Status
Available
Call number
Publication
Dover Publications (2005), Edition: First Thus, 224 pages
Description
One of the first great works of nineteenth-century fantasy fiction, Phantastes inspired many of the great Christian and fantasy authors of the twentieth century. A fairy tale for adults, it is the captivating story of a wealthy young man who takes an unplanned journey into a fantastic nether world. Led by an enchanting sprite (discovered inside an old desk once owned by his deceased father), he meets a diverse cast of characters, among them a fairy queen, as well as sinister figures who threaten his spiritual well-being. Outstanding for its imaginative characters, vivid action, and subtle yet powerful moral messages, this book, first published 100 years ago, earned MacDonald recognition as "The Grandfather of Modern Fantasy," and a tribute from W. H. Auden as "one of the most remarkable writers of the 19th century." Of this work, C. S. Lewis wrote, "It will baptize your imagination." Enhanced with 14 illustrations by Pre-Raphaelite artist Arthur Hughes, Phantastes offers readers an enlightening experience and a memorable literary journey.… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member atimco
George MacDonald's Phantastes, an early fantasy novel published in 1858, is narrated by a young man, Anodos, who has just come into his inheritance and is transported to Fairy Land on his twenty-first birthday. While there, he meets with many strange beings, temptations, beauties, and poetry,
There are giants, there are dark woods. There are ominous villains and deceptions laid for the pure in heart. There are small cottages buried in the deep forests, havens of safety amidst the wildness. The journey is about two things: the search for the ideal, and the discovery of one's own inner darkness, personified here by the shadow that clings to Anodos. It distorts his relationships and wearies his soul with its constant unwelcome presence. This is high fantasy with so many elements I enjoy; I should LOVE it, but I don't somehow.
Every now and then there is a flash of kindred knowing—as when MacDonald speaks of the old woman in the cottage, promising Anodos that even in his worst distress, she knows something "too good to tell" that would reconcile him to it all. But the majority of the tale was so slow moving, so plotlessly weaving, such a mishmash of episodic events.
C. S. Lewis famously wrote of Phantastes that it baptized his imagination, and as a tribute he included MacDonald as a character in The Great Divorce. I wish I could appreciate this work as Lewis and so many other readers have, but George MacDonald remains an author I simply can't warm to. Which is odd, because he has influenced several of my favorite authors and seems to have been influenced himself by other writers I enjoy (such as William Morris and Lord Dunsany). It isn't his heretical universalism, as vehemently as I disagree with him on that head. I don't know what it is; we just don't resonate.
I feel like reading Dunsany now; I think he achieves what MacDonald only reaches for here.
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always searching for the elusive woman he knows only as the Marble Lady. Indeed, he rescues her from imprisonment and claims a place in her affections, only to find that she is destined for another, a "nobler man." Much of the story deals with Anodos's various temptations and sins, as he wanders through this strange realm and slowly conquers his own weakness. There are giants, there are dark woods. There are ominous villains and deceptions laid for the pure in heart. There are small cottages buried in the deep forests, havens of safety amidst the wildness. The journey is about two things: the search for the ideal, and the discovery of one's own inner darkness, personified here by the shadow that clings to Anodos. It distorts his relationships and wearies his soul with its constant unwelcome presence. This is high fantasy with so many elements I enjoy; I should LOVE it, but I don't somehow.
Every now and then there is a flash of kindred knowing—as when MacDonald speaks of the old woman in the cottage, promising Anodos that even in his worst distress, she knows something "too good to tell" that would reconcile him to it all. But the majority of the tale was so slow moving, so plotlessly weaving, such a mishmash of episodic events.
C. S. Lewis famously wrote of Phantastes that it baptized his imagination, and as a tribute he included MacDonald as a character in The Great Divorce. I wish I could appreciate this work as Lewis and so many other readers have, but George MacDonald remains an author I simply can't warm to. Which is odd, because he has influenced several of my favorite authors and seems to have been influenced himself by other writers I enjoy (such as William Morris and Lord Dunsany). It isn't his heretical universalism, as vehemently as I disagree with him on that head. I don't know what it is; we just don't resonate.
I feel like reading Dunsany now; I think he achieves what MacDonald only reaches for here.
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LibraryThing member baswood
[Phantastes: A Faerie Romance for Men and Women] by George MacDonald.
“Alas, how easily things go wrong
A sigh too much, or a kiss too long
And there follows a mist and a weeping rain
And life is never the same again.”
A bildungsroman; first published in 1858 it is one of the earliest book length
When Anodos wakes up in fairy land he is enchanted by the flowers which seem to be home for the fairies, but there is danger in the enchanted land as the fingers of the evil ash and alder trees threaten to destroy him. The episodic story gets going when he discovers the marble statue made by Pygmalion, Anodos sings to the statue of a beautiful woman which promptly comes to life and floats away towards the forest, Anodos is compelled to follow and his pursuit of image leads him onto further adventures. He catches up with her, but after enticing him into a cave and sending him to sleep he awakes to find himself imperilled by the alder tree. He meets kind maternal women who warn him about foolish love and he meets more sinister women one of whom tricks him into opening a door where he finds his own shadow that appears black and evil in the light of the sun. Anodos begins to gain satisfaction from his shadow and when he meets a maiden/woman dancing happy as a child who carries a globe in her hands, she tells Anodos he must not touch her globe, but then says if he does it must be very gently; Anodos does, but the maiden draws away and says he must not touch it again, but:
“I put out both my hands and laid hold of it. It began to sound as before. The sound rapidly increased, till it grew a low tempest of harmony, and the globe trembled, and quivered, and throbbed between my hands. I had not the heart to pull it away from the maiden, though I held it in spite of her attempts to take it from me; yes, I shame to say, in spite of her prayers, and, at last, her tears. The music went on growing in, intensity and complication of tones, and the globe vibrated and heaved; till at last it burst in our hands, and a black vapour broke upwards from out of it; then turned, as if blown sideways, and enveloped the maiden, hiding even the shadow in its blackness. She held fast the fragments, which I abandoned, and fled from me into the forest in the direction whence she had come, wailing like a child, and crying, “You have broken my globe; my globe is broken—my globe is broken!”
After this encounter, which feels like a rape or defloration, Anodos must journey on through other parts of fairy land, eventually arriving at a fairy palace where he learns more about love and enchantment. He must sacrifice himself for an honourable, more reputable love in the fairy world, and he must be forgiven for his past demeanours, before he can arrive back in the real world. The central story has dreams within dreams and tales within tales as MacDonald weaves his magical allegory, but some parts work better than others. Characterisation is not MacDonalds strongest attribute as the reader does not gain much insight into Anodos, although much of the story is written in the first person. We see him learn from experience, but in a fantasy story it is the world outside of the hero that should hold our interest and this is where MacDonald is at his best. The author was a Christian Minister and a poet and it is his knowledge and love of poetry that seems to be the major influence for his writing in Phantastes. Every chapter starts with a quote; notably from the early English canon; Chaucer, Spenser, Lyly and Sir Philip Sidney, but also from the German Romantics. There are new songs and poems by MacDonald that are a feature of Phantastes woven into the text rather like Sir Philip Sidney’s Arcadia, although in my opinion MacDonald never reaches those heights. MacDonalds book must be admired as an early example of English fantasy literature, which obviously influenced later Victorian authors: Walter De La Mare, Lewis Carroll, J M Barrie, and C S Lewis. Reading today it still contains some striking passages, but its central theme does not hold strongly throughout the story and I am sure that some readers will find the poems and songs a distraction, however I think they add to the enchantment. It does not have the panache, humour or memorable characters which I find in Lewis Carrolls work which is the nearest comparator, but still a worthwhile read and so 3.5 stars.
“Alas, how easily things go wrong
A sigh too much, or a kiss too long
And there follows a mist and a weeping rain
And life is never the same again.”
A bildungsroman; first published in 1858 it is one of the earliest book length
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prose fairy stories. Anodos is 21 years old when he sees a fairy figure in a desk that he inherited from his late father, she tells him about fairy land and next morning he awakens in a forest and his adventures and his quest for love lead him into the land of the fairies. This is a Victorian novel which is chock full of repressed sexuality and MacDonald has been careful to remind his readers it is a Romance for Men and Women, although children would come to no harm if they chanced to pick it up. Phantastes has been cited as the first book length fantasy story for adults.When Anodos wakes up in fairy land he is enchanted by the flowers which seem to be home for the fairies, but there is danger in the enchanted land as the fingers of the evil ash and alder trees threaten to destroy him. The episodic story gets going when he discovers the marble statue made by Pygmalion, Anodos sings to the statue of a beautiful woman which promptly comes to life and floats away towards the forest, Anodos is compelled to follow and his pursuit of image leads him onto further adventures. He catches up with her, but after enticing him into a cave and sending him to sleep he awakes to find himself imperilled by the alder tree. He meets kind maternal women who warn him about foolish love and he meets more sinister women one of whom tricks him into opening a door where he finds his own shadow that appears black and evil in the light of the sun. Anodos begins to gain satisfaction from his shadow and when he meets a maiden/woman dancing happy as a child who carries a globe in her hands, she tells Anodos he must not touch her globe, but then says if he does it must be very gently; Anodos does, but the maiden draws away and says he must not touch it again, but:
“I put out both my hands and laid hold of it. It began to sound as before. The sound rapidly increased, till it grew a low tempest of harmony, and the globe trembled, and quivered, and throbbed between my hands. I had not the heart to pull it away from the maiden, though I held it in spite of her attempts to take it from me; yes, I shame to say, in spite of her prayers, and, at last, her tears. The music went on growing in, intensity and complication of tones, and the globe vibrated and heaved; till at last it burst in our hands, and a black vapour broke upwards from out of it; then turned, as if blown sideways, and enveloped the maiden, hiding even the shadow in its blackness. She held fast the fragments, which I abandoned, and fled from me into the forest in the direction whence she had come, wailing like a child, and crying, “You have broken my globe; my globe is broken—my globe is broken!”
After this encounter, which feels like a rape or defloration, Anodos must journey on through other parts of fairy land, eventually arriving at a fairy palace where he learns more about love and enchantment. He must sacrifice himself for an honourable, more reputable love in the fairy world, and he must be forgiven for his past demeanours, before he can arrive back in the real world. The central story has dreams within dreams and tales within tales as MacDonald weaves his magical allegory, but some parts work better than others. Characterisation is not MacDonalds strongest attribute as the reader does not gain much insight into Anodos, although much of the story is written in the first person. We see him learn from experience, but in a fantasy story it is the world outside of the hero that should hold our interest and this is where MacDonald is at his best. The author was a Christian Minister and a poet and it is his knowledge and love of poetry that seems to be the major influence for his writing in Phantastes. Every chapter starts with a quote; notably from the early English canon; Chaucer, Spenser, Lyly and Sir Philip Sidney, but also from the German Romantics. There are new songs and poems by MacDonald that are a feature of Phantastes woven into the text rather like Sir Philip Sidney’s Arcadia, although in my opinion MacDonald never reaches those heights. MacDonalds book must be admired as an early example of English fantasy literature, which obviously influenced later Victorian authors: Walter De La Mare, Lewis Carroll, J M Barrie, and C S Lewis. Reading today it still contains some striking passages, but its central theme does not hold strongly throughout the story and I am sure that some readers will find the poems and songs a distraction, however I think they add to the enchantment. It does not have the panache, humour or memorable characters which I find in Lewis Carrolls work which is the nearest comparator, but still a worthwhile read and so 3.5 stars.
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LibraryThing member charlie68
Everytime I read this book I am always grateful of the richness of it. For such a thin book, it packs a lot of spiritual and philosophical themes.
LibraryThing member keebrook
no storytelling here, just tale after tale, anecdote after anecdote of adventures, great and small of a lone traveler in Faerie. rich descriptions and wonderful ideas about realms of elves and fairies and goblins and Otherworld entities fill this book.
i'll let MacDonald himself convey this: "But
i can certainly see MacDonald's influence in Lewis but, moreso, in Tolkien. some of MacDonald's descriptions of wandering through the Faerie wood sound just like Tolkien describing the animated Old Forest or timeless Lothlorien wherein lived Bombadil and Galadriel. reminiscent of a Midsummer's Night Dream, fantastical events unfold before our protagonist, Anodos, in the woods of Faerie over more than a single night in this book, but still waking in the morning with memory to wonder if it were all just dreaming of love and shadows.
i'll let MacDonald himself convey this: "But
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see the power of this book, that, while recounting what I can recall of its contents, I write as if myself had visited the far-off planet, learned its ways, and apprearances, and conversed with its men and women. And so, while writing, it seemed to me that I had." (from Chapter XII)i can certainly see MacDonald's influence in Lewis but, moreso, in Tolkien. some of MacDonald's descriptions of wandering through the Faerie wood sound just like Tolkien describing the animated Old Forest or timeless Lothlorien wherein lived Bombadil and Galadriel. reminiscent of a Midsummer's Night Dream, fantastical events unfold before our protagonist, Anodos, in the woods of Faerie over more than a single night in this book, but still waking in the morning with memory to wonder if it were all just dreaming of love and shadows.
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LibraryThing member nillacat
Like the best dreams, is only partially understood, and leaves a beautiful and pleasantly melancholic feeling
LibraryThing member LeslitGS
The basic premise of this text is a man, who we has a fairy in his ancestry. This fairy appears before him as he is cleaning out an aged desk, the keys to which he has recieved for his twenty-first birthday. Post this meeting, the narrator [for it is entirely first person] finds himself adventuring
On the whole, MacDonald presents us with the possibility of a great adventure but fails to deliver it well through a number of lackings in the writing department. The tale itself has no solid flow to carry the reader, making it more difficult to slip into the fairy realm as presented. With a tendancy to slip into florid prose that stymies the pace of an otherwise solid chapter. By deviating into the long paragraphs and excessive description, MacDonald focuses too much on a static element or moment. Also he is wont to slip into a thoughtful discussion of how something in the 'now' of the story relates to later experiences and his own character developments, further distracting from the story.
One more thing. The poetry. I don't know much about poetry, to be extremely honest, but his feels crude. Sort of like weilding a wooden pair of scissors in a Fiskars kind of world. His penchant for slipping into reveries about songs and poems and then 'attempting' to recreate them again for the text provided can be both distracting and aggravating.
Overall--Phantastes, not so great. Forgive me for the lack in clarity of thought.
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through fairy-land. It may sound reminiscent of Spenser's Faerie Queene, as the story takes didactic turns through good and bad choices on the way. He listens to some advice while impulsively disobeying other. On the whole, MacDonald presents us with the possibility of a great adventure but fails to deliver it well through a number of lackings in the writing department. The tale itself has no solid flow to carry the reader, making it more difficult to slip into the fairy realm as presented. With a tendancy to slip into florid prose that stymies the pace of an otherwise solid chapter. By deviating into the long paragraphs and excessive description, MacDonald focuses too much on a static element or moment. Also he is wont to slip into a thoughtful discussion of how something in the 'now' of the story relates to later experiences and his own character developments, further distracting from the story.
One more thing. The poetry. I don't know much about poetry, to be extremely honest, but his feels crude. Sort of like weilding a wooden pair of scissors in a Fiskars kind of world. His penchant for slipping into reveries about songs and poems and then 'attempting' to recreate them again for the text provided can be both distracting and aggravating.
Overall--Phantastes, not so great. Forgive me for the lack in clarity of thought.
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LibraryThing member readbanned
I love this book. The word police need forget about it. There are just some things (such as that of the soul) that can't be expressed with words...MacDonald seems wordy in his descriptions at times, but this is neccessary as it is the images and events that tell the story. MacDonald uses imagery as
"A Fairy-story is like a vision without rational connections, a harmonious whole of miraculous things and events"-NORVALIS
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his medium to appeal to what is outside of consciousness. Phantastes is the story of the narrators search for the spirit of the earth. CS Lewis would say what one comes to love in Phantastes is goodness, there is no deception. The deception is all the other way round-in that prosaic moralism which confines goodness to the region of Law and Duty-"A Fairy-story is like a vision without rational connections, a harmonious whole of miraculous things and events"-NORVALIS
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LibraryThing member jclemence
I picked up this book on the advice of a friend. I knew MacDonald was a major influence on C.S. Lewis, and that is pretty evident as one reads this book. The story is about a man who finds himself in Fairy Land, compelled to journey all the way through it and reach its end. He encounters various
The book itself is moderately hard to read, due to MacDonald's constant use of archaic terms and his many forays into rough, albeit enjoyable, poetry. Additionally, discovering themes and undercurrents of the work will require multiple readings--at least if my experience is any judge. But these constraints notwithstanding, I did enjoy reading this book. There were a lot of good vignettes spread throughout, and I enjoyed the rather lighthearted way in which the author writes.
As has been the case with several other books I've read that were "endorsed" by C.S. Lewis, if you choose to read this one, know that you may spend a lot of time scratching your head--although that is not necessarily a bad thing!
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strange characters on the way and, of course, has his own set of adventures. Along the way, he learns about himself, his own sin nature, and redemption.The book itself is moderately hard to read, due to MacDonald's constant use of archaic terms and his many forays into rough, albeit enjoyable, poetry. Additionally, discovering themes and undercurrents of the work will require multiple readings--at least if my experience is any judge. But these constraints notwithstanding, I did enjoy reading this book. There were a lot of good vignettes spread throughout, and I enjoyed the rather lighthearted way in which the author writes.
As has been the case with several other books I've read that were "endorsed" by C.S. Lewis, if you choose to read this one, know that you may spend a lot of time scratching your head--although that is not necessarily a bad thing!
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LibraryThing member 1morechapter
This was one of C.S. Lewis' favorite books, and it is obvious that Lewis borrowed quite a bit from MacDonald's ideas. I found several passages that were very similar to passages in Lewis' books. There is also a lengthy introduction to the book by Lewis that is well worth reading.
This 1850's fantasy
"Yet I know that good is coming to me--that good is always coming; though few have at all times the simplicity and the courage to believe it. What we call evil, is the only and best shape, which, for the person and his condition at the time, could be assumed by the best good."
Although I prefer Lewis' books to MacDonald's, I did enjoy this older fantasy tale. Earlier this year I read The Princess and the Goblin by MacDonald and enjoyed it very much. I plan to read the sequel The Princess and Curdie and also another adult tale, Lilith, in 2008.
This 1850's fantasy
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novel involves a man whose grandmothers were descended from the fairies. Because of this, he is granted access to a fairy land where he encounters several strange and wonderful creatures--some benevolent and some malevolent. Both he and the reader learn lessons in his journey through this land and back again to his home world."Yet I know that good is coming to me--that good is always coming; though few have at all times the simplicity and the courage to believe it. What we call evil, is the only and best shape, which, for the person and his condition at the time, could be assumed by the best good."
Although I prefer Lewis' books to MacDonald's, I did enjoy this older fantasy tale. Earlier this year I read The Princess and the Goblin by MacDonald and enjoyed it very much. I plan to read the sequel The Princess and Curdie and also another adult tale, Lilith, in 2008.
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LibraryThing member GirlsonFire
This book is housed within our adult fiction collection but it's suitable for high school students. Phantastes is a classic story about a young man who enters Fairyland one day and has dreamlike adventures. The story also serves as an allegory for a person's spirtual journey in which we experience
Readalikes: Narnia Chronicles, The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairlyand in a Ship of Her Own Making, Manalive
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trials and tribulations as well as joy.Readalikes: Narnia Chronicles, The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairlyand in a Ship of Her Own Making, Manalive
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LibraryThing member Amelia_Smith
This book begins with a great introduction by C.S. Lewis (is that why Amazon has it grouped under Christian fiction?!?). If it weren't for that intro, I'm not sure I would have gotten through it. There's interesting imagery throughout, but the narrator is the supreme king of passive drift. I am
There are also a few spots of plot in various short stories embedded in the narrative, so it's not a total loss, and it is an interesting read for its historical influence on the genre. I just found it kind of boring.
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now, finally, convinced that passive main characters cripple a story's forward drive.There are also a few spots of plot in various short stories embedded in the narrative, so it's not a total loss, and it is an interesting read for its historical influence on the genre. I just found it kind of boring.
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LibraryThing member wishanem
One of my favorite books, but not one of the best books I’ve read by any objective measure; its language is awkward even considering its age, its poems can plod, and it wanders into innumerable diversions. But this book was fundamentally formative for my teenaged self and I love it in its weird,
“‘Fight on, my men!’, Sir Andrew says,
“A little I’m hurt but yet not slain!
I’ll but lie down and bleed awhile
And then I’ll rise and fight again!”
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genuine, imaginative way. Each chapter begins with a quote from another work, and a lot of those have stuck with me through the years. For instance: “When bale is highest, boote is nighest” (which means, roughly, “help is nearest when things are worst”). Or this portion of the Ballad of Sir Andrew Barton::“‘Fight on, my men!’, Sir Andrew says,
“A little I’m hurt but yet not slain!
I’ll but lie down and bleed awhile
And then I’ll rise and fight again!”
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LibraryThing member DinadansFriend
this early book of fantasy begins well, with one of the best descriptions of being in a dream ever written. It falls off towards the end as it morphs into a sermon on the morality of self sacrifice. Nonetheless, the strain begun here runs to Morris, then Eddison and Cabell, and, at last, to
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Tolkien. A very good read, unless you are a fantasist of violence, complete and total. Show Less
LibraryThing member AlCracka
This is a neat little book. It's a bit episodic, and a little flowery, but it's really vivid; there's some terrific imagery in here.
It's the story of some dude who goes to fairy land and wanders around mooning after some lady. There are giants and goblins. It's considered one of the first fantasy
* what? There are knights and monsters, what did you think fantasy was?
It changed CS Lewis's life, judging from his fawning introduction, but it didn't change mine. I don't even like fantasy. But it's pretty cool.
It's the story of some dude who goes to fairy land and wanders around mooning after some lady. There are giants and goblins. It's considered one of the first fantasy
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novels, and a big influence on CS Lewis and Tolkien. It makes for a nice bridge between medieval fantasy precursors like Morte D'Arthur and Beowulf* and the later official fantasy genre. * what? There are knights and monsters, what did you think fantasy was?
It changed CS Lewis's life, judging from his fawning introduction, but it didn't change mine. I don't even like fantasy. But it's pretty cool.
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LibraryThing member EstherFilbrun
I’ve always been curious about George MacDonald’s works, but in retrospect, this probably wasn’t the greatest first book to pick up by him. Thankfully, I was able to listen to it in audio—otherwise, I would have never finished the story! Overall, I found this book somewhat confusing to
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understand, as it seemed like we were always jumping around in this fairy/fantasy world doing random things. The descriptions were beautiful, and the imaginative location was interesting to explore, but the story itself didn’t tie together very well for me. I’m sure there were allegorical portions of the book, but figuring out what they are is a bit beyond me. Not a great first read, but I’m looking forward to trying out some of his other works, and maybe one day I’ll come back to this one and understand its purpose better! Show Less
LibraryThing member charlie68
Best book Macdonald ever wrote.
LibraryThing member hbuchana
I will re-read this fantasy replete with symbolism and mythic innuendo. I was captured by the elevated verse, the meandering and sometimes surprising turns. Romantic fantacies do not usually interest me, but a recommendation from one influenced so mightly could not be ignored.
Find the time to read
Find the time to read
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it. Show Less
LibraryThing member ragwaine
Pretty boring but good poetry and songs. A walk through fairyland with no climax and no excitement. Very wordy.
Subjects
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
1858
Physical description
224 p.; 8.48 inches
ISBN
0486445674 / 9780486445670
Other editions
Phantastes: Annotated Edition by George MacDonald (Hardcover)