His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman
"His Dark Materials" is a fantasy trilogy by Philip Pullman that follows the journey of a young girl named Lyra Belacqua. Set in a parallel universe, Lyra's story begins at Jordan College in Oxford, where she discovers a mysterious substance called Dust and becomes embroiled in a dark plot involving child kidnappings led by her mother, Mrs. Coulter. Throughout her adventures, she is accompanied by her daemon, Pantalaimon, and is joined by various allies, including an armored bear named Iorek Byrnison and a boy from another universe named Will Parry.
The narrative explores themes of fate, morality, and the power of choice as Lyra and Will navigate multiple worlds. They confront formidable foes, including the oppressive General Oblation Board and the enigmatic Authority. As their quest unfolds, they learn about the nature of Dust and the consequences of their actions on the multiverse. Ultimately, Lyra and Will's journey leads them to profound realizations about love, sacrifice, and the desire to create a better world, culminating in a bittersweet resolution that emphasizes the importance of connection and the struggle against tyranny. The series is rich in philosophical and theological exploration, making it both a captivating adventure and a thought-provoking narrative.
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Subject Terms
His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman
- Born: October 19, 1946
- Birthplace: Norwich, England
First published: 1995
Type of work: Novel
Type of plot: Fantasy
Time of plot: Late twentieth century
Locale: Oxford, England; Cittàgazze; the Republic of Heaven
Principal Characters
Lyra Belacqua,a twelve-year-old girl
Mrs. Coulter, her mother, the head of the General Oblation Board
Lord Asriel, her father, the Arctic explorer who creates the bridge between the worlds
Iorek Byrnison, an armored polar bear whom she befriends
Will Parry, a boy who has the Subtle Knife
The Story
Lyra Belacqua is a happy orphan being raised at Jordan College in Oxford. She and her friend Roger wander the city with their daemons. Daemons are creatures that accompany every human and represent their souls, changing shapes until their human enters puberty, at which point they settle on one form. When a visiting political leader named Lord Asriel visits the college, Lyra and her daemon Pantalaimon prevent his assassination and overhear that he is researching Dust, a powerful and mysterious element.
As children suddenly begin to vanish, Lyra meets an impressive woman named Mrs. Coulter. Mrs. Coulter convinces the Master of Jordan College to give her custody of Lyra, who is entranced by the woman. The Master then gives Lyra an alethiometer, a device that can find hidden truths.
While Lyra is at first treated very well by Mrs. Coulter, Pantalaimon distrusts the woman. In London, Lyra discovers that Mrs. Coulter is in charge of the General Oblation Board. Part of the Church, the Board controls the Gobblers, who have been kidnapping children, including her friend Roger. Lyra and Pantalaimon then escape from Mrs. Coulter with the help of the kind boat-dwelling people called the Gyptians. They reveal to Lyra that Mrs. Coulter is actually her mother and that Lord Asriel is her father. While under the Gyptians’ protection, she also learns how to use the alethiometer and learns from a witch that she has an important destiny ahead of her.
Lyra and the Gyptians embark on a mission to rescue the kidnapped children. She learns that the General Oblation Board has kidnapped them in order to forcibly separate them from their daemons, experimenting to see if this can prevent the children from accumulating Dust, which they believe is a representation of sin. Separating people from their daemons causes them incredible pain, sorrow, and even death. Lyra and the Gyptians enlist the aid of witches and an armored bear named Iorek Byrnison. Lyra becomes separated from the group and winds up at the facility where the children are being held. Together with her friend Roger and a few other children, Lyra learns the truth of the Oblation Board’s operation and devises to escape. Iorek and the Gyptians arrive in time to rescue them from the Oblation Board’s forces. Lyra then goes on to find Lord Asriel, intending to give him the alethiometer. Lord Asriel, however, has made a device that can bridge worlds. In order to power his device, he needs a large amount of energy, which he acquires by separating Roger from his daemon, a process that accidentally kills Roger. Lyra then follows Lord Asriel through the portal.
Lyra ends up in a city called Cittàgazze, which is haunted by Specters. There she meets a boy named Will Parry. Will is also from a city called Oxford but in a different universe from Lyra’s. He has come to Cittàgazze after fleeing intruders in his home and hopes to find his father, an explorer who went missing. Back in Lyra’s world, Mrs. Coulter tries to find out what prophecy is regarding her daughter, while a council of witches agrees to try to help Lord Asriel and defeat the Church. Lyra’s alethiometer gives her the name of Mary Malone, someone in Will’s world who can help her better understand Dust, and she and Will agree to go there.
While learning about Dust from Mary Malone, Lyra and Will are sent on a quest between worlds, and Will gains the Subtle Knife, a blade that can open gates between worlds, after a struggle with its previous owner. Mrs. Coulter continues to pursue the friends, after learning that Lyra is prophesied to be the second Eve and to bring the world into sin, and vows to kill her daughter rather than let another fall occur. After Lyra and Will find Will’s father, who is then murdered by a witch, they encounter a couple rebel angels. The angels plan to take Will to Lord Asriel so that the boy might use the Subtle Knife to assist the rebellion against the Church and a figure called the Authority, whom many view as the creator of all universes and whom they contend is merely a dictatorial angel. However, when Will sees that Lyra has been kidnapped and the witches protecting her killed, he insists on staying behind.
However, Metatron, a powerful angel who is the Authority’s regent and holds most of his power, attacks Will, and Will escapes between worlds along with two rebel angels. With Iorek’s assistance, Will manages to rescue Lyra, whom Mrs. Coulter has kept prisoner. However, in the battle, Will and Lyra slip into another world, and Mrs. Coulter ends up aligning herself with Lord Asriel, coming to believe that Dust is not actually evil. Will and Lyra travel to the world of the dead and decide to free the ghosts who are there, using the Subtle Knife to open another portal, this one into the world where Mary Malone has been studying Dust and living among the elephantine Mulefa.
Will and Lyra come across the Authority, but he is so weak that he dies almost immediately. Mrs. Coulter and Lord Asriel together defeat Metatron, although they both die in the process. Lyra and Will learn that the cuts they have made between the worlds are all leaking Dust and so must be closed. Because it causes great pain and even death to be away from one’s original world for a long time, Lyra and Will must part ways, although they have fallen in love. Will goes home and destroys the Subtle Knife. Lyra decides that she will make an actual Republic of Heaven in her world.
Bibliography
Cantrell, Sarah K. "‘Nothing Like Pretend’: Difference, Disorder, and Dystopia in the Multiple World Spaces of Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials." Children’s Literature in Education 41.4 (2010): 302–322. Literary Reference Center. Web. 9 May 2014. <http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=lfh&AN=55199401&site=ehost-live>.
Moruzi, Kristine. "Missed Opportunities: The Subordination of Children in Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials." Children’s Literature in Education 36.1 (2005): 55–68. Literary Reference Center. Web. 9 May 2014. <http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=lfh&AN=16236738&site=ehost-live>.
Oliver, Chantal. "Mocking God and Celebrating Satan: Parodies and Profanities in Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials." Children’s Literature in Education 43.4 (2012): 293–302. Academic Search Premier. Web. 9 May 2014. <http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=82763321&site=ehost-live>.
Padley, Jonathan, and Kenneth Padley. "‘A Heaven of Hell, A Hell of Heaven’: His Dark Materials, Inverted Theology, and the End of Philip Pullman’s Authority." Children’s Literature in Education 37.4 (2006): 325–34. Literary Reference Center. Web. 9 May 2014. <http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=lfh&AN=22741093&site=ehost-live>.