Sunday, May 20, 2007

So miscellaneous.

(a) Nifty: map of online communities. You can barely get across the world without having to at least wander into MySpace. Take lots of fresh water and granola bars.

(b) I am also digging the Stars (sort of) album Do You Trust Your Friends? which is remixes and covers of Set Yourself on Fire by other bands (the dears! metric! apostle of hustle! the stills!). If this sounds like a dumb premise for an album, I'm with you, but you have to get past it. MOVE on.

(c) A memo*
To: Various extremely right-wing Christian groups with access to the Internet
From: Jocelyn
Re: Book banning/pulpit shouting activities

I don't know why you guys are even wasting your time on Harry Potter which, for all its witchcraft and perceived disobedience of authority figures, is firmly rooted in Judeo-Christian literary imagery and trope. May I suggest you adjust your sights onto Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy? The only reason I can think of that this has not already happened is that you are not as well-read as you maybe could be. Well, I am here, with an English degree and most of an MLIS, to help. (And mock, really. To help and mock.) GET WITH THE PROGRAM. How do you expect to have a serious negative impact on North Americans' intellectual freedom if you are going to waste your time with bestsellers you clearly haven't understood in the first place, and completely ignore books that could potentially be CAUSING CHILDREN EVERYWHERE TO TRY TO DECLARE WAR ON GOD AND ORGANIZED RELIGION?

Love,
Jocelyn

* disclaimer: if you can't tell that I am being sarcastic, then you are a moron

6 comments:

alea said...

some christians are noticing, as it turns out. click here.

That aside, it's an amazing series. I practically cannot wait to see the film version.

Prolix said...

Yeah, I totally agree. I read the books for the first time (just finished the third part yesterday) and I was intrigued. There were things about them that I loved and things I hated, but I think it's really true that they're some kind of atheist (or humanist maybe) answer to The Chronicles of Narnia. Better, maybe. I think the Narnia books are over-revered. And I love Philip Pullman's criticism of how they idealize childhood and demonize adolescence and adulthood--what kind of a thing is that to be teaching kids?

Anyway, I am now extremely excited for the movies, as well. Have you seen the huge freakin' bear? Awesome.

Tederick said...

It's secular humanism, not atheism, that Pullman is firmly behind. It's been a long strange journey in my life, going from loving Narnia as a kid (but being somewhat creeped out by the fact that the best thing Lewis could do to his characters was kill them all in a train crash and have Narnia be their heavenly reward) to loving His Dark Materials as a grown-up (which pretty much, in however many pages make up the trilogy, expresses every single thing I feel about ... uh ... everything).

Have you read His Dark Materials: Illuminated? Expensive as hell ($38 at Chapters), but I'd say with only two exceptions, every essay in it is outstanding.

Prolix said...

If we didn't live in three different cities, we could all go to the movie on opening night. Stupid long-distance Internet.

I would dress up as Serafina. She is my favourite.

In the trailers they pronounce her name "Lye-ra," I had always thought of it as "Lee-ra," any thoughts?

Tederick said...

It has to be "Lyra" because it needs to sound like "liar," which is referred to a few times in the trilogy, especially when the harpies are shrieking her name in the third book.

I used to know a Lee-ra, so I had to screw my head around quite a bit to get myself to pronounce it Lie-ra.

It's like Hermione all over again - I actually know someone who pronounced it "Hermy One" until the movie came out.

Prolix said...

Ooooh, that makes sense. OK, I believe you.

I knew about "Hermoine," having read "The Winter's Tale." Yay for Shakespeare, helping us to understand Harry Potter!