Letting Specters In: Environmental Catastrophe and the Limits of Space in Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials

Abstract

In this essay, I examine the function of environmental catastrophe in Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials trilogy. I argue that Lord Asriel’s bridge between worlds has irreparable consequences for the mulefa’s and the armored polar bears’ habitats. Moreover, I maintain that Will and Lyra’s agency derives not from the limitless freedom Lord Asriel seeks, but from love and responsibility. Using Lawrence Buell’s ecocritical approach and Wendell Berry’s argument for necessary limitations and placement, my reading addresses how large-scale environmental disaster in the text mirrors our own global climate crisis.