SOURCE: “In Search of Spiritual Maturity: George MacDonald's Phantastes,” in Extrapolation, Vol. 30, No. 3, Fall, 1989, pp. 280-92.

In the following essay, Howard analyzes the role of stories in Phantastes.

Of all of the many seemingly unrelated episodes in George MacDonald's adult fairy tale, Phantastes, one of the most puzzling is the narration by Anodos of two tales that he reads during his sojourn in the fairy palace. At first reflection, the two tales appear merely yet another instance of the many curious adventures that Anodos experiences in Fairy Land. Whatever text he might choose to read, Anodos relates, he finds himself actively participating in it until the story becomes his. If the story is a history, he becomes the chief actor; if it is a fiction, he becomes the character most like himself. Seen solely in terms of their action upon Anodos and their effect upon the reader, the...