A mão que se estende e ilumina a escuridão do percurso – a amizade em Fronteiras do universo, de Philip Pullman

Abstract

This dissertation aims to investigate how the theme of friendship, intertwined with individual development, emerges as a meaningful element in fantasy literature, with particular emphasis on the contemporary trilogy His Dark Materials by the English author Philip Pullman. To achieve this, the study begins with a philosophical framework, engaging with the perspectives of Aristotle, Cicero, Montaigne, Kant, Nietzsche, and Sartre on the subject. It then turns to the literary domain, first by outlining the theoretical foundations of fantasy through the works of scholars such as Tzvetan Todorov, David Roas, Farah Mendlesohn, and J. R. R. Tolkien, and subsequently by exploring the intersection between this narrative mode and the theme of friendship through an analysis of three seminal works from different historical periods: the Mesopotamian Epic of Gilgamesh; Le Morte d’Arthur, by Thomas Malory, rooted in the Arthurian chivalric tradition; and Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings, a cornerstone of modern fantasy. The third chapter offers an in-depth examination of six friendship dynamics within Pullman’s work, demonstrating how these relationships play a pivotal role in the characters’ coming-of-age trajectories.