The Scottish writer, speaker and pastor George MacDonald was born on December 10th 1824, 200 years ago today. xx
His goblins are mentioned in the article about Michael de Larrabeiti's Borribles, and a spot-on comment he made is featured in a post about unsatisfactory politicians.
His name is in the list of of writers with Celtic connections; he also appears in the list of Sagittarian writers, where I said this:
“It is time to take another look at some of his work, which I last read when still at school.”
While the reader's dilemma of 'so many books, so little time' applies here, I have refreshed my memories of a few of his stories that I particularly liked; I have also learned a little about their author.
While the details of George MacDonald's life are very interesting and some of his fantasy stories are still enjoyable to read despite their being very dated, he and his many works do not on the whole inspire much in the way of commentary. However, two books that made a very big impression when I first discovered them deserve a mention here.
I remember my first encounter with the works of George MacDonald very clearly; I was seven years old at the time. I came across a very old, illustrated edition of The Princess and the Goblin and found it fascinating.
I thought that the goblins with their hard heads and soft toeless feet were both sinister and very funny. I loved the little poem that the miner's son Curdie makes to frighten off the goblins. It includes these lines:
Hit and hew!
Three, four—
Blast and bore!
…
In the road!
Smash it!
Squash it!
Fry it!
Dry it! ...“
Curdie and Princess Irene being pursued by a goblin:
The Princess and Curdie is the sequel to The Princess and the Goblin.
I really liked the story when I first read it, but I was too young to have got much from the philosophical statements that the book contains.
