KILLING THE IMPOSTER GOD:
Philip Pullman's Spiritual Imagination in His Dark Materials
BY DONNA FREITAS AND JASON KING
Jossey-Bass, an imprint of Wiley - November 2007
From the press release:
Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy presents a magical world often compared to those of Lewis, Tolkien, and Rowling. Despite the growing literature of commentary written about this bestselling trilogy, the theological dimension of analysis has, until now, been completely disregarded.
Timed with the release of the first His Dark Materials motion picture, Killing the Imposter God: Philip Pullman's Spiritual Imagination in His Dark Materials (November 2007; Jossey-Bass, a Wiley imprint; $17.95, Paper, 978-0-7879-8237-9) is the first look at the spiritual and religious themes in this bestselling fantasy series. Written by two religion scholars, this book explores the complex theological themes running throughout this literary phenomenon.
For a triology that explores what a universe looks like without a God, His Dark MaterialsHis Dark Materials really about killing God? Is this a book about the death of God or about the defeat of institutionalized religion? Is there a Creator of all things? When is religion a means toward salvation, and when is it a tool of destruction? Killing the Imposter God takes on these issues, and in doing so presents a vision of a universe permeated with divinity and the Christian traditions Pullman himself so publicly adjures. presents a world abundant with deep religious and spiritual ambiguities. Is
Donna Freitas is a professor of spirituality at Saint Michael's College in Colchester, Vermont [and now an Assistant Professor of Religion at Boston University]. She lectures on pop culture and spirituality throughout the United States and the UK, and is a regular Beliefnet contributor. Jason King is a professor of theology at Lourdes College in Toledo, Ohio. His writing and speaking explore the intersection of pop culture and fantasy with theology.
To schedule interviews with the authors, contact their publicist Sarah Gorback.
