Phantastes | Topics for Discussion & Projects

Phantastes Topics for Discussion

Anodos describes the books in the library as ones that seem to draw him into their stories. Does George MacDonald's Phantastes do the same thing?

The fairies in a thistle bush in Chapter Four whisper that Anodos has begun a story without a beginning and that will not ever end. After finishing the book, how does this statement reflect on Phantastes?

The old woman in the cottage tells Anodos that "' no one comes here but for some reason, either known to himself or to those who have charge of him; so you shall do just as you wish.'" What do you think is the reason Anodos comes to Fairy Land?

Chapter Eight begins with the quote "I am a part of the part, which at first was the whole." How does this statement reflect the change in Anodos' role in Fairy Land prior to and after his encounter with the Ash tree?

Phantastes is a book whose story contains several other books and stories. Discuss the importance of books to the story.

How does the way Cosmo's room appears in the mirror reflect the way Anodos views Fairy Land?

Are Anodos' adventures the result of a visit to Fairy Land, a dream meant to prepare him for adulthood, or the result of an unseen and unheard reader reading a fairy tale in which Anodos is the main character?