 The Golden Compass
The Subtle Knife
Synopsis
Read an Excerpt
Reader’s Guide
Teacher’s Guide
Cast of Characters
Glossary
The Liber Angelorum
Listen 
The Amber Spyglass
Lyra’s Oxford
The Science of
Philip Pullman’s
His Dark Materials
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The Subtle Knife: Teacher’s Guide
Teachers can use this guide to discuss the His Dark Materials trilogy with their students. Here are several themes, topics, and other connections appropriate for class work and discussion. For use with grades 7-12.
About these Books
Philip Pullman's intriguing and haunting trilogy sends fantasy lovers on an incredible journey through other worlds where they meet mysterious creatures and a brave and extraordinary 12-year-old girl, Lyra Belacqua, who has the power to seek truth.
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The Golden Compass, young Lyra Belacqua journeys to the far North to save her best friend and other kidnapped children from terrible experiments by evil scientists.
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The Subtle Knife takes Lyra to Cittàgazze, where she meets Will Parry, a fugitive boy from our own universe who becomes her ally and friend. On their journey from world to world, Lyra and Will's lives become forever intertwined as they uncover a deadly secret.
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And finally, in The Amber Spyglass, Lyra and Will, with the help of two tiny Gallivespian spies and Iorek Byrnison, the armored bear, set out to a world where no other living soul has ever gone, to make their most haunting discovery yet.
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In the Classroom
The Amber Spyglass is the crowning conclusion to the intrigue begun in The Golden Compass and The Subtle Knife. Each of the novels in Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy offers an exciting adventure that takes readers, young and old, on a journey through different dimensions to unknown worlds. The electrifying plots and unusual and mysterious characters make these novels excellent choices for reading aloud.
Themes of good vs. evil, betrayal, courage, fear, trust, and love raise important questions, offering students a wonderful opportunity to engage in meaningful dialogue. This guide offers questions for discussion and includes activities that connect the language arts, social studies, science, music, and art curriculum.
Pre-Reading Activity
Religion plays an important part in many works of fantasy, which often include themes of good versus evil and characters searching to understand the basic foundations of their faiths. Ask students to use the Bible, a storybook, or an encyclopedia to read about the Garden of Eden and the fall of Adam and Eve (Genesis 2-3). Have students discuss original sin, why God forbade Adam and Eve to eat from the Tree of Knowledge, and how Adam and Eve's lives changed once they gained knowledge.
Thematic Connections
Betrayal
- Ask the class to look up the various meanings of the word betrayal.
How does Lyra betray Roger in The Golden Compass? Discuss whether she
was aware that she was betraying him. How does she try to rectify this
betrayal? What is Lyra's great betrayal in The Amber Spyglass? How do
Lyra's mother and father betray her--and then protect her? Discuss how
Lyra deals with these betrayals.
In The Subtle
Knife, Will's mother is in a serious emotional state. He takes her to
stay with his piano teacher while he sets out to recover important papers
that belong to his father. Discuss whether Will is betraying his mother
or helping her in her time of need.
What other
characters in His Dark Materials trilogy are guilty of betrayal? Ask the
class to draw a parallel between the betrayal in Pullman's novels to that
found in the story of Adam and Eve. How is the betrayal in the novels
important to the basic conflict in the stories? Ask students to discuss
whether reading His Dark Materials has altered their understanding of
the act of betrayal.
Good
vs. Evil - The trilogy challenges our assumptions about good and evil:
some witches are good, while some members of the church are evil. What
are other examples of unexpected forms of good and evil in the trilogy?
At the end of The Amber Spyglass, what do Will and Lyra learn about good
and evil, about actions versus labels? How will this affect the way they
will live the rest of their lives?
What does
Lyra mean when she tells Will in The Subtle Knife that his dæmon is
"inside"? Discuss whether people in Will's world--our world--have dæmons
at all. What animal form do you think Lyra's dæmon will take when
she becomes an adult? Explain.
In The Subtle
Knife, the soldiers in the land of Bolvangar are cutting childrens' dæmons
away. Why does Dr. Lanselius consider this evil work? How does Lord Asriel's
mission reflect evil?
Courage
- Have students trace Lyra's courage as she travels from one dimension
to another. At what point does she almost lose her courage? How does Will
show courage in The Subtle Knife? Discuss how Lyra and Will help one another
sustain their courage throughout their quests in The Subtle Knife and
The Amber Spyglass.
Engage the
class in a discussion about whether having possession of the alethiometer
and the subtle knife either gives Lyra and Will courage or threatens it.
How does it take courage to leave one another and return to their own
worlds at the end of the trilogy?
Fear
- At the end of The Golden Compass, Lyra is afraid of her father, yet
admires him. Why does he evoke fear in her? How can she be afraid and
admire him at the same time? How is fear the basis of Will's mother's
illness? Discuss how fear is related to courage. Engage the class in a
discussion about how Lyra and Will's fears contribute to their courage
as they face the evil forces.
Trust-
In The Subtle Knife, Will accidentally kills an intruder who wants his
father's personal documents and then labels himself a murderer. Why does
this enable Lyra to trust him? Which characters do Serafina Pekkala and
Lee Scoresby decide to trust? Is their trust warranted? Who are the characters
that Lyra once trusted, but in the end finds that she cannot? In what
other way does trust play an important role in Pullman's His Dark Materials
trilogy?
Love
- In The Amber Spyglass, Will says to Serafina, "Thank you, Serafina Pekkala,
for rescuing us at the belvedere and for everything else. Please be kind
to Lyra for as long as she lives. I love her more than anyone has ever
been loved." (p. 509) Trace the development of Will and Lyra's love for
one another from the time they first meet in The Subtle Knife until they
part in The Amber Spyglass. How does their love affect the fate of the
living--and the dead? How does Lyra's adventure help her to discover a
new meaning of love?
In The Subtle
Knife, Will "loved her [his mother] so much he would have died to protect
her." (p. 9) How is his search for his father related to his love for
his mother? Why can't the subtle knife cut Will's love for his mother?
Interdisciplinary Connections
Language
Arts - The Golden Compass has been described as a heroic novel. Ask
students to identify the qualities of a hero. Who are the heroes in Pullman's
His Dark Materials trilogy? Have students select a hero from one of the
novels and write a poem about that hero. Encourage students to share their
poems in class.
It is quite
common for writers of fantasy to create their own vocabularies. Vocabulary,
including the names of characters, is often symbolic of the underlying
themes and messages of the story. Make a glossary for Pullman's His Dark
Materials trilogy that represents the unique vocabulary he created.
Philip Pullman
is very successful at creating terror in all three novels of his trilogy.
Ask students to review the novels and select a scene or episode that is
especially terrifying to them. Then ask them to rewrite the passage as
a horror story. Their stories should have a beginning, middle, and an
end. Some students may wish to illustrate their stories.
Social
Studies - At the end of The Amber Spyglass, Will and Mary return to
their world and Will accompanies Mary to her flat. Mary explains to Serafina
that she can't just give Will a permanent home because in her world you
must follow rules and regulations regarding keeping children. Find out
today's rules regarding foster care. What is the purpose of foster care?
Discuss whether Will would qualify for foster care. Would Mary qualify
as a foster mother?
Art
- Masks have been used through the ages to represent animals, monsters,
supernatural spirits, dream creatures, etc. Ask students to think about
which animal would most likely be their dæmon and create a mask to
represent that animal. Allow students time to share their masks and to
explain why they chose that particular animal as their dæmon.
Health
- Mary says that Will's mother sounds like a "classic manic-depressive."
Ask students to research the symptoms and characteristics of manic-depression
or bipolar disorder. How is it different from other types of depression?
From anxiety? Research the treatments for various types of depression.
What type of treatment is Will's mother likely to need?
Science
- In Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy, Lyra has the alethiometer,
Will has the knife, and Dr. Malone has the spyglass to aid them in their
quests. Though these items are fictitious, scientists have always used
tools and instruments to conduct investigations. Have students research
the type of instruments used through the ages and construct a time line
that reveals their development. What instruments do scientists use today?
Music
- Music plays an important role in modern fantasy and science fiction
films. Play music from films such as Star Wars and ask students to analyze
the music as it applies to plot development. How is music an important
link in communicating story? Divide students into three groups and assign
each a novel in the trilogy. Instruct them to locate music that would
be appropriate for a film of their assigned novel. Allow time to share
the selections.
Vocabulary/Use of Language
There maybe unfamiliar words throughout Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy. Ask students to jot down words that are new to them and try to define the words taking clues from the context of the novels. Such words may include:
In The Golden Compass: languid (p. 13), renegade (p.30), malodorous (p. 44), inveigled (p. 46), sanctimonious (p. 60), desultorily (p. 63), soporific (p. 111), and stanchion (p. 274).
In The Subtle Knife: despotic (p. 43), malevolent (p. 44), putrefaction (p. 79), parapet (p. 175), and academicians (p. 281).
In The Amber Spyglass: lee (p. 8), perpetual (p. 16), vortex (p. 18), decoction (p. 20), propitiate (p. 23), serpentine (p. 29), impregnable (p. 42), hexagram (p. 65), adamant (p. 120), ruthless (p. 128), and fiercest (p. 387).
Teaching ideas prepared by Pat Scales, Director of Library Services, the South Carolina Governor's School for the Arts and Humanities, Greenville, South Carolina.
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Reviews and Awards
Reviews for The Golden Compass
* "This first
fantastic installment propels readers along with horror and high adventure...a
shattering tale that begins with a promise and delivers an entire universe."
--Starred, Kirkus Reviews
* "A totally
involving, intricately plotted fantasy that will leave readers clamoring
for the sequels." --Starred, Booklist
* "As always,
Pullman is a master at combining impeccable characterizations and seamless
plotting, maintaining a crackling pace to create scene upon scene of almost
unbearable tension." --Starred, Publishers Weekly
Awards for The Golden Compass
An ALA Notable Book
An
ALA Top Ten Best Book for Young Adults
A Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year
A
Booklist Editors' Choice-"Top of the List"
Reviews for The Subtle Knife
* "Presented
in a rush of sensuous detail that moves and entrances...gorgeous imagery,
pulse-pounding action, and the baiting of readers' affections." --Starred,
Kirkus Reviews
* "Stunningly
ambitious, original, and fascinating...Pullman offered an exceptional
romantic fantasy in The Golden Compass, but The Subtle Knife is adding
a mythic dimension that inevitably demands even greater things from the
finale." --Starred, The Horn Book
* "The character
development as well as the relentless pace...make this a resounding successful
sequel." --Starred, Booklist
Awards for The Subtle Knife
An ALA Best Book for Young Adults
A Booklist Editors' Choice
A Book Links Best Book
A Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year
A Horn Book Fanfare Honor Book
Review for The Amber Spyglass
* "The longed-for
third volume in this trilogy satisfies deeply: full of grand set pieces,
resplendent language, and glorious storytelling...Across this brilliant
and vivid canvas, the largest of themes play out: life and death, goodness
and evil, self and other, the redemptive power of love. Readers will be
chastened -- and warmed -- and sorry to see the last page." -- Starred,
Kirkus Reviews
For more exciting classroom tools, including author bios, interviews and teachers
guides, visit Teachers @ Random.
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