I've just finished reading Philip Pullman's new novel, The Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ - a book that has already brought hate mail for its author because of its suggestion that maybe Jesus had a twin... anyway, I will have a proper review of it later. For now, though I have just one thing to say abou tit.
No, Philip Pullman, just no.
You do NOT get to rip off Monty Python's Life of Brian and treat it like it's a clever comment on the nature of goodness.
Seriously - Pullman lifts this scene almost word-for-word, it seems. And drops it smack-bang in the middle of a serious discussion about the cynical/bleak-nihilist view of what goodness means. I was, it is fair to say, somewhat grumpy about that.
Reason being: it's a genius piece of comedy, but it's not what I'd term a balanced or academic source! I think I'm offended on three levels: the first is the implied (and in my view, unfair) criticism of Christian faith - this is also the least offensive point. The second is the misuse and apparent plagiarism of Monty Python! Finally, I'm upset at the apparent sudden descent into simple-minded point-scoring in what is otherwise a very interesting and thought-provoking book with some fair things to say. What can I say? I take debate seriously. There is a place for comedy within serious debate, of course, but you do have to think about the joke first!
So, there you have it - I am officially in curmudgeon mode at the moment.
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