Three great Young Adult fantasists: Pullman, Rowling and Nix

Since the 1990s Young Adult literature has been dominated by the Harry Potter phenomenon, but why? This course investigates Rowling’s work alongside two other bestselling and very striking Young Adult fantasies, Philip Pullman’s extraordinary fusion of Milton and magic, and Australian Garth Nix’s transformation of the afterlife.

Aims 

This course aims to:   

• clarify understandings of the fantastical as narrative mode  
   
• explore differing reasons for deploying the fantastical  
   
• locate modern Young Adult fantasies within modern history 

Content 

Though the label is more recent, Young Adult fantasy dates at least to C S Lewis’s Narnia books (1949–56), and prospered throughout the subsequent decades — but in the later 1990s it began a phenomenal expansion, driven initially by Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials trilogy (1995–2000) and Garth Nix’s Old Kingdom trilogy (1995–2003), then by the astonishing popularity of J K Rowling’s Harry Potter series (1997–2007). 

What happened included the very aggressive marketing and merchandising of the Harry Potter films (2001–11) by Warner Bros, and of The Golden Compass (2007) by New Line — but they initially purchased the rights because the books were already runaway bestsellers, and it is in the books themselves that answers must be sought. What is it about these particular works that proved so important to so many children and teenagers, as well as to adults? 

To begin with, it is notable that all three authors deal, however fantastically, with deeply serious issues that include material traditionally excluded from ‘acceptable children’s literature’. Pullman, already an experienced YA author, is also a considerable Christian controversialist, and besides responding to Milton’s Paradise Lost, His Dark Materials offers a severe critique of contemporary religious dogmatism and institutions. Nix, a less experienced but not debut author, treats and imagines death in intense detail, deconstructing the life-death binary in part as a response to the protracted death over three years of his grandfather. And racism is central to Rowling’s series, above all with muggles and mudbloods, but also in lesser matters from the treatment of house elves to ‘black Hermione’ in The Cursed Child. As happened with Le Guin’s Earthsea trilogy (1969–73), the works of Nix, Pullman, and Rowling have been received as much as wisdom literature, tackling hard subjects with imaginative grace, as entertainment. And one other medium, unavailable to Le Guin, was critical to their explosive print success — the Internet, primarily as a networking tool allowing fans to link up, and to find critical discussion unavailable elsewhere, but also as the home of fanfiction, a particularly significant element in the Potterverse. 

This course takes a hard look at all three writers, and the real historical and literary contexts in which their works of fantasy have come to matter so much to so many people. 

Presentation of the course  

Each session will begin with a mini-lecture and PowerPoint presentation, lasting 30–45 mins, and subsequently open to question and answer, and contributions by all. 

Course sessions 

1. Fantasy and mimesis 1: a different understanding 
    
2. His Dark Materials and the tyrannies of religion 
    
3. Harry Potter and the tyrannies of prejudice 
    
4. The Old Kingdom trilogy and the tyrannies of death 
    
5. Fantasy and mimesis 2: the liberations of fiction 

Learning outcomes 

You are expected to gain from this series of classroom sessions a greater understanding of the subject and of the core issues and arguments central to the course.  

 The learning outcomes for this course are:  

• an understanding of the debates and prejudices surrounding fantasy literature
    
• an understanding of historical and philosophical issues with which fantasy can engage  
   
• an appreciation of fantasy as a literary means rather than merely an entertaining end 

Required reading 

Nix, Garth, Sabriel [1995] (London: HarperCollins 2003) ISBN 0-007-13731-1  
digital edition also available  

Nix, Garth, Lirael [2001] (London: HarperCollins 2004) ISBN 0-007-13733-8  
digital edition also available  

Nix, Garth, Abhorsen [2003] (London: HarperCollins 2005) ISBN 0-007-13735-0  
digital edition also available  

Pullman, Phillip, Northern Lights [1995] (London: Scholastic 2011) ISBN 1-407-13022-6  
digital edition also available. US title, The Golden Compass  

Pullman, Phillip, The Subtle Knife [1997] (London: Scholastic 2011) ISBN 1-407-13023-1  
digital edition also available  

Pullman, Phillip, The Amber Spyglass [2000] (London: Scholastic 2011) ISBN 1-407-13024-8 digital edition also available  

Rowling, J K, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone [1997] (London: Bloomsbury 2014) ISBN 1-408-85565-8, digital edition also available  
US title Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone  

Rowling, J K, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets [1998] (London: Bloomsbury 2014) ISBN 1-408-85566-9, digital edition also available  

Rowling, J K, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban [1999] (London: Bloomsbury 2014) ISBN 1-408-85567-4, digital edition also available 

Rowling, J K, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire [2000] (London: Bloomsbury 2014)  
ISBN 1-408-85568-2, digital edition also available  

Rowling, J K, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix [2003] (London: Bloomsbury 2014) ISBN 1-408-85569-0, digital edition also available   

Rowling, J K, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince [2005] (London: Bloomsbury 2014)  
ISBN 1-408-85570-4, digital edition also available  

Rowling, J K, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows [2007] (London: Bloomsbury 2014)  
ISBN 1-408-85571-2, digital edition also available  

Typical week: Monday to Friday 

Courses run from Monday to Friday. For each week of study, you select a morning (Am) course and an afternoon (Pm) course. The maximum class size is 25 students.   

Courses are complemented by a series of daily plenary lectures, exploring new ideas in a wide range of disciplines. To add to your learning experience, we are also planning additional evening talks and events. 

Evaluation and Academic Credit  

If you are seeking to enhance your own study experience, or earn academic credit from your Cambridge Summer Programme studies at your home institution, you can submit written work for assessment for one or more of your courses.  

Essay questions are set and assessed against the University of Cambridge standard by your Course Director, a list of essay questions can be found in the Course Materials. Essays are submitted two weeks after the end of each course, so those studying for multiple weeks need to plan their time accordingly. There is an evaluation fee of £75 per essay. 

For more information about writing essays see Evaluation and Academic Credit. 

Certificate of attendance 

A certificate of attendance will be sent to you electronically after the programme.