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52nd out of 189 books
—
34 voters
The Complete Fairy Tales
George MacDonald occupied a major position in the intellectual life of his Victorian contemporaries, and his dazzling fairy tales earned him the admiration of such twentieth-century writers as C. S. Lewis, J. R. R. Tolkien, and W. H. Auden. Employing paradox, play, and nonsense, like Lewis Carroll's Alice books, MacDonald's fairy tales offer an elusive yet meaningful alter...more
Paperback, 354 pages
Published
September 1st 1999
by Penguin Classics
(first published 1961)
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Possibly the language and era in which the tales in this book was written effected my enjoyment of this book. There were some tales in it that I did like, for example, The History of Photogen and Nycteris was quite good actually. Overall however, I found most of the tales to be preachy and in effect little more than sermons dressed up as fairy tales. This makes sense since the author, George MacDonald, was a Christian minister, but understanding in this case did not increase my enjoyment.
On a p...more
On a p...more
[These notes were made in 1986:] What I like about MacDonald's fairy stories (as opposed to, say, Lewis' Narnia chronicles) is that they are not so openly allegorical nor so openly addressed to children. What I like about them - as opposed to, say, Tolien's Ring trilogy - is that the imaginative vision is not so closely linked in with a particular mythology, and thus does not lose its charm as one grows older and wiser in these things. The first of these stories, "The Light Princess," is indubit...more
These are not Disney-like stories. They're subtle and definitely a product of their time (late 1800's.) MacDonald's fairy tales are made up of lovely images, humor, and somewhat meandering story-lines.
I'm sure not everyone would enjoy reading MacDonald's fairy tales. But for fans of Tolkien - and C.S. Lewis especially - it's interesting to read and see influences MacDonald's writing had on their work.
According to the forward of this book, C.S. Lewis called George MacDonald a master in the art...more
I'm sure not everyone would enjoy reading MacDonald's fairy tales. But for fans of Tolkien - and C.S. Lewis especially - it's interesting to read and see influences MacDonald's writing had on their work.
According to the forward of this book, C.S. Lewis called George MacDonald a master in the art...more
Being a collection of stories, this is one of those books you'll probably partially like and partially not like so much. For me, personally, there were three stories I didn't really enjoy, those being "Cross Purposes" and "The Giant's Heart", both of which seemed sort of incoherent and stretched out, and "The Wise Woman", which was too preachy and a little too dubious for my taste. The rest of the stories I loved. I can especially recommend "The History of Photogen and Nycteris" (the story was a...more
These are basically fairy tales for adults. I am loving George MacDonald's style in many of these tales, and his inserted thoughts. He has an old-fashioned, simple, melodic way of writing, and he has that grandfatherly way of inserting little life lessons as if he were telling a story to a young grandchild on his knee.
Usually his writing is easy to understand, though some stories (like The Shadows) are more difficult to follow.
The stories have fairly simple meanings underneath, as well.
Some po...more
Usually his writing is easy to understand, though some stories (like The Shadows) are more difficult to follow.
The stories have fairly simple meanings underneath, as well.
Some po...more
A very enjoyable collection of MacDonald's shorter works. Publishing them in chronological order allows you to see the progression of his work throughout his life. Be sure to read his essay at the beginning entitled The Fantastic Imagination. It is extremely helpful to understand his views and ideas about fantasy stories. It helps you to grasp some of the deeper meanings, while also giving you permission to just enjoy the stories for what they are. Any fan of fantasy (especially C.S. Lewis and...more
I give this book 5 stars really on the strength of three of its stories- The Light Princess, The History of Phtogen and Nycteris, and my favorite of all, The Wise Woman or the Lost Princess. Not that the other stories are bad, but to me these three rise above the rest. The Light Princess has a great deal of Christian imagery and symbolism, but it is superficially like most fairy tales, especially Sleeping Beauty. The end is really quite moving. Photogen and Nycteris feels a bit more like classic...more
Read:
"The Day Boy and the Night Girl"
"The Light Princess"
"The Giant's Heart"
Pausing midway through "The Shadows"; plan to finish after reading something of a different flavor for a while!
"Day Boy and Night Girl" is an absolute masterpiece. Even in the middle of "Light Princess", a more frivolous story, moments of incredible poetry and insight. Throughout all of them, snippets of ideas and syntax I've seen in other places—obviously directly lifted from and/or influenced by MacDonald, but he seems...more
"The Day Boy and the Night Girl"
"The Light Princess"
"The Giant's Heart"
Pausing midway through "The Shadows"; plan to finish after reading something of a different flavor for a while!
"Day Boy and Night Girl" is an absolute masterpiece. Even in the middle of "Light Princess", a more frivolous story, moments of incredible poetry and insight. Throughout all of them, snippets of ideas and syntax I've seen in other places—obviously directly lifted from and/or influenced by MacDonald, but he seems...more
I find myself disagreeing with the English professor who writes the introduction and notes to this collection -- that the first half of shorter tales are more experimental and less stilted. I guess I can see why he would say that, but I enjoyed the latter, and longer, tales, more. Another review has already commented on the moral quality and mythic feel of these longer stories (The Carasoyn; The Wise Woman, or the Lost Princess; The History of Photogen and Nycteris); perhaps a useful analogy is...more
What a great collection. Most of these stories are long enough that you could use one for a bedtime story several nights in a row, but if you're sitting down to read them yourself, they won't take too long. As always with MacDonald, I enjoyed the depth, even of his lighter stories (such as "The Light Princess," which was a lot of fun). I really liked "Photogen and Nycteris"; I had read it somewhere before, probably in another fairy tale collection, but I didn't remember it very well. All of them...more
A couple of the stories I found a little odd, but overall I found the book enjoyable. I thought the fairy tales were original. And some of the author's observations made me smile, if not laugh out loud. I wonder if he wrote them tongue-in-cheek, or did I just take them that way?
This book is a must-read! I first got interested in George MacDonald because C. S. Lewis spoke so highly of him; and now I see why! I've read several of his books already, and this was another that I added to my List of Really Good Books!
i was inspired to read macdonald's fairy tales when i discovered that novalis was a great influence on his writings...
most of the stories in here are wondrous tellings, all are rather dream-like.
i think my two most favourites, off the top of my head, were 'the golden key' and 'the history of photogen and nycteris: a day and night märchen'.
the only tale i found to be a little on the boring side was 'the wise woman, or the lost princess: a double story'.
for the most part, all were much enjoyable.....more
most of the stories in here are wondrous tellings, all are rather dream-like.
i think my two most favourites, off the top of my head, were 'the golden key' and 'the history of photogen and nycteris: a day and night märchen'.
the only tale i found to be a little on the boring side was 'the wise woman, or the lost princess: a double story'.
for the most part, all were much enjoyable.....more
Excellent collection of fairy tales by the inimitable MacDonald. A really enjoyable read for those of us who love the old fantasy tradition. Highly recommended!
fun fairy stories--traditional and enjoyable--especially like Little Daylight and The Day Boy and Night Girl
Jun 18, 2008
Erin
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
anyone who likes fairy tales or Princess stories
I love George MacDonald's fairy tales. They are like a mirror to the individual and society. He reminds us of the beauty of kindness, self-sacrifice and doing one's duty. I can't wait to read them to my kids. I want to buy his collection of fantasy stories now, too! I especially love The Princess stories. They are not your typical Disney Princesses. They are in distress, to be sure, but the heroes are genuine and selfless. I can't stop thinking about them and have to stop myself from blurting ou...more
Jan 31, 2012
Sonatajessica
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Shelves:
read-in-2012,
shorties-of-fears-and-faerys
Wonderful and mysterious work of fairy tales, full of fairies, princesses and witches, wickedness, journeys and triumphs. In the best moments, theses tales were honoring and mocking their big brothers Grimm at the same time.
My top 3 are "The Light Princess", "Little Daylight" and "The History of Photogen and Nycteris: A Day and Night Mährchen". A lovely introduction (The Fantastic Imagination) rounds this collection to perfection. And what an awesome book cover (my edition has an illustration b...more
My top 3 are "The Light Princess", "Little Daylight" and "The History of Photogen and Nycteris: A Day and Night Mährchen". A lovely introduction (The Fantastic Imagination) rounds this collection to perfection. And what an awesome book cover (my edition has an illustration b...more
I was very interested in this author because he was C.S. Lewis' biggest influence and also a favorite of J.R.R. Tolkien. I started out by impulse buying everything I could find by him on Amazon and have only finished this collection thus far. I could easily see a lot of Lewis' style in these stories, but was not nearly as captivated as I was by the Space Trilogy or the, "others." Still, after a slow take-off I was really engrossed towards the end and plan on reading the rest later on.
May 05, 2009
Marianne
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommended to Marianne by:
anyone who likes fairy tales or has kids
Some of MacDonald's best work, I think. Great for kids and adults, lots to think and talk about in these tales.
These were a treat -- interesting and thought-provoking.
This list of fairy tales is 'worth its weight in gold.' Read them, but slowly, and never all at once. They will, if you allow them, change your heart. You will find in the end that the sun and moon and stars are nothing of which you should be afraid, even if the sun burns or the night terrifies.
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As one of the earliest writers in the fantasy genre and a sited influence of JRR Tolkien's I had to read some of his work. Full of songs and poems interweaved through out the tales this book is the heart and soul of traditional English fairytales. It was a great read to start the summer off.
This is an excellent collection of fairy tales, I enjoyed MacDonalds writing a lot. You can really see how much of an influence his style had on CS Lewis. My favorite stories were The Wise Woman and The History of Photogen and Nycteris.
I liked his fairy tales. Previously I'd only been familiar with "The Princess and the Goblins." I don't think I had a favorite story, but I liked his vivid descriptions. The worlds described were beautiful and fantastical.
Feb 05, 2012
David Farel
rated it
3 of 5 stars
Recommended to David by:
C.S. Lewis
Shelves:
christian-fiction
Yes, fairy tales. Very good ones too. Some I liked, some I loved. If I rated by individual story, some would get higher ratings--"The Shadows", "The Golden Key", and "The Day Boy and the Night Girl"
These short stories are amazing. I love the way that George MacDonald describes things, it's super magical... If you like faerie stories, give these a read.
read this a long time ago and I still like to read it occasionally. They are much more creative than traditional fairy tales and therefore less boring.
Unfortunately, George MacDonald is a very underrated writer. His "fairytales" are extraordinary and his spiritual work is baffling.
Best fairy tales ever, for readers of all ages. Don't miss The Golden Key and The Light Princess... wow.
So far, just the intro by George MacDonald is worth reading the rest of the book!
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George MacDonald was a Scottish author, poet, and Christian minister.
Known particularly for his poignant fairy tales and fantasy novels, George MacDonald inspired many authors, such as W. H. Auden, J. R. R. Tolkien, C. S. Lewis, and Madeleine L'Engle. It was C.S. Lewis that wrote that he regarded MacDonald as his "master": "Picking up a copy of Phantastes one day at a train-station bookstall, I be...more
More about George MacDonald...
Known particularly for his poignant fairy tales and fantasy novels, George MacDonald inspired many authors, such as W. H. Auden, J. R. R. Tolkien, C. S. Lewis, and Madeleine L'Engle. It was C.S. Lewis that wrote that he regarded MacDonald as his "master": "Picking up a copy of Phantastes one day at a train-station bookstall, I be...more
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“But a man may then imagine in your work what he pleases, what you never meant!"
Not what he pleases, but what he can.”
—
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Not what he pleases, but what he can.”
