The Republic of Heaven

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Richvlietstra wrote:Hi there. I just finished the trilogy (which is exceptional) and saw in his acknowledgements that he thanks a friend for their idea concerning 'a certain brilliant notion concerning pictures in the subtle knife.' I'm not sure if this may just be in the British edition, I doubt it, but i have searched the internet and no-one has made reference to it. I really want to know now. Can anyone out there help me out?

Actually I don't think this refers to the pictures in the chapter headings - those are in Northern Lights too, and in the final chapter of The Amber Spyglass (the other chapters having an epigraph instead).

I think it refers to the icons in the page margins of TSK which indicate which universe the narrative is in at that point. They serve a narrative function too - nowhere else is it ever stated explicitly that Lord Asriel's fortress is in a separate universe altogether.

I didn't think anyone said it was the pictures on the chapter headings anyway, because if it was then it would have applied to the whole trilogy, not just TSK onwards.

I can't believe I never noticed those before! That's definitely the idea PP was refering to.

Well, this settles it:

5 The first volume of His Dark Materials included an announcement saying that the second volume would be set "in the universe we know" and "The third will move between the universes". In the event The Subtle Knife, the second part, moves between three worlds, with helpful marginal motifs for the reader. What casued this change of plan?

My little announcement at the beginning of NORTHERN LIGHTS was overtaken by the need, when I got to Book Two, to let the reader know what was happening in Lyra's world. I had to go back and forth: hence the little motifs in the margin – the idea, I happily admit, of my editor Liz Cross.

your editor of what?

Of the books that he was writing (i.e. HDM).

Oh, I mistakingly thought that you meant YOUR editor, not PP's. *looks embarassed*

Will wrote:Well, it's in my UK copy of TAS. I think he's thanking the woman he mentioned for the little pictures which head each chapter in TSK. Like the quotations do in TAS. It's not really that big a deal, which is probably why you couldn't find it on the net. I think that her 'brilliant notion' was most likely to make each picture show something from the upcoming chapter, which maybe they didn't before. Just speculating though.

PP drew those pictures himself, as is the case with the TGC/NL pictures, which you probably know.

Well done him.

I'm pretty sure I know what this means. I'm putting it in a spoiler box in case people want to work it out themselves:

[spoiler]I seem to remember hearing in an interview somewhere that he is talking about the pictures on each page of TSK. On each page, the picture is showing which world the action is taking place in: Subtle knife for Citagazze world, alethiometer for Lyra's world, hornbeam tree for Will's world, and a star for the world Ruta Skadi and the angels go through- perhaps Asriel's world? Anyway, I'm sure that's what the 'certain brilliant notion' is.[/spoiler]