SOURCE: "George MacDonald (1824-1905)," in Modern Fantasy: Five Studies, Cambridge University Press, 1975, pp. 55-98.

George MacDonald is considered by many to have been the greatest fantasy writer of the nineteenth century. In the following essay, Manlove argues that although MacDonald's scientific background and rigorous religious beliefs interfered with his ability to write a purely imaginative fantasy story free of intellectual explanations, MacDonald's stories still contain the feature of "myth," which MacDonald considered an important aspect of fairy tales. (Explanations for title abbreviations may be found at the end of the essay, preceding the Notes.)

'i Wis We War A' Deid!'

Phantastes (1858), Dealings with the Fairies (1867), At the Back of the North Wind (1871), The Princess and the Goblin (1872), The Wise Woman (1875), The Princess and Curdie (1883) and Lilith (1895) are the main fantasies or fairy-tales by George MacDonald. They are very unlike in form. The first and the last are...