LE3 .A278 2004

2004

Schwenke Wyile, Andrea

Acadia University

Master of Arts

Masters

English

English & Theatre Studies

My thesis "Dark Materials: Shifting Shadows in the Works of Ursula Le Guin and Philip Pullman" proposes a new category of fantastical children's literature which explores difficult themes, such as death. In Chapter One, I introduce how the adult/child hierarchy represses children's literature; fantasy can counter this by subverting methods of signification. In Chapters Two and Three I discuss Le Guin's 'Earthsea' and Pullman's ' His Dark Materials' trilogies, respectively, focusing on the concepts of the shadow and the guide. Within Chapter Four I discuss both authors by examining their approach towards death. Overall, I stress the need for a type of compassionate literature which gives children and young adults the means to explore and develop their sense of self, despite the difficulty of this journey. Dark Materials provide a guide by realizing unspeakable experiences as fantastical spaces, and emphasizes the necessary exchange of power for freedom.

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https://scholar.acadiau.ca/islandora/object/theses:3024