Opening a discussion with the Argentine scholar Guillermo Lariguet on the philosophical context for Pullman's trilogy. This conversation was recorded piecemeal and built up from transmissions from Guillermo via whatsapp, with my responses. 

"A Brief Examination of the Literary Trilogy by Philip Pullman, His Dark Materials" essay (in Spanish) on academia.edu and Erasmus online review: 

https://www.academia.edu/37331615/UN_BREVE_EXAMEN_FILOS%C3%93FICO_DE_LA_TRILOG%C3%8DA_LITERARIA_DE_PHILIP_PULLMAN_LA_MATERIA_OSCURA 

https://www.icala.org.ar/erasmus/Archivo/2018/2018-1/erasmus-20-1-2018-00.pdf 

On Ch 13 Æsahættr, in The Subtle Knife, by Philip Pullman. 

Word study: Fandom, wiktionary, Skaldic poetry; Waking of Angantyr; Icelandic dictionary

And while you're looking that up, maybe you want to check out this band's Self-titled album

On ch 12: Screen Language, in Philip Pullman's The Subtle Knife

On Everett and his Many Worlds: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/hugh-everett-biography/

Augustine on Angels: http://www.vatican.va/archive/ccc_css/archive/catechism/p1s2c1p5.htm

On The Subtle Knife and Philip Pullman's epic tendencies. Many thanks to Faith Acker, lecturer and preceptor at Signum University, for joining me!

See more about her course, The Life and Times of the English Epic: https://signumuniversity.org/catalog/the-life-and-times-of-the-english-epic/ 

And our conversation celebrating the release of The Secret Commonwealth, with Kris Swank and Gabriel Schenk, as part of Signum's annual fundraising campaign: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jZV47M-0EZI 

On ch 11: The Belvedere, of The Subtle Knife, by Philip Pullman

On Xenogears' central chapters, from Zeboim to Shevat via Babel Tower, and what awaits you there

On ch 10: The Shaman, in Philip Pullman's The Subtle Knife

On the simulacra and ekphrases of Xenogears' first half or so, continuing where our first talk left off. 

We touch on C.S. Lewis' "On Stories," which Pullman cites approvingly more than once: https://gutenberg.ca/ebooks/lewiscs-onstories/lewiscs-onstories-00-h.html 

Here's some information about the wall Gabriel mentioned, dividing rich and poor parts of Oxford: http://www.bbc.co.uk/oxford/content/articles/2009/03/26/cutteslowe_feature.shtml

It's very close to the Hornbeam trees (Sunderland Avenue: https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/2368292)

This is the cemetery described by Pullman in The Subtle Knife: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wolvercote_Cemetery

This is Gabriel's flash fiction piece, chosen as one of five competition winners by Philip Pullman: https://gabrielschenk.com/writing/home/

More information on the Jewish cemetery and the Botanical Gardens: https://www.oxfordjewishheritage.co.uk/projects/botanic-gardens-first-jewish-cemetery 

More images from the books and the "How to Read the Alethiometer" promotional poster can be found on the HDM Fandom. 

On everything from Ramsus' underwater attack and help from Billy, the young priest, to the encounter with the green-haired girl in the ruins of Zeboim; Xenogears' theological arguments begin to take shape. 

https://newschoolnotes.blogspot.com/2019/05/bookwarm-games-xenogears.html