To find the truth of a societal construct or phenomena, it can help to look at the world of fiction and fantasy. Though this idea may seem ironic or counter-intuitive, one will find that fictional literature can reveal the working order of its respective society. Philip Pullman’s epic fantasy trilogy, His Dark Materials, uses and manipulates the traditional constructs of the genre to reflect and re-imagine the concepts of adolescence of the late-20th and early-21st centuries. Eleven-year-old protagonist Lyra Belacqua and subsequently her cohort, Will Perry, reveal the complications and difficulties modern American and British adolescents experience as they progress towards adulthood and maturation through their fantastical experiences in Pullman’s fictional universe. Moreover, Pullman’s creation of the daemon, the animal representation of one’s soul, allows for the psychological maturation process of adolescence to become tangible. In doing so, Pullman’s trilogy provides a re-conceptualization of modern adolescence while also complicating the genre of epic fantasy.
","abstract_html":"<p>To find the truth of a societal construct or phenomena, it can help to look at the world of fiction and fantasy. Though this idea may seem ironic or counter-intuitive, one will find that fictional literature can reveal the working order of its respective society. Philip Pullman’s epic fantasy trilogy, His Dark Materials, uses and manipulates the traditional constructs of the genre to reflect and re-imagine the concepts of adolescence of the late-20<sup>th</sup> and early-21<sup>st</sup> centuries. Eleven-year-old protagonist Lyra Belacqua and subsequently her cohort, Will Perry, reveal the complications and difficulties modern American and British adolescents experience as they progress towards adulthood and maturation through their fantastical experiences in Pullman’s fictional universe. Moreover, Pullman’s creation of the daemon, the animal representation of one’s soul, allows for the psychological maturation process of adolescence to become tangible. In doing so, Pullman’s trilogy provides a re-conceptualization of modern adolescence while also complicating the genre of epic fantasy.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Felterman, Chloe"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Master of Arts (MA)","degree_level":"Masters Thesis","degree_discipline":null,"degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Eric Tribunella","Jameela Lares","Alexandra Valint"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2018,"date_issued":"2018-12-01T08:00:00Z","date_published":"2018-12-01T08:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T05:44:50Z","subjects":["Children's Literature","His Dark Materials","Philip Pullman","Children's and Young Adult Literature"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://aquila.usm.edu/masters_theses/595","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Eric Tribunella","Jameela Lares","Alexandra Valint"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Felterman, Chloe"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2018-10-18T07:00:00Z"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Masters Thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Master of Arts (MA)"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Children's Literature","His Dark Materials","Philip Pullman","Children's and Young Adult Literature"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://aquila.usm.edu/masters_theses/595"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["To find the truth of a societal construct or phenomena, it can help to look at the world of fiction and fantasy. Though this idea may seem ironic or counter-intuitive, one will find that fictional literature can reveal the working order of its respective society. Philip Pullman’s epic fantasy trilogy, His Dark Materials, uses and manipulates the traditional constructs of the genre to reflect and re-imagine the concepts of adolescence of the late-20th and early-21st centuries. Eleven-year-old protagonist Lyra Belacqua and subsequently her cohort, Will Perry, reveal the complications and difficulties modern American and British adolescents experience as they progress towards adulthood and maturation through their fantastical experiences in Pullman’s fictional universe. Moreover, Pullman’s creation of the daemon, the animal representation of one’s soul, allows for the psychological maturation process of adolescence to become tangible. In doing so, Pullman’s trilogy provides a re-conceptualization of modern adolescence while also complicating the genre of epic fantasy.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Epic Adolescence: Contemporary Adolescence in Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Eric Tribunella","Jameela Lares","Alexandra Valint"],"dc:creator":["Felterman, Chloe"],"dc:date.available":["2018-10-18T07:00:00Z"],"dc:description.abstract":["To find the truth of a societal construct or phenomena, it can help to look at the world of fiction and fantasy. Though this idea may seem ironic or counter-intuitive, one will find that fictional literature can reveal the working order of its respective society. Philip Pullman’s epic fantasy trilogy, His Dark Materials, uses and manipulates the traditional constructs of the genre to reflect and re-imagine the concepts of adolescence of the late-20th and early-21st centuries. Eleven-year-old protagonist Lyra Belacqua and subsequently her cohort, Will Perry, reveal the complications and difficulties modern American and British adolescents experience as they progress towards adulthood and maturation through their fantastical experiences in Pullman’s fictional universe. Moreover, Pullman’s creation of the daemon, the animal representation of one’s soul, allows for the psychological maturation process of adolescence to become tangible. In doing so, Pullman’s trilogy provides a re-conceptualization of modern adolescence while also complicating the genre of epic fantasy.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://aquila.usm.edu/masters_theses/595"],"dc:subject":["Children's Literature","His Dark Materials","Philip Pullman","Children's and Young Adult Literature"],"dc:title":["Epic Adolescence: Contemporary Adolescence in Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials"],"thesis:degree_level":["Masters Thesis"],"thesis:degree_name":["Master of Arts (MA)"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T05:44:50Z"}