There was much to admire about this book, but enough to leave a distaste in my mouth for the overall reading experience. I had trouble reading names in this book, first and foremost. I found myself flipping pages trying to remember who was who, and reading words two times, trying to pronounce them correctly. I am kind of OCD about that. Even Lyra was killing me not knowing how to say her name. I went with "Leera" over "Lie-ra" but don't think I wasn't second guessing myself for most of the book. Some children might have enjoyed the mystic names and intrinsic peoples of the book but I surely didn't. Plus, the whole anti-establishment movement (kind of reminds me of the go-green cult in present day society) really doesn't sit well with me. I would rather read a Christian Allegory than a fantasy reality (good oxymoron). Nonetheless, here are some further thoughts about the book:
The Daemon in the book is what I (I don't want to say enjoyed) the most but what had me nodding my head in agreement. I do believe in soul. In a spirit. Outside the novel I do believe that's true. So to have a part of my reality come into play with this fantasy fiction, there was a connection that could be appreciated. The whole intercision of the Daemon and person was a scary thought. Even the absoluteness of the Daemon after puberty is something which almost deals with death. In this real world the only thing that is absolute is death (and taxes we know..) So to have something be permanent and unchanged is as serious as death in that you can not fix what is done. It can not be undone. However the person themselves can be undone and the whole plurality of person vs daemon takes stage. Going back to pronunciation did anyone else pronounce Daemon like "Matt Damon"? Terrible. I was reading this hanging out with my Daemon, and thinking how absurd spelling is in The Golden Compass. The biggest problem I had with this book was staying interested and finishing. I wonder if anyone in the class enjoyed this book thoroughly and look forward to hearing from you. Maybe some of you can respond with your favorite moments in the book?
Interesting point about the names and pronunciations; that always makes me crazy when reading - it's so distracting from the plot! I didn't have a "favorite moment"...it hasn't been one of my favorite books this semester to be honest.
ReplyDeleteI don't know about a "favorite moment," but I enjoyed reading this book in tandem with The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, if only because it is so much more subtle in its critiques of Christianity. Reading this made me amazed that I ever missed the allegory in Lewis's book.
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ReplyDeleteThe pronunciation of some words/names was a bit annoying and sometimes I caught myself skimming over names. However, I did my best to respect the foreign (to me) words and acknowledge them, remembering how frustrated I get when other people are lazy with Arabic words/names and mumble them. I didn't want to be a hypocrite.
ReplyDeleteThe daemon concept certainly had me engaged. I believe in a dualism of body and soul and the conflation of both in order to create an individual. Pullman's take on this ying-yang was thought provoking and I appreciated the challenge. I am not very much a fan of science fiction (in book form, anyway), but this book had some endearing qualities that made it worth while, such as a strong female protagonist and the steampunk sub-genre.
I don't think I had a favorite part in the book, but I do agree that it was a little boring compared to previous novels we have read. I did find myself focusing on Dust and trying to figure out what it was. I also liked the visualization of the daemons. I felt Pullman did a good job describing them and giving them such diverse personalities.
ReplyDeleteI think the use of familiar but strange names - Gyptians, Norroway, Daemons, Asriel (Azrael) ect, force the reader to consider the associations, interpretations and prejudices they attach to these sounds and words. This regard for how we read words or interpret symbols is like Lyra reading the alethiometer. Pullman wants to us consider our preconceived notions about things. Daemon is especially interesting because of the powerful reaction it gets out of people and its radically different ancient definition.
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