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I feel that this is something very important and underlying that should be asked. From what I can gather HDM was heavily influenced by Milton's Paradise Lost. While I can't go into great detail, as I have not yet been able to force myself to get around to reading it (something else is always in the way, you know: school, work, life, whatever). As it is something I'm still very interested in I thought I would broach the subject to the rest of the guild. What are some specific thematic influences that HDM draws from Paradise Lost, and would you recommend one to reader's who've enjoyed the other?

Now, by all means I don't want to restrict discussion to just Paradise Lost, as I've heard it remarked elsewhere that some of Shelley's work is in much a similar vein (particularly Prometheus Unbound and Queen Mab) although I have only read pieces of them myself, I feel that it is likely an accurate statement. I've also read somewhere that HDM was in part reactionary against the allegorical nature of the Chronicles of Narnia, and an attempt by Pullman to give an allegory of the "opposing side". I think that is an interesting idea, but would like to hear what everybody else has to say on the matter.

In fact, please do not limit yourselves to discussing potential influences aside from those I've mentioned (I can't repeat myself enough on this bit wink ). The one's I've listed here are simply the ones I'm most interested in hearing more about, as I'm already slightly familiar with the connections. If you could clearly explain something which is wholly new, not only would it excite me and prove to make for an interesting debate topic, but I would consider myself in your debt.

I can't really say much on the topic, as I haven't read Paradise Lost, or any of the other books mentioned, but I do find it an interesting topic. I did recently buy "The Dancers at the End of Time" (I think thats what its called - something like that, anyway) which I think maybe a bit similar to HDM, though I don't think it influenced Pullman. I know Dancers has a connection with Adam and Eve and Original Sin and all that, but beyonf that I don't know how similar it really is to hDM.