George MacDonald

Delve into the life and writings of George MacDonald (1824–1905), Scottish novelist, poet, pastor, and pioneer of modern fantasy. Discover his theology, fairy tales, and influence on Lewis, Tolkien and Christian literature.

Introduction

George MacDonald was a luminous figure in 19th-century letters: a Scottish novelist, poet, Christian minister, and imaginative thinker.

While much of his present fame rests on his fairy tales and fantasy works (e.g. Phantastes, The Princess and the Goblin, At the Back of the North Wind), MacDonald also produced serious Christian writings—sermons, theological essays, poetry, and novels rooted in spiritual vision.

In the following, I trace his early life, intellectual and spiritual journey, major works, context, legacy, personality, notable quotes, and lessons we can draw today.

Early Life and Family

George MacDonald was born 10 December 1824 at Huntly, in Aberdeenshire, Scotland.

From early days, George was exposed to lore, mythology, and biblical stories.

He later attended King’s College, University of Aberdeen, where he studied moral philosophy, sciences, and general literature.

Raised in a Calvinistic Protestant atmosphere, he wrestled with doctrines he found confining—especially predestination and the doctrine of the elect.

In 1851 he married Louisa Powell, and together they had eleven children (six sons, five daughters).

Spiritual, Theological & Literary Journey

Ministry, Theological Struggles, and Preaching

MacDonald trained for the Congregational ministry at Highbury College, London (beginning in the late 1840s). Arundel, England.

However, his sermons—emphasizing God's universal love and the possibility of redemption for all—often met resistance from orthodox congregational authorities.

Later, he ministered in Manchester, but ill health forced him to abandon fixed pastoral work. London and taught, lectured, preached intermittently, and wrote to support his family.

He also edited Good Words for the Young, a periodical aimed at moral and literary education.

His theology matured in contrast with rigid Calvinism. He rejected the idea that God loves only a limited elect while condemning others. Instead, he leaned toward a more universal reconciliation, though never crudely universalistic; moral transformation, repentance, and relational restoration remain essential in his thinking.

One of his theological statements is found in his Unspoken Sermons, especially the sermon titled “Justice.”

Literary Output & Fantasy as Spiritual Imagination

MacDonald was prolific. He published more than fifty works across genres: novels, poetry, essays, sermons, children’s stories, allegory, and short fiction.

He believed that fantasy and fairy tales could convey truths of the spirit more powerfully than dry argument. He once said:

“I write, not for children, but for the child-like, whether they be of five, or fifty, or seventy-five.”

His key fantasy and allegorical works include:

• Phantastes: A Faerie Romance for Men and Women (1858) — often considered one of the first modern fantasy novels

• The Princess and the Goblin (1872)

• At the Back of the North Wind (1871)

• Lilith (1895) — a darker, more mystical fantasy with theological weight

• Fairy tales and shorter works: “The Light Princess,” “The Golden Key,” “The Wise Woman,” Dealings with the Fairies, The Shadows, etc.

Beyond fantasy, he wrote realistic novels set in Scotland: David Elginbrod, Alec Forbes of Howglen, Robert Falconer, Sir Gibbie, Malcolm, The Seaboard Parish, Thomas Wingfold, Curate, and more.

His writings often explore redemptive suffering, moral growth, sacrifice, and the intersection of the phenomenal and the spiritual.

Historical & Cultural Context

MacDonald wrote during the Victorian era, in a period when faith, doubt, science, and biblical tradition were in tension. The 19th century saw biblical criticism, Darwinian theories, social reform, and rising secularism. In that milieu, MacDonald’s fantasy was not escapism but a way to uphold spiritual vision in a skeptical age.

His work anticipated and influenced the “mythopoeic” tradition—later authors (Lewis, Tolkien) saw in him a precursor to fantasy’s power to convey spiritual truth.

His correspondence, public lectures (e.g. his U.S. lecture tour in 1872–1873), and friendships with literary figures (John Ruskin, Mark Twain, Tennyson, Whitman, etc.) placed him in the intellectual currents of his time.

Later in life, he spent many years in Bordighera, Italy (on the Ligurian Riviera), where he founded Casa Coraggio (“House of Courage”) as a cultural salon.

He died on 18 September 1905 in Ashtead, Surrey, England; his ashes were interred at Bordighera alongside his wife.

Legacy and Influence

George MacDonald’s influence extends across literature, theology, and imaginative culture:

• Influence on C. S. Lewis: Lewis called MacDonald his “master” and was deeply shaped by him.

• Influence on Tolkien and the fantasy tradition: Later fantasy authors drew on his integration of spiritual depth and imaginative myth.

• Christian literature & theology: His sermons, essays, and imaginative theology continue to attract readers who see in myth a way to engage spiritual truth.

• Revival and rediscovery: In more recent years, scholars and readers have revisited MacDonald in light of his theological boldness, his inclusive vision, and his imaginative power.

• Cultural memory: While not as widely known in popular culture as some contemporaries, MacDonald endures in academic studies, fantasy circles, Christian reading communities, and among those who appreciate visionary literature.

His legacy is less in mass popularity than in the depth and subtlety of his imagination and spiritual vision—he remains a kind of quiet catalyst behind many voices in 20th and 21st-century Christian fantasy.

Personality, Style & Intellectual Persona

MacDonald was a man of contradictions: deeply spiritual, imaginative, rebellious toward dogma, and unafraid of mystery. He had a poetic sensibility and a moral intensity.

His writing style is rich, lyrical, often dense with symbolic layering. He could evoke beauty, sorrow, and wonder in equal measure. His philosophy doesn’t shy away from paradox, suffering, or ambiguity.

He sought to live in openness to the spiritual world; his fantasy is at root sacramental—ordinary things become signs of deeper realities. He believed that myth and allegory could awaken the soul.

He was also humble in worldly terms—he struggled financially, depended on patronage at times, and never achieved great material prosperity. But he remained committed to his vision, even when it was unpopular or costly.

Notable Quotes

Here are some quotes attributed to George MacDonald:

• “I write, not for children, but for the child-like, whether they be of five, or fifty, or seventy-five.”

• “The dearest friend on earth is a mere shadow, compared with Christ, in our sandals.”

• “It is not the form of the Church but the life of the Church that tells.” (often attributed)

• “To believe in Christ means to know that all is necessary — that no pain can be rightly chosen, but that no pain is denied a place in the final order.” (reflective of his style)

• “An excited, resisting, defiant, contemptuous heart is no fit vessel for Holy Spirit to dwell in.”

• “In Heaven we shall have to meet God much more than to approve many things.”

• “But there are many here whose consciences persecute them too much. They know too much, feel too much: and hence, they suffer more than others in some respects, though perhaps not in all.”

(Some quotations circulate often in secondary sources; original texts may vary in phrasing.)

These reflect MacDonald’s concern with moral inner life, suffering, spiritual formation, and the weight of faith.

Lessons from George MacDonald

From MacDonald’s life and work we can draw several enduring lessons:

1. Imagination is a spiritual gift. MacDonald believed that fantasy, myth, and imagination reveal deeper truths than mere literalism.

2. Embrace mystery and paradox. He never forced theology to be simplistic—he allowed tension, ambiguity, and suffering to remain real.

3. Love universally, hope relationally. He resisted narrow doctrines of election; he trusted in God’s persistent love and possibility of redemption.

4. Write with moral courage. His work committed him to truth even when unpopular; he paid costs for integrity.

5. See the ordinary sacramentally. In his stories, doors, stairs, wind, water become portals to spirit.

6. Suffering refines faith. He does not romanticize pain, but sees it as part of growth, encounter, humility.

7. Legacy is less about fame than fruitfulness. His influence is mostly indirect—through those he shaped (Lewis, Tolkien), and through the readers who discover him as a guide into deeper reading, faith, and imagination.

Conclusion

George MacDonald stands as one of the pivotal yet often under-celebrated voices bridging faith and fantasy. His imaginative vision, spiritual boldness, and moral imagination helped shape whole traditions: in Christian literature, in fantasy, and in the inner life of readers.

His fairy tales are not mere diversions, but invitations to see the world more warmly, to hold sorrow and beauty in the same hand, and to trust that the spiritual reality underlies the visible. For those who seek literature that touches both mind and soul, MacDonald offers a rich, demanding, luminous path.