitations....

In other words, Susan is focused on her appearance. She's obsessed with clothes and cosmetics, with the idea of making herself look beautiful and sophisticated -- for whatever reason. Of course winning the attention of young men would be part and parcel of this, but the way Lewis phrases it puts the focus on Susan's own self-image, not her relationships with others....

...she is immature enough to mistake glitter and gloss and popularity for the things that make life worth living, and imagine that the vain trappings of cosmetics and fashion are what adulthood is about.

[Ouroboros]

Either way, I don't think it matters.
The Chronicles of Narnia are classics, very well written and while people may interpret them in their own ways or disparage them with our now supposedly superior level of thinking I really don't think it matters if the books are supposedly racist or sexist. There's lots of books written throughout history that contain stuff that people may object to nowadays, or in the times they were written, but that doesn't change the fact that they were good stories.
Even if ideologies conflict, that shouldn't stop you from enjoying a good story (well unless it gets to the point of being 'indecent' but that's a whole other debate) and I think rather than condemning C.S. Lewis people should instead just look at what he wrote and enjoy if for what it was.
It's kind of rich for someone who styles himself an atheist (the supposed 'free thinkers') to go around criticizing a classic author like that, just because their ideologies may differ. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed His Dark Materials when I read them but still - Does he want people to go around criticizing his books because they disagree with the content? If you don't like it - don't read it.
To be fair, I did kind of detect a bit of racism and sexism in the stories - but that didn't stop me fron enjoying them at all. Indeed he's still one of my favorite authors.

[mitsuki lover]

I thought we had something like this a long time ago.So what if Pullman doesn't still not like the Chronicle of Narnia,he is after all entitled to his opinion.Wheter or not we agree with him,the important thing is not to go around bad mouthing Pullman for writing what he wrote about Lewis.
Perhaps Pullman was viewing them from more of a writer's point of view than anything else.Perhaps he found them technically 'bad'.Or perhaps the theology
of them rattled his cage too much.
Whatever it was we should allow the man to have the benefit of the doubt and
allow him to his opinion.
As far as it goes I have looked through the books by Pullman that we have in our own library and he is one of the best writers around IMO.Certainly The Scarecrow And His Servant is superior to Eragon.

[Kokhiri Sojourn]

I understand the comments about a bit of racism and sexism in the writings, but when Lewis wrote these books, the world was a different place, and England was a different place. Global economy wasn't even on the radar, world wars abounded, country against country, stands were being made, culturally, it absolutely makes sense how Lewis wrote, coming from his context.

Now, of course, I don't agree with either sexism or racism, and as far as I know, Lewis didn't either. If the books were allegory, can't we take the nations of people as being spiritual nations (which would make much more sense than actual physical nations)? And in the end of TLB, didn't Rishta Takan convert? So how is that an entire nation, if one was called out of that nation?

I find it hard to read Pullman's writing. If he calls Lewis propagandistic, I think every writer in the world is propagandistic, because everyone believes something and writes based on their own belief. This would cut to the heart of story and narrative across literature. I think Pullman is upsettingly sensitive to a view he obviously detests, and is reacting out of that predisposition.

[rocklobster]

There's actually a really good essay on LiveJournal http://synaesthete7.livejournal.com/176635.html that's a great rebuttal to the assumptions made by Rowling, Pullman and others.

I read that one. I always thought that was the real reason. Besides, you can see clues that she's beginning to turn away from the faith in the books if you pay attention. She's the one who doubts Aslan the most, for instance.

[Kokhiri Sojourn]

There's actually a really good essay on LiveJournal http://synaesthete7.livejournal.com/176635.html that's a great rebuttal to the assumptions made by Rowling, Pullman and others.

I just read this article - excellent textual evidence from the Narnia books, as well as understanding of Lewis' mindset as a Christian.

[ClosetOtaku]

I always interpreted Susan's departure from the Narnia scene as one of "growing out of" Christianity, as many in the academic circles Lewis traveled in might have characterized believers' "ignorance" versus the intellectual "maturity" of the educated. I don't see anything particularly sexist about it; had Edmund or Peter fallen out instead, would Pullman have said it indicated something about Lewis' "repressed homosexuality", as has been whispered in various Oxford literary cliques? It doesn't matter. Like the Pharisees, many of these critics lack the vision of the obvious and are forced to find subtext to prove their points; Pullman is their poster child.

Pullman's own writing, which I initially found very creative and thought-provoking, eventually devolved into anti-Christian bigotry of the most offensive and ham-handed kind. It is little wonder his books are hailed as masterpieces in the modern public school system.

[Destiny]

Whew! Lots to say!

Mitsuki Lover, you were half right! There have been discussions on Pullman before, as well as Narnia too, but I did do a thread search before posting this to double check that I wasn't repeating a thread that was made. While this topic might have blended in with one of the other threads, I don't think one was specifically made for this. (Hahahah I agree with your assessment of Eragon too!)

Lots of good discussion here, thanks for that link SirThinks2Much!

I can see the racism perhaps.... But I'm a major Narnia die hard, so if you read the last book you do see that some of the races that were evil have people that live in the New Narnia. As for Susan...he's taking it COMPLETELY out of context. Susan didn't come to Narnia because SHE FORGOT ABOUT IT! She says point blank to her siblings something along the lines of "Narnia? Oh that game we played as kids?? Wow, we had wild imaginations!"

Also, as it's been said, Lewis came from a different time. Everybody has had some very good points so far, thanks for the insight!

Edit: ClosetOtaku hit the Susan point right on the head in what I was thinking!

[uc pseudonym]

EDIT: The thread is fine. While we've discussed this subject before, it has always been within the context of another discussion (of Pullman or Lewis, logically enough) and never in enough detail to make this thread superfluous.

Wheter or not we agree with him,the important thing is not to go around bad mouthing Pullman for writing what he wrote about Lewis.

Of course. However, I think it is fitting to respond in a civil manner when a major author like Pullman makes a comment of interest to our forum.

Whatever it was we should allow the man to have the benefit of the doubt and allow him to his opinion.

Have his opinion, certainly. It isn't as though we can take it from him. But review the quote in the opening post... even with the benefit of the doubt that's a rather strong statement.

There's actually a really good essay on LiveJournal http://synaesthete7.livejournal.com/176635.html that's a great rebuttal to the assumptions made by Rowling, Pullman and others.

Ah, that is indeed a good essay. There is only one thing I would have said that it didn't: "Narnia" is not the highest value in those books. As Aslan says (quoted in that essay) the children will find him in their own world, and the allusion there is rather obvious. Even if Susan rejects Narnia that doesn't mean she won't go to True London when she dies and couldn't conceivably go to other parts of heaven.

[Destroyer2000]

From what I can see, he makes no points as to the reasons WHY it is racist, or any of the other accusations he threw upon it. Reminds me somewhat of Jack Thompson. Regardless, people such as Pullman are better left ignored; their ignorance and arrogance lead to nothing good.

[Fish and Chips]

I've never read any of Pullman's books, but I think the Racism issue is directed towards Narnia's neighboring nation, Calormen, whose population's Muslim-esque religious and cultural heritage is shown as evil.

[Kokhiri Sojourn]

I've never read any of Pullman's books, but I think the Racism issue is directed towards Narnia's neighboring nation, Calormen, whose population's Muslim-esque religious and cultural heritage is shown as evil.

Yeah - I think you're right in locating the people group. Generally, Lewis does depict them as evil, but I would still argue that as a nation they serve an evil god, and that is their common denominator, not their location or ethnicity. Hence in TLB, I think it is Rishta Takan is in Aslan's country because of His faith. So I would still argue that as allegory, the work is far from racist.

[Destiny]

Yeah - I think you're right in locating the people group. Generally, Lewis does depict them as evil, but I would still argue that as a nation they serve an evil god, and that is their common denominator, not their location or ethnicity. Hence in TLB, I think it is Rishta Takan is in Aslan's country because of His faith. So I would still argue that as allegory, the work is far from racist.

Yep! I completely agree.

Uc pseudonym did have an excellent point about Pullman too. To me seeing Pullman bad mouth a famous, not to mention dead, author of a beloved classic tale is completely uncalled for. It's rude, unprofessional, and it makes him look jealous that his work isn't as well known as Chronicles of Narnia.

Perhaps if he didn't conduct himself in such a stubborn, 'finger point' manner I wouldn't be as upset. But instead he's on a smear crusade and as an author he should realize that he needs to live up to a higher standard. People listen, children listen. They model themselves after those who they admire. He could screw up some girl who thinks she's not getting into 'New Narnia' because she likes looking pretty.