George MacDonald Biographical Introduction

George MacDonald is often considered the 'grandfather' of Modern Fantasy in English — but he was also so much more. A professor and lecturer in the discipline of English Literature for more than 40 years, MacDonald was a novelist, essayist, writer of faëry and short stories, poet, pastor, thespian, and social reformer. Born in rural Scotland in 1824, into a highly literate family and an ecumenically diverse community (perhaps most coloured by the dichotomy of Federal Calvinism and what might now be described as a Celtic Christianity, as represented in his extended family),[^1] he attended King's College Aberdeen — taking prizes in chemistry and natural philosophy. His initial intent to further study medicine, chemistry, or mathematics in Europe was deterred by lack of finances. After three years tutoring in London, he attended seminary and became a Congregational pastor in the English town of Arundel. MacDonald's teachings about the all—inclusive love of God displeased some congregants resulting in a lowered salary, and after 28 months he resigned (having fared better than the two clergy before, who had both been fired). This remained, however, a life—long emphasis as both on the page and in the pulpit MacDonald persistently preached the Fatherhood of God, the call to childlikeness, and the invitation into a love—impelled obedience. After Arundel MacDonald moved to Manchester with his wife Louisa and growing family, to be closer to his mentor A.J. Scott. Whilst there he taught chemistry, gave Literature lectures, and helped pastor a home—church. Tubercular issues(with which he struggled throughout his life) became quite serious, and Lady Byron (widow of the poet) funded a trip to Algiers for recovery. When he returned to England MacDonald fully committed to his vocation as a teacher of Literature — whether in the classroom, lecture hall, or upon the page.

MacDonald began publishing in 1845 with some short poems and literary criticism, followed by his first translations in 1851 (Novalis' Hymns of the Night; he later published more translated poems, mostly from German and Italian — he was fluent in multiple languages). His first book—length publication, the epic poem Within and Without (1855), was followed by Poems (1857), and Phantastes (1858). Although some critics were confused and unimpressed with the new genre represented by Phantastes, more reviews were laudatory, and a few years later literary journals claimed it a decided success. MacDonald's realistic novels proved more financially successful however — beginning with David Elginbrod (1862/3), Alec Forbes (1865), and Robert Falconer (1868). He was acquainted with, or friends with, most London literati and artists of his day, but invested more time in family (11 children, plus 2 adopted), close friends, and persons in need. Many of those close friends and confidents — such as John Ruskin, Lewis Carroll, F.D. Maurice — were friends with the whole family. Tennyson, Carlyle, Arnold, Rossetti, Hughes, Burne—Jones, and Oliphant were among the many who came to gatherings at their home — festivities that intentionally brought together poets and priests, artists and activists, princesses and paupers. Often these gatherings included theatricals performed by the MacDonald family (mostly written by Louisa), which raised money for orphans and homeless in their vicinity. Those plays — most famously Pilgrim's Progress, but including Shakespeare, Greek plays, fairy tales, versions of Dickens and Zola, and original work — had a role in redeeming theatre for 'polite society' of the age. Nonetheless the MacDonalds were ostracised by some for involving their family with the stage.

One of MacDonald's many social justice passions was that higher education become available to all, regardless of gender, class, or religion. He taught English Literature at Bedford College for Women — the first institute where women could study at a university level, for purposes other than becoming governesses and teachers — and then at King's College London — the first university in England to have such a degree. Over four decades he delivered innumerable lectures on English Literature and on Dante, in England, Scotland, Ireland, Italy, France, USA, and Canada. These (like his sermons) were always delivered extempore, with one (oft repeated) exception — a lecture on the Imagination, which eventually became the seminal essay The Imagination: Its Functions and Its Culture. MacDonald's American lecture tour in 1872 — during which he lectured chiefly on Burns and Shakespeare — filled halls with literally thousands, and garnered many friends, including Emerson and Mark Twain. Whilst there, a collection was taken to reimburse him for losses through the pirating of his works in the U.S. He also turned down an astonishingly lucrative offer to pastor a large church in New York. (MacDonald continued to preach frequently, always gratis; he joined the Church of England [Anglican] in the 1860's.)

MacDonald struggled with life—threatening lung disease throughout his long life, as did several of his children. This precipitated a move with hopes that a climate change would help, first to Boscombe near Bournemouth in a house built with the aid of friends, and from thence a shift to the Italian Riviera (late 1870's) for much of each year. From 1881 to 1902 they lived in Bordighera, Italy. Louisa became organist for the Catholic and Anglican churches in that community, and organ concerts and theatre plays were often held for the benefit of the parish. Readings, community charades, lectures, and amateur theatricals were frequent at the MacDonald home, for both the expat community as well as (atypically) locals. After a long illness, Macdonald died in England in 1905. His grave is in Bordighera, where his wife had been buried in 1902. Three siblings, four children, and a granddaughter all died of tuburcular illnesses before him.

MacDonald published over fifty volumes of fiction, verse, children's stories, essays, and sermons, as well as anthologies and a folio—based edition of Hamlet. His stories for children are ranked classics, and are often studied in Children's Literature classes.

C.S. Lewis identified MacDonald's work as "mythopoeic," something that gives "as much delight and...as much wisdom and strength as the works of the greatest of poets. It is in some ways more akin to music than to poetry...It arouses in us sensations we have never had before, never anticipated having, as though we had broken out of our normal mode of consciousness and 'possessed joys not promised to our birth'." Lewis claims he never wrote a work without quoting or borrowing heavily from MacDonald, and he is not alone in naming him a mentor: Frances Hodgson Burnett, G.K. Chesterton, David Lindsay, T.S. Eliot, W.H. Auden, J.R.R.Tolkien, Madeleine L'Engle, Frederick Beuchner, Maurice Sendak (Sendak illustrated a number of GMD works — as did E.H. Shepherd of Winnie the Pooh fame), Neil Gaiman, Jeffrey Overstreet, Susanna Clarke, Jennifer Trafton, A.S. Peterson, and Andrew Peterson are among the many who acknowledge indebtedness.

Most of the work published in books

Novels and Narrative Fiction

Phantastes, 1858
David Elginbrod, 1862/3
Adela Cathcart, 1864
The Portent, 1864
Alec Forbes, 1865
Annals of a Quiet Neighbourhood, 1867
England's Antiphon, 1868
Guild Court, 1868
Robert Falconer, 1868
The Seaboard Parish, 1868
Ranald Bannerman's Boyhood, 1871
The Vicar's Daughter, 1872
Wilfred Cumbermede, 1872
Malcolm, 1875
St. George and St. Michael, 1876
Thomas Wingfold, Curate, 1876
The Marquis of Lossie, 1877
Paul Faber, Surgeon, 1879
Sir Gibbie, 1879
Mary Marston, 1881
Castle Warlock, 1882
Gifts of the Christ Child, 1882
Weighed and Wanting, 1882
Donal Grant, 1883
What's Mine's Mine, 1886
Home Again, 1887
The Elect Lady, 1888
A Rough Shaking, 1890
There and Back, 1891
Heather and Snow, 1893
Lilith, 1895
Salted with Fire, 1897

Collected Poetry

Within and Without: A Dramatic Poem, 1855
Poems, 1857
The Disciple and Other Poems, 1867
Exotics: A Translation of the Spiritual Songs of Novalis, the Hymn Book of Luther, and Other Poems from the German and Italian, 1876
A Threefold Cord: Poems by Three Friends, 1883
The Poetical Works of George MacDonald (2 vols), 1893
Scotch Songs and Ballads, 1893
Rampolli: Exotics, Translations, Diary of An Old Soul, 1896

Writings for Children of All Ages

Dealings with Fairies, 1867
At the Back of the North Wind, 1871
The Princess and the Goblin, 1872
The Gifts of the Child Christ, 1882
The Princess and Curdie (sequel), 1883
Works of Fancy and Imagination (10 vols), 1871

Theological Writings

Unspoken Sermons__I, 1867
The Miracles of Our Lord, 1870
Unspoken Sermons__II, 1885
Unspoken Sermons__III, 1889
The Hope of the Gospel, 1892

Other

The Tragedie of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark: A Study of the Text of the Folio of 1623, 1885
A Cabinet of Gems: Anthology of Philip Sidney, 1891
A Dish of Orts (literary criticism, essays on Imagination, etc), 1893

[^1]: MacDonald's father was a man who articulated his desire for God over denomination, was willing to discuss varying doctrines, and openly voiced his desire to continue to change and grow. With his father a Catholic—born, fiddle—playing, Presbyterian elder, his mother an Independent church rebel, his first wife a sister to the Gaelic—speaking radical (famed for telling Celtic fairytales) who became Moderator of the disrupting Free Church, and his second wife the daughter of a Highland Episcopalian minister — merely using the tag "Calvinist" for his son's theological background is too simplistic and misleading.

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