The Book Northern Lights by Philip Pullman - Essay Example

Northern Lights and children's literature The argument of delight over the instruction can be upheld in the story of Northern lights. It is a fantasy book as such a delight book and not purely instructional. The fantasy of the book encourages the development of literary understanding among the children by relating the different events in the story. Despite the differences in approach, the story can be used to help the children develop a love for reading and adventure. The success of the book is based on the fascinating adventure highlighted in the book which is understandable and easy to understand. However, the book can be read by the adult also because of the plot of the book and focus. The suitability of a literature book to the children has been a main source of worry to the society. Several arguments have been placed on to illustrate the suitability of a book for children with minimal success. The debate has been on the rise whether the book illustrates and meets the needs of the children. However, children's literature is changing extremely fast because of the cultural construct is evolving exceptionally fast. The evolution of the social constructs has been the main issues in a debate on whether a selected book is suitable for children. Such debate has found a way into the discussion of the book Northern Lights by Philip Pullman. However a review of publications by Becket indicates that publishers do not make it easier to understand the difference between the adult and children's books (Beckett 67). For instance, the Harry Potter series do have cover differences but the content is the same in all the books (Carroll and Powell 23). Such minimal change reduces the confusion of the suitability of the book to the children. With the increase in need for children book, it is necessary to evaluate the values and needs of children in the dynamically changing world to ensure suitability of the book. Northern Lights are also known as The Golden compass in North America. It is a trilogy and it comprises of several other issues such as the fables and fairy tale. Written in 1995, the book has elicited debate on its suitability as a child literature. In spite of the raging debate over its suitability, the changes in child literature culture are a proof that there is not rigid standard that could be employed in the classification of books as either children or adult book. On the content level, it is possible to divide and illustrate that the book is either adult or children's book. On a literary level, most mystic and fiction books can be comprehended by the younger generation with ease. Such books include the Harry Potter series and other fiction books that could be easily understood by the readers. In line with the argument, the book Northern Lights can be classified as suitable for children based on the content and the level of language use employed. The story of the book revolves around two worlds representing the different approaches employed in the story. The major character in the story is Lyra Belacqua (Pullman 34). According to Pullman the original Eve depicted in the book of Genesis was not the cause of sin but the sources of all knowledge and awareness (Pullman 67). The story borrows from the biblical story of eve which is clearly understood by the Christian parents and children. The borrowing from the biblical account males the story suitable for children because it allows them to interrelate the two stories thus expanding their knowledge. The story depicts Lyra as the source of understanding and knowledge in the era of change thus relates the church with the story perfectly. With such clarity, the story fits well with children. The level of language use and the sheer illustration in the story makes it suitable as child literature. The story line and literature level employed in the story make it a crossover literature. Crossover literature is a new term used to define literature written with the ability to cross over and be used as both adult and children's literature (Beckett 90). The literature appeals to dual audience and include books such as Alice in Wonderland by Carroll and and Powell, and Huckleberry Finn by Pauline Francis among other books. The story by Philip Pullman is typically a crossover literature because it is fascinating for both adults and children. The Northern Lights (1995) are the first part of the trilogy His Dark Materials and are largely based on the interpretation of the Genesis story differently (Pullman 235). The interpretation of both the genesis story and the Paradise Lost by John Milton has been a serious issue of debate in society especially relating to religion. Catholicism has been against this book due to the interpretation offered for the biblical stories. However, the book is classified under epic fantasy and has several crossover elements that allow it to fit into both adult and children's section under literary classification. Crossover literature is literature specifically targets the children but can be read by adults, or it is a way the author has developed his story as a means of marketing or as a process target group literature. In spite of the variation in approach used in the process, the end product is literature that fits into the two target audiences well. The crossover literature and the children's literature belong to the same genre of literature namely fantasy because they are based on fiction (Beckett 87). The same concept applies to the story, but a large supply of fantasy works needs to be divided in order to understand the different genres. However, similarities exist in the literatures despite the inability to compare the two literatures in terms of suitability for children use (Francis 48). The major challenge for the fantasy stories has been on the ability to translate the story and fit it into the children's fantasy. The Northern Lights shows resemblance with the genre of Bildungsroman based on the experiences of Lyra. The growth and development of Lyra are narrated in order to develop the story and illustrate the reason for departure from home. With some negativity, Lyra is driven away from home, and her maturity process is long, demanding and gradual with constant and repeated clashes between her needs and wants and the social views that change personal understanding of the social order (Pullman 233). Social order in the book is a matter of life and death, as such; violations may lead to serious repercussion for the offender. Then other issues that make the book a cross over text is the open address. Open address refers to approach or way employed in the book to improve the accessibility and understanding of the story concept (Beckett 34). The Northern lights is a book with a fantasy story that can be easily followed and interpreted by the ready making it enjoyable for both children and adult. The third aspect presented in the book is the use of intertextuality. Careful analysis of the story line illustrates the similarity between the story and the Paradise Lost plot which is also an eloquent reworking of the Genesis story of the Fall (Milton 34). The fourth feature of the story is the demotic speech employed by Lyra. The speech is marked by the instances of non-standard grammar and unfamiliar collocations. The utopian world of Lyra is comparable to our world but presents issues in a different perspective. The use of wrong spelling such as Brytain for Britain falls under the deviating linguistic usage. The story and life of Lyra take place in another different world which makes it understandable to the readers but also pose a serious challenge for the translators. The major challenge of cross over literature is in the translation of the story. Despite the existence of another world in the story, the main action of the stories occurs against the background of Oxford England. In such a setting, a reader familiar with the setting will interpret the story differently, compared to readers from other countries. Despite the uniqueness of the location, it is vital to state that the story line is straightforward and can be understood by both children and adult. The epic nature of the plot makes it attractive for both readers. According to research carried out by Pullman, children understand setting of the story if stated and illustrated plainly and with an accuracy that makes the whole story understandable (Pullman 78). Literary analysis of the book indicates massive simplicity and easy plot development. Compared to other books in the same genre, the Northern Lights by Pullman can be easily comprehended because of the continuous development of the plot and reduced number of characters in the book. The book can be compared with Paradise Lost based on their origin and similarity in the plot (Milton 34), but the language use and employment of literary device may make them immensely different although they are all cross over literature (Beckett 34). The success of the whole story has been moulded in the understanding of the two different worlds of Lyra. The crossover literature offers several distinct advantages because of the generalization and ease to be shared across the different audiences. The trilogy by Pullman covers issues of magic and fantasy in a candid and fascinating form. However, several issues in the story may not favour the young readers because of the complexity of the occurrences. In conclusion, the crossover literature is developed with the sole purpose of ensuring that both the young and the old can use the same book. This may be marketing strategy or the authors' approach based on the target audience. However, the story's ability to be crossover literature depends on the plot and the development of the story. Fascinating stories are developed with the sole purpose of captivating the reader especially children but language and, literary devices employed in the story may help during the categorization of the story. Cultural changes and societal perception will influence the development of ideas and understanding of the stories. Fantasy is the main source of attraction for the children making the Northern Lights suitable for children and a good read for adults. The story allows the book to be a crossover literature and thus facilitates the understanding of the book by both adults and children. Works Cited Beckett, Sandra L. Crossover Fiction: Global and Historical Perspectives. London: Taylor and Francis, 2007.Print Carroll, Lewis and Martin Powell. Alice in Wonderland. New York: Capstone, 2007. Print Francis, Pauline. Huckleberry Finn. Chicago: Evans Brothers, 2012. Print Milton, John. Paradise Lost Book I. New Delhi: Pearson Education India, 2007.Print Pullman, Philip. His Dark Materials Omnibus. London: Random House Children's Books, 2012.Print Read More