‘Canonicity’: the Book or the Reader? - The Barrow-Downs Discussion Forum

davem · 05-27-2004, 01:21 PM

Just a couple of responses from Philip Pullman in an interview with Brian Sibley in the BBC Radio 4 documentary 'Fired by the Ring':

Sibley asked Pullman whether fantasy stories are needed.

Pullman: We need all sorts of stories. I think we don't need that sort of story as much as we need realistic stories. My view of fantasy is that its inherantly a trivial form, a form of less importance than realism & speaking for myself if I could write interesting stories of everyday people I'd gladly do that. I can't do that & make it interesting, so I have to write fantasy.

(Sibley then asks about the idea that the stories of Middle Earth are set in a period of our own ancient history) .

Pullman: Yes, well if he said that its the purest bunkum. I will believe that if they find a fossil Hobbit. Its not the real world, but there are large numbers of fantasy fans who hold conventions & who know a great deal about the Saga of the doomsword or frithlefroth or whatever it is, but who don't know what day it is& haven't changed their t-shirt for a month & clearly they're getting something out of it. What they get out of that sort of genre & this sort of thing is a mystery to me because I don't get it.

I think that kind of sums up Pullman's whole attitude to Fantasy & the 'value' he feels it has. (Its not very complementary about fantasy fans, either!)

05-27-2004, 01:21 PM	#11
davem Illustrious Ulair Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: In the home of lost causes, and forsaken beliefs, and unpopular names,and impossible loyalties Posts: 4,240	Just a couple of responses from Philip Pullman in an interview with Brian Sibley in the BBC Radio 4 documentary 'Fired by the Ring': Sibley asked Pullman whether fantasy stories are needed. Pullman: We need all sorts of stories. I think we don't need that sort of story as much as we need realistic stories. My view of fantasy is that its inherantly a trivial form, a form of less importance than realism & speaking for myself if I could write interesting stories of everyday people I'd gladly do that. I can't do that & make it interesting, so I have to write fantasy. (Sibley then asks about the idea that the stories of Middle Earth are set in a period of our own ancient history) . Pullman: Yes, well if he said that its the purest bunkum. I will believe that if they find a fossil Hobbit. Its not the real world, but there are large numbers of fantasy fans who hold conventions & who know a great deal about the Saga of the doomsword or frithlefroth or whatever it is, but who don't know what day it is& haven't changed their t-shirt for a month & clearly they're getting something out of it. What they get out of that sort of genre & this sort of thing is a mystery to me because I don't get it. I think that kind of sums up Pullman's whole attitude to Fantasy & the 'value' he feels it has. (Its not very complementary about fantasy fans, either!) __________________ “Everything was an object. If you killed a dwarf you could use it as a weapon – it was no different to other large heavy objects."