Subtotal: $
Checkout
A rich, accessible introduction to the work of the great Scottish storyteller who inspired C. S. Lewis and J. R. R. Tolkien.
If you don’t have the time to read all the novels of George MacDonald, the great Scottish storyteller who inspired C. S. Lewis, G. K. Chesterton, Mark Twain, W. H. Auden, and J. R. R. Tolkien, this anthology is a great place to start.
These selections from MacDonald’s novels, fairy tales, and sermons reveal the profound and hopeful Christian vision that infuses his fantasy worlds and other fiction.
Newcomers will find in these pages an accessible sampling. George MacDonald enthusiasts will be pleased to find some of the writer’s most compelling stories and wisdom in one volume. Drawn from books including Sir Gibbie, The Princess and the Goblin, Lilith, and At the Back of the North Wind, the selections are followed by appreciations by G. K. Chesterton and C. S. Lewis and accompanied by classic illustrations by Arthur Hughes.
View Table of ContentsGeorge MacDonald had a beautiful and clear understanding of the gospel of Christ. It impacted him so profoundly he felt the need to share his faith daily… [In] an excerpt from his novel “Lilith”, MacDonald’s brilliant use of imagery allowed me to feel as if I were standing in the midst of the dense forest, searching my soul.
Approximately fifty years ago I had the opportunity to peruse issues of The Bulletin of The New York C.S. Lewis Society. Of all the articles I read, the only one whose specific content I still remember was the one showing the strong influence of George MacDonald upon the fantasy stories of C. S. Lewis. Its title designated George McDonald as “The Founder of The Feast”. A brief, but powerful, discussion of this point is found in the Appreciations section of “The Gospel in George MacDonald”. Quotations from Lewis there specifically note the profound influence MacDonald had upon his fantasy.
The story 'At The Back Of The North Wind' does have some gems of edification . Notably, the segment on how the character Diamond , by letting the light shine before all men (to borrow a term from Jesus himself) helped the beleaguered workman to find peace in his house . In the same segment of the book it was mentioned how the infant in the poor man's house , by its peaceful facial expressions manifested a sense of the holy and sacramental right there *in daily life*, *in a quiet way* ....
The Gospel in George MacDonald describes a social world largely unrecognizable to us now. Yet, the strangeness of 19th century Scottish society and speech is not a barrier but an open portal to MacDonald’s message of God’s continuous love. Through excerpts from his novels, sermons, and letters, his profound truth of relationship with God grows ever more luminous in characters who learn that to do the work God gives us is to live the “Life” fully in participation with His will. This book breathes a joy that transcends suffering and uncertainty because of MacDonald’s absolute trust in God. He urges each of us to start where we can in seeking and finding God’s will and peace: “Do the truth you know and you will learn the truth you need to know,” for “every throb of gladness” is God’s gift.
MacDonald will doubtless be a challenge to our culture's sentimentalized versions of Christian faith, because every word he writes is deliberately chosen as a witness to Jesus Christ, the Good News of God in a world that believes all things spiritual are divorced from everyday affairs. There are so many glimpses of that evangelical witness here, that it's hard for me to select just one or two that represent that vision. This refreshing collection is one to which I will return again and again.
MacDonald has a charming and lyric turn of phrase which avoids excess by limiting elaborate wordiness to the passages on beauty and God’s mercies… Above all, what struck me was his most commonly-emphasized theme: that of love; love of parents (particularly fathers) for their children, of children for their parents, a little bit of the love of romantic souls for one another, but mostly the enduring love of God for his human creation.
