The secular angel in contemporary children's literature: David ...

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and methods of testing and evaluation cannot possibly be beneficial for all children and can actually inhibit creativity and imagination. A serious issue came to light recently as “In an attempt to ensure that her pupils don’t face disadvantages in later life, the head of a Teesside primary […] asked parents to correct children’s local accents and grammar” (Almond, The Guardian, 2013). Almond, who is from the north-east of Britain, decided to contribute an article in The Guardian, on February 8, 2013, written exclusively in a phonetic representation of local dialect and accent, and express his opinion on talking ‘propa’ English: “Am a rita, and A kno the commin lngwij cums from the hart an sole, and must neva be forgot” (Almond, The Guardian, 2013). The article celebrates the use and continuation of such accents, and argues that they neither impede nor deter linguistic or academic advancement, as the author himself was born and raised in Felling and Newcastle Upon Tyne, and not only graduated from university but also taught for many years before becoming a published author. Almond has, in fact, many of his characters, in several of his novels and stories, speaking in the local dialect where the story takes place. In Skellig, but especially in My Name is Mina, Almond uses his fiction to communicate his wider critique of the school system, which is unable to help, encourage and motivate children such as Mina, whose expression, either through art or other means, does not comfortably fit within the established curriculum. In this sense, these fictional texts are part of a wider activist campaign to make the UK education system more attuned to students’ individuality and creativity. Pullman’s latest publication, for which he has once again been condemned to “eternal hell” (Flood, 2010) was The Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ (2010). When asked what inspired him to write this book Pullman stated that he has “always been fascinated by the difference between the man Jesus, the son of Joseph and Mary, who I think almost certainly existed, and the idea of Christ, the son of God. The vast bulk of what people say about Christ seems to me nonsense, impossible, absurd. About Jesus, on the other hand, we can say many 220
interesting things” (Franks, 2011). Andrew Riemer claims that this “is a controversial novel [that] challenges traditional ideas of faith” (Riemer, 2010). Pullman’s hold on the religious and his decision to significantly alter and once again deconstruct a foundational Christian story accentuates the fact that HDM was not the only work within which he wished to express some anti-religious ideas. But this intention, it seems, is not an attempt to debase the values of religion, but, on the contrary, to illuminate the aspects that are, as Pullman claims, ‘interesting’, while challenging and confronting the ‘impossible and absurd’ head on. Pullman’s and Almond’s latest works, however, are also an indication of the strong presence that these seminal themes still have in the most recent publications for children and young adults. These aspects, in conjunction with the arguments posed in the thesis, lead, once again, to the notion of didacticism in children’s literature. Hans-Heino Ewers, in his article ‘Children’s Literature and the Art of Storytelling’, states that “apart from its proximity to orality, another feature which distinguishes children’s literature from adults’ is its didactic nature” (Ewers, 1992, 174), while J.P. May seems to be validating this view by claiming that “Adults who share literature with children are often conscious that they are using the story to ‘tell’ the child something about life” (May, 1997, 83). These two claims beg the question of whether the three authors in question set about writing their stories with the purpose of teaching their younger audience about religion, education, morality and responsibility. In the case of Skellig, Bullen and Parsons believe that by asking readers to navigate this uncertainty [about Skellig], the novel arguable has a pedagogical agenda. It invites child readers to engage in a combined imaginative and intellectual consideration of Michael and Mina’s version of events in tandem with the characters’ own assessment of Skellig. (Bullen & Parsons, 2007, 136) 221
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THE SECULAR ANGEL IN CONTEMPORARY C
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ABSTRACT This thesis explores the r
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I believe this thes
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Faith vs. Science & Innocence vs. E
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INTRODUCTION This thesis explores t
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to one’s morality based on the et
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part-angel, part-human, and through
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subject of angels, is indicative of
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the Book of Enoch (or 1 Enoch) and
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God with the scientific notion of D
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(Keck, 1998, 69). McNish’s angels
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your small existences?’ ‘But yo
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1980, 7). In order to grasp Blake a
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and, in the final analysis, its som
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was the strongest and kindest of al
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This reference to Blake points to o
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deconstruction-, its function “is
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childhood. Almond has mainly used d
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argument, and the heroes of the sto
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act of killing God, to the slow sec
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mentioned, the intertextual element
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meaning of words” (Allen, 2000, 3
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Transformation Transformation is a
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narrative the process is set into m
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secondly, it bears testament to Fre
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the crude awakening of the fact tha
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CHAPTER ONE DAVID ALMOND’S SKELLI
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appalling at first. His first meeti
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him, and serves as a mirror through
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are some of the parallels that can
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Blake & Intertextuality William Bla
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With these verses she is signalling
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Blakean passages that Almond has in
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a process which ultimately leads hi
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Michael’s mother, who faces a cer
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are not only symbolic and allegoric
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the first time, whereas Skellig has
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Mina read the sentences out loud. S
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see and closely observe the two met
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Mina is the one who teaches Michael
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however, does not constitute the ep
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that such a change in our nature an
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trepidation, there is no surprise w
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doctors whose responsibility it is
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have ultimately learned and exercis
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This very process of change, of bot
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may be offered along the way, this
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of by doctors, Michael tries to hel
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this entire process for Michael and
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in Almond and McNish’s work, as b
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witnesses the wings on his own back
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character and an idea. The artist
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Pullman wished for this story to re
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concepts. As a result, the Fall’s
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case of these three authors it is i
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Malone, who often voices opinions s
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Roger, true fear and loneliness ove
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egins by gathering all the elements
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intertextual umbrella under which t
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driven by malevolence and revenge.
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have to be considered as they are d
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drawn between the two girls, Lyra a
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the end of the GC where Lord Asriel
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considered preferable or superior i
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act is what brought sin into the wo
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punishment for disobedience is not
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work of the General Oblation Board
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Especially in the case of Asriel, h
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Lyra finds Dr. Mary Malone, a scien
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opposite to the religious one; whil
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subject to the laws of optics. They
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homosexuality to child readers as p
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could be, according to Schweizer, a
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as adults. Although she knows what
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conception of the angel Uriel” as
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however, could be intentional on th
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‘I propose to send a man to find
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substitution of this erroneous fait
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come after death. In this way, Pull
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towards adulthood is not always rel
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Pullman parallels childhood and inn
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double significance. In Lyra’s ca
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Instead, he seems to willingly and
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and its innocence, as well as the s
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eligious views myself, and therefor
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The issue of intertextuality is not
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style: shining, fully-robed, [their
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fails to pass the first time. Freya
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Page 185 and 186: has created his own moral code and
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Page 189 and 190: 2011, 100). He writes that the Jewi
Page 191 and 192: with this everlasting feeling of de
Page 193 and 194: to assist and comfort each other. W
Page 195 and 196: Faith vs. Science and Innocence vs.
Page 197 and 198: education, and social structures wh
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Page 201 and 202: McNish’s portrayal of innocence a
Page 203 and 204: All this changes when Freya first m
Page 205 and 206: enters a state of experience which
Page 207 and 208: The debate between state-school edu
Page 209 and 210: or strict, he also draws attention
Page 211 and 212: following peer victimization” (Tr
Page 213 and 214: Stephanie feel accepted and more se
Page 215 and 216: house. Furthermore, he has also had
Page 217 and 218: Stephanie wants to become her frien
Page 219 and 220: called from the window. ‘It’s n
Page 221 and 222: elationship with Stephanie and its
Page 223 and 224: This he exemplifies both in Mestraa
Page 225 and 226: thesis, however, it was argued and
Page 227: increasingly accurate perceptions o
Page 231 and 232: strength of the book, and I made ea
Page 233 and 234: 225
Page 235 and 236: 227
Page 237 and 238: Anonymous, “A Dark Agenda?” Sur
Page 239 and 240: Bleich, D. (1978) Subjective Critic
Page 241 and 242: Chambers, A. (1985) Booktalk: Occas
Page 243 and 244: Damon, S.F., Eaves, M. (1988) A Bla
Page 245 and 246: Fairer, D. (2002) “Experience Rea
Page 247 and 248: Gibbs, N. (1993) “Angels Among Us
Page 249 and 250: Hunt, P. (1994) An Introduction to
Page 251 and 252: Kochenderfer-Ladd, B., Troop-Gordon
Page 253 and 254: Manlove, C. (1999) The Fantasy Lite
Page 255 and 256: Mishna, F., Scarcello, I., Pepler,
Page 257 and 258: Pfeiffer, J. (1999) “‘Dream not
Page 259 and 260: Rosenblatt, L. M. (1982) “The Lit
Page 261 and 262: Squires, C. (2004) Philip Pullman
Page 263 and 264: Warner, N.O. (1982) “The Iconic M
Page 265: Yampbell, C. (2005) “Judging a Bo
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