Length of Plot

[jewfro18]

I was just curious how long it actually was since Will first went into Ci'gazze and then went back for the final time with Dr. Malone to his world???

Anyone have any ideas? thanks for any help

[AUST]

Its hard to guess, but I'd say a month to 2 months.

[Enitharmon]

Its hard to guess, but I'd say a month to 2 months.

Blimey, you walk fast!

[AUST]

Its hard to guess, but I'd say a month to 2 months.

Blimey, you walk fast!

I actually am a pretty quick walker.

As I say i'm not sure. Most of TSK takes only 2 or so weeks and I was estimating that it took him another 2 to get to Lyra in the cave. Then 2 or 3 days in the world of the dead and a long time (a month) in the Mulfa world.

[Enitharmon]

I was estimating that it took him another 2 to get to Lyra in the cave. Then 2 or 3 days in the world of the dead and a long time (a month) in the Mulfa world.

It takes a reasonably fit person three weeks to walk the Pennine Way. That is nothing compared to walking from Siberia to the Himalayas. And yes, it does say in the text that you can't take a short cut by cutting through other worlds.

[trench_coat101]

Personally i got the impression that they only spent a week at the most in the world of the Mulefa so two - three months should be about right

[Enitharmon]

Personally i got the impression that they only spent a week at the most in the world of the Mulefa so two - three months should be about right

But how long had Mary been there? She learned their (distinctly non-Indo-European) language with some fluency. Think about the time it took to make the amber spyglass - there's quite a detailed explanation of how she made it, so it's not hard to work out how long it took. How many layers of lacquer? Each layer carefully painted on and left to dry out before the next layer is applied?

How do you respond to the comment above about walking from Siberia to the Himalayas? And back again via the World of the Dead?

It beggars belief that the whole thing took place in a matter of a couple of months. I ask these questions so that you think about it, instead of firing off a glib answer from the hip.

[AUST]

I was estimating that it took him another 2 to get to Lyra in the cave. Then 2 or 3 days in the world of the dead and a long time (a month) in the Mulfa world.

It takes a reasonably fit person three weeks to walk the Pennine Way. That is nothing compared to walking from Siberia to the Himalayas. And yes, it does say in the text that you can't take a short cut by cutting through other worlds.

Thats a fair point-it must have taken Will months. I forgot he was in Siberia.

[AlaskaStreet]

Well, Will did get on that boat with the bears and I guess that was about...halfway through the journey? And I think it said that that alone took a few weeks. So I'm going for...around 2 months for the Siberia to the Himalaya trek?

Man, Lyra was getting drugged for a while...

What I wanna know is how did Mrs. Coulter drag Lyra into another world and down into the Himalayas. But I suppose that's a question for another topic.

[Enitharmon]

Man, Lyra was getting drugged for a while...

Ama and her father and their fellow villagers were quite used to them being around. That suggests thay'd been there a while.

[trench_coat101]

[quote="Enitharmon"][quote="trench_coat101"]Personally i got the impression that they only spent a week at the most in the world of the Mulefa so two - three months should be about right[/quote]

But how long had Mary been there? She learned their (distinctly non-Indo-European) language with some fluency. Think about the time it took to make the amber spyglass - there's quite a detailed explanation of how she made it, so it's not hard to work out how long it took. How many layers of lacquer? Each layer carefully painted on and left to dry out before the next layer is applied?

How do you respond to the comment above about walking from Siberia to the Himalayas? And back again via the World of the Dead?

It beggars belief that the whole thing took place in a matter of a couple of months. I ask these questions so that you think about it, instead of firing off a glib answer from the hip.[/quote]

Hey hey hey im not a philosopher. And i dont currently have access to the books. Ok based on what others have said shall i change my answer to about (place your number here) months?

[Enitharmon]

Hey hey hey im not a philosopher. And i dont currently have access to the books. Ok based on what others have said shall i change my answer to about (place your number here) months?

I reckoned about two years when I wrote These Foolish Things. I thought that was pushing it a bit, too.

[Yrael]

Yes two years is pushing it just a bit, i would say between 5 months and a year.

[Atrias]

I find it quite difficult to guage the passage of time within the books, the narrative unlike some others is not really kept to a consistent pace from moment to moment or even book to book - which is no bad thing, as it obviously works, but it does make calculating things like this a little difficult!

I would have reckoned about 6 months... he has quite a fair distance to travel and both he and Lyra definitely have to have had time to mature and develop and their relationship to develop. 6 months does would be a reasonable time for all that without seeming excessive. Maybe upwards closer to a year?

[Luca]

Lance Parkin and Mark Jones' Dark Matters makes an attempt at a timeline based on... "When [Pullman] says 'six weeks or so' we take this to mean six weeks; a 'couple of days' is taken to mean two days; and 'a few days' is taken to mean three. In the event of 'time passing', we have made a guess and marked them as such"

(I'm not quoting it as gospel, but it's a start)

From the opening of NL and Lyra receiving the alethiometer (Day 1, 30 September 1996), they estimate 137 days (c. 15 February 1997) until Will and Lyra part.

Day 1: Bill and Roger abducted.
Day 13: Will witnesses a [partial?] solar eclipse "not long before" finding window to Cittagaze
Day 44: Marissa and Lyra plan cocktail party
Day 57: Lyra wakes on Costa's boat
Day 80: Twelve children brought to Trollesund by GOB
Day 88: Lyra tells Iorek where his armor is
Day 90: Lyra taken to Bolvangar by Samoyeds
Day 96: Asriel crosses bridge into the stars
Day 99: Lyra and Will meet in Cittagaze
Day 137: They part

(Edited for clarity, see below)

Rosie points out that the partial eclipse referred to by Parkin/Jones on 12 October 1996 (day 13) wouldn't have affected the light as described in TAS (pg 262). I don't recall it to be honest. Maybe I'll hunt through local newspaper archives if I'm truly bored enough.

Apologies for confusion, see post immediately below for my admonishment.

[Enitharmon]

Will enters the story at Day 13...

So, in the space of 13 days, she lives with Marisa Coulter in London, legs it during a cocktail party, travels by narrow boat from London to Ely, stays a couple of days for a roping, sails on again to Wisbech/Kings Lynn, waits while a ship is prepared, travels by sailing ship to northern Norway, helps to put together a party, treks across Lapland, spends time in a prison camp, travels by balloon to Svalbard, spends time imprisoned by the bears, treks across a mountainous and inhospitable island to Asriel's house, crosses the bridge through the aurora, makes her way to Cittagazze and makes herself quite at home in a room over an abandoned bar?

What planet are you from? Would you like to organise my fortnight's holiday next year?

Get real!

"not long before" he finds the window to Cittagazze, Will witnesses a solar eclipse. The nearest eclipse of the sun was a partial eclipse on 12 October 1996.

Yes, but that was a piddling little thing which didn't affect the light as described. Unlike the eclipse of 11 August 1999...

Rosie

[Luca]

I was misleadingly unclear. My original post above yours is edited with further details.

(According to... based on... etc. see above.)

Will and Lyra don't meet until Day 99 (c. 8 January 1997).

The Day 13 reference was to this partial eclipse Will witnesses ("not long before" finding the window) rather than him stepping through it and meeting Lyra after she'd been in Cittagaze for "3 or 4 days").

Not quoting it as gospel.

[Yrael]

Sorry to say this but i don't think that that timeline can be correct, just by my opinion

[Enitharmon]

I have a feeling the August 1999 eclipse happened about the time PP was revising his manuscript. It has the feel of something added in at the last minute. That it ties down Will's age probably wasn't his intention but it does that anyway.

[Luca]

Sorry to say this but i don't think that that timeline can be correct, just by my opinion

Indeed, entirely open to debate.

They do qualify their take on the timeline with:

"When [Pullman] says 'six weeks or so' we take this to mean six weeks; a 'couple of days' is taken to mean two days; and 'a few days' is taken to mean three. In the event of 'time passing', we have made a guess and marked them as such"

So it's there or thereabouts. Said it before, but I wasn't quoting it as gospel. Their version gives a general idea of the passage of time. Maybe Pullman's timeline will pop-up in the amber-lacquered photogram gold lamé lantern slides in the 25th anniversary editions =]