This article accompanies the fable
Kama Sutra


Philip Pullman's The Amber Spyglass as imperial metaphor

The spyglass is a metaphor that appealed to Philip Pullman, whose golden compass, subtle knife and amber spyglass (in His Dark Materials) all have an imperial nostalgic ring about them.  In J.K. Rowling, on the other hand, it feels more local and national and so we have the Pensieve, which can look into people’s memories. Back in medieval times, the legendary Prester John had a magical mirror in which he could see every province of his kingdom.