Specials: Phillip Pullman Attacks Narnia, Again. March of the Value-less Penguins

Last updated on: October 17, 2012 at 4:41 pm by Jeffrey Overstreet

Specials: Phillip Pullman Attacks Narnia, Again. March of the Value-less Penguins 2012-10-17T16:41:34-06:00 Jeffrey Overstreet

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Today’s specials:

Once again, ladies and gentlemen, the author of The Golden Compass attacks C.S. Lewis’s The Chronicles of Narnia as “racist” and “misogynistic.” If you think Pullman’s accusations are interesting, wait until you read the comments following the article.

UPDATE: Neb‘s comment in reply to this post was so good, I’ll include it here in the post:

Pullman amazes me yet again with his abundance of sour grapes. I’ve read the Narnia chronicles, and I’ve read the “His Dark Materials” trilogy. If the Narnia stuff is love-less and misogynistic, then Pullman’s trilogy is positively nihilistic and even more misogynistic. Love, real love, abounds throuhout the Narnia series. There are evil women AND men.
What is Pullman’s problem? He is a gifted (if neurotic) writer who’s prose is a delight to read. On the other hand, I found his trilogy to be, on the whole, depressing, especially the final chapter. Does he feel superior because he is darker and edgier? Are we supposed to see his world view as superior because he makes God out to be a third-rate hack angel on His last legs? Is the world he created a better one because the Church is founded on lies, there is no good or evil (only relative utilitarian objectives), and love only leads to misery? I’ll take Lewis or Tolkien any day.

UPDATE: At another link, we see the full Pullman quote:

“If the Disney corporation wants to market this film as a great Christian story, they’ll just have to tell lies about it. It’s not the presence of Christian doctrine I object to so much as the absence of Christian virtue. The highest virtue – we have on the authority of the New Testament itself – is love, and yet you find not a trace of that in the books.”

Yeah. A god-like lion lays down his life willingly for his friends. No Christian virtue there. Grace is shown to a rebellious and wicked boy. Sheesh. Where do you read about forgiveness in the Bible? Lies lies lies….

Isn’t it interesting that an author whose anti-Christian novels include heroic characters coming right out and saying, “Christianity is a lie,” is criticizing the Narnia chronicles because they apparently “lack Christian virtue”?

Peter T. Chattaway has posted yet another interesting update to the ongoing discussion of whether March of the Penguins is a “family values” movie.

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