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The Day Boy and the Night Girl
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First published January 1, 1882
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May 20, 2024
In a distant land, a witch named Watho desired to know everything. In order to do this, she decided to mold and shape two different souls from birth into young adulthood. She brings a beautiful young woman named Aurora to her castle and lets stay in a sunlit room. She also brings Vesper, a poor, blind woman, and and confines her to sepulchral chambers elsewhere in the castle. Aurora gives birth to a boy whom Watho hides away and eventually tells Aurora that he died, sending her away in tears. Vesper gives birth to a girl and dies shortly after herself.
Watho raises the boy in the sunlit room, making sure he never sees anything from darkness, and has him sleep at night. She names him Photogen. The girl is kept in the darkness and sleeps during the daytime, her only source of light a dim lamp, and she never sees the outside world. Watho names her Nycteris.
And this is where our story begins...
The conflict of light versus darkness is ingrained into our culture and philosophy, at least to those of us living in a Western Christian-influenced world. Nonetheless, this dichotomy between light and darkness predates Christianity and can even be seen in Plato's allegory of the cave. All in all, the light and the dark aren't supposed to get along, epistemologically and ontologically-speaking. What George MacDonald brings to this little fairy-tale is a meeting place of sorts. It is a story that makes you realize that the light and the dark only appear antagonistic to those based on what they've been taught in the realm of where they mostly grew up. Photogen, as I said, only grew up during the day and even hunted as so. Nycteris has only ever known darkness, but Watho taught her music and gave her books to read, so she knows "about" things of the daytime, but she has never experienced them herself. As such, they both fear that which they have never truly seen or experienced. Eventually, Nycteris does make it out of her tomb-like chambers during the night and sees a garden and she's overwhelmed, delighted, and even a little scared at what she sees. Photogen, during some of his hunting trips, immediately flees at the encroaching skies of night, but eventually he gets curious. During one of the nights in her garden, Nycteris sees the sunrise and the heat and the light that it brings terrifies her.
MacDonald never tells us outright why Watho's thinks raising Photogen and Nycteris separately from each other in different times of the day will lead her to know everything. In fact, Watho herself never tell us why. However, perhaps that is the point, this folly of this witch. You can't actually ever know everything. Watho's attempts to know everything, even with all her magical power, are fruitless to begin with. What makes Watho truly cruel, and what directed her to raise Photogen and Nycteris separately and punish them for transgressing the rules, is that she thinks she can know everything by subjugating others. Perhaps, her effort to demarcate the light and the dark shows her foolishness and evil. This desire for knowledge eventually resulting in evil is evocative of eating the forbidden fruit from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil in the Book of Genesis, and given MacDonald's own Christian beliefs I would not doubt that this was intentional.
Photogen and Nycteris' eventual journeys to understand their world and the opposite they fear was very interesting to read. I thoroughly enjoyed Nycteris' the most. Nycteris comes to understand the world at night, and the day, through observing and intuiting what she sees. She has to decide what she's looking at and how it function in relation to world to see if it is a good thing or a bad thing. For example, when she first wanders into the garden at night, after her lamp in her chambers has shattered, she sees the moon in the sky. Nycteris believes that the moon is another, greater lamp, the mother of all lamps, and she considers it a beautiful and good things. Another example is towards the climax of the story, Nycteris sees an open daisy on the ground during the sunrise--she has only ever seen them closed at night, though she attempted to one out of curiosity once--and she tries to cover it to shield it from the rays of the sun when she believes deadly to herself and the world. But she soon believes that the open daisy itself is another lamp, a lamp of the burning lamp of the sun. Thus, despite her fear, Nycteris tries to understand the sun and the world of day.
Thus, MacDonald does a little subversion here, probably something you normally wouldn't find in Christian-inspired stories of light versus darkness: here, the dark and night do not represent evil or cruelty, but rather the absence of the knowledge of certain things. When Nycteris first meets Photogen, she thinks he's another girl because she has only ever seen women before, Watho and the maid Falca. He says he isn't one and she honestly, but cheekily, states that that would make sense since he's too frightful to be a girl--I got quite a chuckle out of that. The dark and the night here are not even shown as being inherently malefic or without positive traits. The night is beautiful in The Day Boy and the Night Girl, filled with its own splendor equal to that of the day's. While there is an absence of knowledge present, the night does not even equal total lack of knowledge or stupidity. Now, Nycteris, like Photogen, is mostly focused on how the world relates to herself only and not how her intuition could be stronger when united with another's, but that doesn't even spring from a well of selfishness. The dark has its own knowledge and beauty, but it's incomplete.
Interestingly enough, Nycteris' side of the story is oddly reminiscent of the character and position of Tenar from The Tombs of Atuan. Both are kept in tomb-like areas, both have only ever seen women prior to meeting the main male characters, and both have an absence about certain knowledge about the world. This is not an accusation of plagiarism; Ursula K. Le Guin was like most fantasy authors and she took inspiration from other fantasy and fairy-tale writers. The influence from J. R. R. Tolkien on her is even present in the Earthsea Cycle, even more directly in the short story "The Rule of Names" in Tales from Earthsea. Le Guin was a fan of MacDonald's and even wrote the introduction to a reprint of The Princess and the Goblin. Le Guin was obviously more influenced by Daoism and the yin and yang and took her light versus dark dichotomy to a different direction.
Anyway, Photogen's journey to understand the dark was interesting too (though I am a little bit more fonder of Nycteris'). Whereas Nycteris had to discern things, Photogen, through his hunting and sojourning abilities, tries to conquer that which he does not understand...and fails sometimes. Like Nycteris, he is often deathly afraid of that which he doesn't know or understands. In fact, I personally found him a bit more fearful of things that Nycteris, hence her little comment about him being a not a girl above. It was quite funny and interesting at the same time, this brave and strong hunting boy being way more timid and afraid than the daintily little girl who has nothing more than her own wits at her disposal. Photogen being a hunter and trying to conquer and Nycteris being a bit more passive and using only her mind does seem a bit gender essentialist; and that's not really much of a criticism from me, for I expect such a thing from MacDonald. However, at the same time, MacDonald kind of flips that essentialism with how Nycteris and Photogen react to each other and what they don't know. Like Nycteris, as I said earlier, Photogen is focused on himself when it comes to his understanding of the world around him; and like I also said earlier, that isn't from selfishness. The sun, the day, the light, and all other epithets, things it knows everything because it shines across everything to, well, light it up. Because of its almighty presence, and the fact that the daytime is where most people do all that they need to do and live by, the light thinks it is without flaw and is totally dominant. But shadows are casted where the light is blocked, there are places deeper within the world where the light cannot totally reach. Like the night, the day is beautiful, however too much light and too much of its heat can blind and burn, something not often considered.
When Photogen and Nycteris finally decide to flee from Watho's hold on their lives, they have to help each other as the day and night cycle. One supports the other before Watho transforms into a wolf and comes after them--wasn't expecting that. Photogen shoots her with an arrow and Nycteris can finally live in peace. They go to the king where they find Photogen's mother Aurora and are married--well, that was fast; dang kids, go on a date first. Aurora is surprised to see bright blue eyes, like her own, in Nycteris' face and thinks about how dark Photogen's eyes are. Perhaps a commentary that the light and dark are nothing without each other? Maybe...
At the end, Photogen comes to love the night and Nycteris comes to love the day.
"But who knows,'' Nycteris would say to Photogen, "that when we go out, we shall not go into a day as much greater than your day as your day is greater than my night?''
Light will always come after the dark, day after night, and it will return. Have no fear for what comes after. Everything will continue.
You want to read more about this story, I highly recommend this piece by Ayumi Kumabe.
Watho raises the boy in the sunlit room, making sure he never sees anything from darkness, and has him sleep at night. She names him Photogen. The girl is kept in the darkness and sleeps during the daytime, her only source of light a dim lamp, and she never sees the outside world. Watho names her Nycteris.
And this is where our story begins...
The conflict of light versus darkness is ingrained into our culture and philosophy, at least to those of us living in a Western Christian-influenced world. Nonetheless, this dichotomy between light and darkness predates Christianity and can even be seen in Plato's allegory of the cave. All in all, the light and the dark aren't supposed to get along, epistemologically and ontologically-speaking. What George MacDonald brings to this little fairy-tale is a meeting place of sorts. It is a story that makes you realize that the light and the dark only appear antagonistic to those based on what they've been taught in the realm of where they mostly grew up. Photogen, as I said, only grew up during the day and even hunted as so. Nycteris has only ever known darkness, but Watho taught her music and gave her books to read, so she knows "about" things of the daytime, but she has never experienced them herself. As such, they both fear that which they have never truly seen or experienced. Eventually, Nycteris does make it out of her tomb-like chambers during the night and sees a garden and she's overwhelmed, delighted, and even a little scared at what she sees. Photogen, during some of his hunting trips, immediately flees at the encroaching skies of night, but eventually he gets curious. During one of the nights in her garden, Nycteris sees the sunrise and the heat and the light that it brings terrifies her.
MacDonald never tells us outright why Watho's thinks raising Photogen and Nycteris separately from each other in different times of the day will lead her to know everything. In fact, Watho herself never tell us why. However, perhaps that is the point, this folly of this witch. You can't actually ever know everything. Watho's attempts to know everything, even with all her magical power, are fruitless to begin with. What makes Watho truly cruel, and what directed her to raise Photogen and Nycteris separately and punish them for transgressing the rules, is that she thinks she can know everything by subjugating others. Perhaps, her effort to demarcate the light and the dark shows her foolishness and evil. This desire for knowledge eventually resulting in evil is evocative of eating the forbidden fruit from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil in the Book of Genesis, and given MacDonald's own Christian beliefs I would not doubt that this was intentional.
Photogen and Nycteris' eventual journeys to understand their world and the opposite they fear was very interesting to read. I thoroughly enjoyed Nycteris' the most. Nycteris comes to understand the world at night, and the day, through observing and intuiting what she sees. She has to decide what she's looking at and how it function in relation to world to see if it is a good thing or a bad thing. For example, when she first wanders into the garden at night, after her lamp in her chambers has shattered, she sees the moon in the sky. Nycteris believes that the moon is another, greater lamp, the mother of all lamps, and she considers it a beautiful and good things. Another example is towards the climax of the story, Nycteris sees an open daisy on the ground during the sunrise--she has only ever seen them closed at night, though she attempted to one out of curiosity once--and she tries to cover it to shield it from the rays of the sun when she believes deadly to herself and the world. But she soon believes that the open daisy itself is another lamp, a lamp of the burning lamp of the sun. Thus, despite her fear, Nycteris tries to understand the sun and the world of day.
Thus, MacDonald does a little subversion here, probably something you normally wouldn't find in Christian-inspired stories of light versus darkness: here, the dark and night do not represent evil or cruelty, but rather the absence of the knowledge of certain things. When Nycteris first meets Photogen, she thinks he's another girl because she has only ever seen women before, Watho and the maid Falca. He says he isn't one and she honestly, but cheekily, states that that would make sense since he's too frightful to be a girl--I got quite a chuckle out of that. The dark and the night here are not even shown as being inherently malefic or without positive traits. The night is beautiful in The Day Boy and the Night Girl, filled with its own splendor equal to that of the day's. While there is an absence of knowledge present, the night does not even equal total lack of knowledge or stupidity. Now, Nycteris, like Photogen, is mostly focused on how the world relates to herself only and not how her intuition could be stronger when united with another's, but that doesn't even spring from a well of selfishness. The dark has its own knowledge and beauty, but it's incomplete.
Interestingly enough, Nycteris' side of the story is oddly reminiscent of the character and position of Tenar from The Tombs of Atuan. Both are kept in tomb-like areas, both have only ever seen women prior to meeting the main male characters, and both have an absence about certain knowledge about the world. This is not an accusation of plagiarism; Ursula K. Le Guin was like most fantasy authors and she took inspiration from other fantasy and fairy-tale writers. The influence from J. R. R. Tolkien on her is even present in the Earthsea Cycle, even more directly in the short story "The Rule of Names" in Tales from Earthsea. Le Guin was a fan of MacDonald's and even wrote the introduction to a reprint of The Princess and the Goblin. Le Guin was obviously more influenced by Daoism and the yin and yang and took her light versus dark dichotomy to a different direction.
Anyway, Photogen's journey to understand the dark was interesting too (though I am a little bit more fonder of Nycteris'). Whereas Nycteris had to discern things, Photogen, through his hunting and sojourning abilities, tries to conquer that which he does not understand...and fails sometimes. Like Nycteris, he is often deathly afraid of that which he doesn't know or understands. In fact, I personally found him a bit more fearful of things that Nycteris, hence her little comment about him being a not a girl above. It was quite funny and interesting at the same time, this brave and strong hunting boy being way more timid and afraid than the daintily little girl who has nothing more than her own wits at her disposal. Photogen being a hunter and trying to conquer and Nycteris being a bit more passive and using only her mind does seem a bit gender essentialist; and that's not really much of a criticism from me, for I expect such a thing from MacDonald. However, at the same time, MacDonald kind of flips that essentialism with how Nycteris and Photogen react to each other and what they don't know. Like Nycteris, as I said earlier, Photogen is focused on himself when it comes to his understanding of the world around him; and like I also said earlier, that isn't from selfishness. The sun, the day, the light, and all other epithets, things it knows everything because it shines across everything to, well, light it up. Because of its almighty presence, and the fact that the daytime is where most people do all that they need to do and live by, the light thinks it is without flaw and is totally dominant. But shadows are casted where the light is blocked, there are places deeper within the world where the light cannot totally reach. Like the night, the day is beautiful, however too much light and too much of its heat can blind and burn, something not often considered.
When Photogen and Nycteris finally decide to flee from Watho's hold on their lives, they have to help each other as the day and night cycle. One supports the other before Watho transforms into a wolf and comes after them--wasn't expecting that. Photogen shoots her with an arrow and Nycteris can finally live in peace. They go to the king where they find Photogen's mother Aurora and are married--well, that was fast; dang kids, go on a date first. Aurora is surprised to see bright blue eyes, like her own, in Nycteris' face and thinks about how dark Photogen's eyes are. Perhaps a commentary that the light and dark are nothing without each other? Maybe...
At the end, Photogen comes to love the night and Nycteris comes to love the day.
"But who knows,'' Nycteris would say to Photogen, "that when we go out, we shall not go into a day as much greater than your day as your day is greater than my night?''
Light will always come after the dark, day after night, and it will return. Have no fear for what comes after. Everything will continue.
You want to read more about this story, I highly recommend this piece by Ayumi Kumabe.
July 25, 2020
Gorgeous, and a beautiful parable of the sexes with so many wonderful layers of meaning. Naturally I have been meaning to read this for many years, but it got bumped to the top of my to-read list because a friend is about to release a retelling! Please feast your eyes upon this GORGEOUS THING:
ackpeth hurgleblarg
ackpeth hurgleblarg
February 8, 2014
I was reminded almost immediately the parallel between Plato's Allegory of the Cave and this story, in particular the character Nycteris, raised from birth in a dark dungeon with nothing but a single dim lamp to light her tiny world. In contrast the boy Photogen is raised exclusively in the day while also having the freedom to roam. Much like in Plato's allegory Nycteris comes out of her dark seclusion and attempts to understand the world she discovers but only does so with the limited knowledge she was able to comprehend from her dungeon. When Photogen discovers the night his courage falters faced with creatures he cannot see. When the two meet they begin to learn and see the world in ways they could not have experienced or appreciated without each other.
The book is written simply enough to be read and enjoyed by a child but the deeper meanings make it easily appreciated for the adult. In this way it reminds me of the Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis. Lewis claimed that everything he had written was influenced by MacDonald and revered him highly saying, "I know hardly any other writer who seems to be closer, or more continually close, to the Spirit of Christ Himself," and calling him his "Master." But Lewis was not alone, MacDonald's works also influenced famous writers such as J.R.R. Tolkien, Madelinine L'Engle, Oswald Chambers and G.K. Chesterton. The later of which said of MacDonald's book 'The Princess and the Goblin' that it "made a difference to my whole existence."
Given the great minds that MacDonald influenced I can hardly understand why it has taken me so long to discover his works myself. And to think! I've barely scratched the surface. I can't wait to read this story to my children and read the rest of his writings myself.
The book is written simply enough to be read and enjoyed by a child but the deeper meanings make it easily appreciated for the adult. In this way it reminds me of the Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis. Lewis claimed that everything he had written was influenced by MacDonald and revered him highly saying, "I know hardly any other writer who seems to be closer, or more continually close, to the Spirit of Christ Himself," and calling him his "Master." But Lewis was not alone, MacDonald's works also influenced famous writers such as J.R.R. Tolkien, Madelinine L'Engle, Oswald Chambers and G.K. Chesterton. The later of which said of MacDonald's book 'The Princess and the Goblin' that it "made a difference to my whole existence."
Given the great minds that MacDonald influenced I can hardly understand why it has taken me so long to discover his works myself. And to think! I've barely scratched the surface. I can't wait to read this story to my children and read the rest of his writings myself.
February 21, 2018
Re-read February 20, 2018
I still love this one, so much! ^_^
Old mini review:
Okay, so I ADORE this story. It’s an original fairytale sort of story, about this evil lady who raised this boy to be awake in the daytime and fear the night, and this girl to be awake at night and fear the day, and how they end up meeting and having to guide each other through the day or night, whichever is their element and not the other’s and… I don’t know, it’s just AWESOME and I love it. The illustrations are perfect too. It's just one of my favorite fairytale stories. George MacDonald is INCREDIBLE OKAY.
I still love this one, so much! ^_^
Old mini review:
Okay, so I ADORE this story. It’s an original fairytale sort of story, about this evil lady who raised this boy to be awake in the daytime and fear the night, and this girl to be awake at night and fear the day, and how they end up meeting and having to guide each other through the day or night, whichever is their element and not the other’s and… I don’t know, it’s just AWESOME and I love it. The illustrations are perfect too. It's just one of my favorite fairytale stories. George MacDonald is INCREDIBLE OKAY.
February 13, 2016
Read more reviews @ The Bibliosanctum
MacDonald has been credited with being the inspiration for other “Christian Mythmakers” such as Tolkien and L’Engle. Thid story in particular is seen as some of his best work. Despite the publisher, this is not a book that is about religion (but you can catch some religious themes as with the works with all the authors mentioned). The Day Boy and the Night Girl is a fairy tale of sorts, and I’ve heard that this is quoted in Ann Aguirre’s Enclave. Two women, a beautiful noblewoman named Aurora from the king’s court, and a blind, widowed woman named Vesper, are the unwitting guests of Watho, a witch, who aspires to know everything. She allows Aurora to live in the sunlight and have free range of the castle while she hides away the blind woman in the tombs, believing her to know no difference given her condition. Watho finds both women beautiful. Aurora in her vibrance and Vesper in her tragedy. Aurora soon births a son, Photogen. Immediatey upon his birth, he is spirited away from his mother. She’s told he is dead, and she leaves the mansion in despair. Not too long after, Vesper births a daughter named Nycteris and presumably Vesper died after her birth. Watho begins an experiment with the children. She only allows Photogen to see the sunlight, living as his mother had, and she allows Nycteris to see only the dark, living in the tombs as her mother had. Photogen is schooled in many arts while Nycteris is largely kept ignorant save for learning music. Photogen knows nothing of the night while Nycteris knows nothing of the day.
When Photogen decides that he has the courage to face the night after learning about it, he’s seized with a fear he’s never known, only helped through his fear by Nycteris who is ignorant of the sunlight and finds no fear in the dark. In fact, Nycteris is very much in tune with her surroundings. When Nycteris discovers the sun, she believes she is burning. However, unlike Photogen, she is more open to experience despite her naivety, and quickly comes to realize that, despite her fear of the sun, both the light and the dark live together to form a harmony. This harmony is something that both the boy and the girl find in each other, as they learn to balance this realization that there is more to their lives than the small world Watho has condemned to them for her personal knowledge. This is a beautifully crafted tale that’s aged well. There’s a simplicity to the story that kids can appreciate, but at the same time, there’s a depth that adults can admire. Photogen’s resolve to be brave in the face of the unknown and Nycteris’ quiet wisdom are shown beautifully, simply. They complement each other and navigate a world together that they’d been hidden from. Because this is a children’s story, things do wrap up very neatly for the characters, but there is still something affecting about it. Eggington’s narration was great. It wasn’t too over the top, and it wasn’t too boring. He read it just as you’d expect a fairy tale to be narrated. I will admit the story seems to give more weight to the boy’s story, but this could be to show how naive he truly is and how Nycteris offsets that by being compassionate. It made me think of Digory and Polly from C.S. Lewis’ The Magician’s Nephew, but Nycteris is much milder than Polly.
MacDonald has been credited with being the inspiration for other “Christian Mythmakers” such as Tolkien and L’Engle. Thid story in particular is seen as some of his best work. Despite the publisher, this is not a book that is about religion (but you can catch some religious themes as with the works with all the authors mentioned). The Day Boy and the Night Girl is a fairy tale of sorts, and I’ve heard that this is quoted in Ann Aguirre’s Enclave. Two women, a beautiful noblewoman named Aurora from the king’s court, and a blind, widowed woman named Vesper, are the unwitting guests of Watho, a witch, who aspires to know everything. She allows Aurora to live in the sunlight and have free range of the castle while she hides away the blind woman in the tombs, believing her to know no difference given her condition. Watho finds both women beautiful. Aurora in her vibrance and Vesper in her tragedy. Aurora soon births a son, Photogen. Immediatey upon his birth, he is spirited away from his mother. She’s told he is dead, and she leaves the mansion in despair. Not too long after, Vesper births a daughter named Nycteris and presumably Vesper died after her birth. Watho begins an experiment with the children. She only allows Photogen to see the sunlight, living as his mother had, and she allows Nycteris to see only the dark, living in the tombs as her mother had. Photogen is schooled in many arts while Nycteris is largely kept ignorant save for learning music. Photogen knows nothing of the night while Nycteris knows nothing of the day.
When Photogen decides that he has the courage to face the night after learning about it, he’s seized with a fear he’s never known, only helped through his fear by Nycteris who is ignorant of the sunlight and finds no fear in the dark. In fact, Nycteris is very much in tune with her surroundings. When Nycteris discovers the sun, she believes she is burning. However, unlike Photogen, she is more open to experience despite her naivety, and quickly comes to realize that, despite her fear of the sun, both the light and the dark live together to form a harmony. This harmony is something that both the boy and the girl find in each other, as they learn to balance this realization that there is more to their lives than the small world Watho has condemned to them for her personal knowledge. This is a beautifully crafted tale that’s aged well. There’s a simplicity to the story that kids can appreciate, but at the same time, there’s a depth that adults can admire. Photogen’s resolve to be brave in the face of the unknown and Nycteris’ quiet wisdom are shown beautifully, simply. They complement each other and navigate a world together that they’d been hidden from. Because this is a children’s story, things do wrap up very neatly for the characters, but there is still something affecting about it. Eggington’s narration was great. It wasn’t too over the top, and it wasn’t too boring. He read it just as you’d expect a fairy tale to be narrated. I will admit the story seems to give more weight to the boy’s story, but this could be to show how naive he truly is and how Nycteris offsets that by being compassionate. It made me think of Digory and Polly from C.S. Lewis’ The Magician’s Nephew, but Nycteris is much milder than Polly.
October 9, 2025
4.25⭐️
A story of a witch who acquires 2 babies through ill-gotten means and raises the boy in ALL lightness and the girl in ALL darkness. When these two grow up they accidentally meet and a forbidden friendship blossoms.
A story of a witch who acquires 2 babies through ill-gotten means and raises the boy in ALL lightness and the girl in ALL darkness. When these two grow up they accidentally meet and a forbidden friendship blossoms.
July 20, 2018
One of my brightest memories from primary school is a teacher squinting at the title of the book I'm reading, and remarking I shouldn't read The Prince and the Pauper at such a young age, at which I raise my head and say in a matter-of-fact voice: "This isn't The Prince and the Pauper, it's The Princess and the Goblin!"
While I can't say that The Princess and the Goblin got me into fantasy - the honor is all The Neverending Story's - it was one of the first books I ever read of this genre, and one I love with all my heart. My sentimental feelings don't have as much to do with the book itself as the effect it had on me. The originality of the story, coupled with the fantastical and even frightening elements, were pure oxygen for my imagination.
It's amazing how despite the time passed between that experience and this one, a couple of pages are all it takes to make me feel like a curious child again, swept away in a world she never wants to leave.
Surprising fact: I didn't know The Day Boy and the Night Girl was by George MacDonald until 50% in the story, so even I can't say I'm biased! MacDonald has a way of weaving a very fine net around me, so by the time I've noticed it I'm too wrapped up in the story to want to break free. But I expected that. I expected getting caught up in the original concept and the fairytale feeling. What I didn't expect was getting attached to the characters, being astonished at the realism of the storyline, and falling head over heels for the prose.
What's a prose-loving girl to do?
I loved the protagonists, but what really got to me were not simply their actions or characters, but that their very way of thinking felt so indigenous. Their ignorance, their innocence, the way they overcame their fears - it was all in the details. It breathed between two gushes of wind, stretched in the darkness between the stars, hid under the petals of a daisy. And came crashing into me with unquestionable logic:
And the best part is there is no insta-love. There is wonder and misunderstanding. There is support and mutual dependency. There is so much more than I could have hoped for.
In the end, this short story encompasses not only the reason I love fantasy, but the reason I love books. Because there's an aspect in every story that matters so much more than the breath-taking world building or the imaginative storyline; it's that in its very core, every story is full of truths. Truths I always knew existed but needed someone to spell them out for me, needed that single line that would set my whole world spinning on a new orbit. Thank you, George MacDonald, not for inspiring me to read, but for teaching me to always, always look between the lines.
More of my book reviews can be found on my blog, Valley of the Books.
While I can't say that The Princess and the Goblin got me into fantasy - the honor is all The Neverending Story's - it was one of the first books I ever read of this genre, and one I love with all my heart. My sentimental feelings don't have as much to do with the book itself as the effect it had on me. The originality of the story, coupled with the fantastical and even frightening elements, were pure oxygen for my imagination.
It's amazing how despite the time passed between that experience and this one, a couple of pages are all it takes to make me feel like a curious child again, swept away in a world she never wants to leave.
Surprising fact: I didn't know The Day Boy and the Night Girl was by George MacDonald until 50% in the story, so even I can't say I'm biased! MacDonald has a way of weaving a very fine net around me, so by the time I've noticed it I'm too wrapped up in the story to want to break free. But I expected that. I expected getting caught up in the original concept and the fairytale feeling. What I didn't expect was getting attached to the characters, being astonished at the realism of the storyline, and falling head over heels for the prose.
I could not see your lovely eyes but for the light that is in them; that lets me see straight into heaven through them. They are windows into the very heaven beyond the sky. I believe they are the very place where the stars are made.
What's a prose-loving girl to do?
I loved the protagonists, but what really got to me were not simply their actions or characters, but that their very way of thinking felt so indigenous. Their ignorance, their innocence, the way they overcame their fears - it was all in the details. It breathed between two gushes of wind, stretched in the darkness between the stars, hid under the petals of a daisy. And came crashing into me with unquestionable logic:
She knew nothing of the water but what she drank and what she bathed in; and as the moon shone on the dark, swift stream, singing lustily as it flowed, she did not doubt the river was alive, a swift rushing serpent of life, going - out? - whither? And then she wondered if what was brought into her rooms had been killed that she might drink it, and have her bath in it.
And the best part is there is no insta-love. There is wonder and misunderstanding. There is support and mutual dependency. There is so much more than I could have hoped for.
In the end, this short story encompasses not only the reason I love fantasy, but the reason I love books. Because there's an aspect in every story that matters so much more than the breath-taking world building or the imaginative storyline; it's that in its very core, every story is full of truths. Truths I always knew existed but needed someone to spell them out for me, needed that single line that would set my whole world spinning on a new orbit. Thank you, George MacDonald, not for inspiring me to read, but for teaching me to always, always look between the lines.
Her heart - like every heart, if only its fallen sides were cleared away - was an inexhaustible fountain of love (...)
More of my book reviews can be found on my blog, Valley of the Books.
March 10, 2013
Now this was just plain fun. An evil witch, good king (with a bit part), "orphaned" children, beautiful girl with giant eyes and strong, naive twit of a boy. After reading the first chapter, you know the arc of every one to follow, but it is such a delight to simply allow yourself to get whisked away and lost in MacDonald's mellifluous voice.
Simple plot overview: a wicked(ish) witch, about whom MacDonald has some delightful opinions, manages to acquire a boy to be raised only in light, never seeing the night, and a girl to be raised only in the darkness (underground), never seeing day. Obviously, they each are everything lovely and pure, meet and fall in love, et cetera res bonus (minus a prophecy, but then it's a short book: when I was three quarters of the way through, I was convinced that it must be a part of a series). So, read and enjoy it; very good for family readings, especially for groups of kids under the age of ninety.
Simple plot overview: a wicked(ish) witch, about whom MacDonald has some delightful opinions, manages to acquire a boy to be raised only in light, never seeing the night, and a girl to be raised only in the darkness (underground), never seeing day. Obviously, they each are everything lovely and pure, meet and fall in love, et cetera res bonus (minus a prophecy, but then it's a short book: when I was three quarters of the way through, I was convinced that it must be a part of a series). So, read and enjoy it; very good for family readings, especially for groups of kids under the age of ninety.
December 5, 2018
A beautiful little fairy tale about two children who are victims in an experiment by a wicked witch, that steals them from their unknowing mothers at birth. The witch raises them according to her designs, and so the girl, Nycteris, grew up in the dark and can't live in the sunlight, and the boy, Photogen, grew up in the light and gets sick in the night.
As all plans must, the witch's idea doesn't go as well as planned. Nycteris and Photogen meet by accident, resulting in them scheming to free themselves from captivity. The plot is rather straightforward, but lovely, and McDonald has a penchant for describing everyday things known as they'd be felt by a captive just meeting them for the first time. The story doesn't seem to have been written with a children's audience in mind, but it's clean and suitable for them as well, and I'd recommend an illustrated version of this story if you want to read this to the little ones.
As all plans must, the witch's idea doesn't go as well as planned. Nycteris and Photogen meet by accident, resulting in them scheming to free themselves from captivity. The plot is rather straightforward, but lovely, and McDonald has a penchant for describing everyday things known as they'd be felt by a captive just meeting them for the first time. The story doesn't seem to have been written with a children's audience in mind, but it's clean and suitable for them as well, and I'd recommend an illustrated version of this story if you want to read this to the little ones.
December 4, 2024
What a beautiful story. I listened twice. It’s short, and at first I found it a bit weird and boring even, but I really enjoyed it by the end. The last line is so beautiful!
November 28, 2015
The Day Boy and Night Girl is about two children who help each other through their weaknesses.
The story starts with an evil witch who wants to know everything. She has two visitors, a queen and a poor blind widow. The queen has a boy with blond hair and dark eyes; the widow has a daughter with black hair and light blue eyes. The widow dies and the witch makes the queen think that her child is dead and sends her away. The witch keeps both of the children away from each other. One knows only the day and the other only the night. Through circumstances they meet each other and have to work together to try to get away from the witch.
I like this story because they had to lift each other up and help one another through their weaknesses. I think we should help other people with their weaknesses and problems too.
The story starts with an evil witch who wants to know everything. She has two visitors, a queen and a poor blind widow. The queen has a boy with blond hair and dark eyes; the widow has a daughter with black hair and light blue eyes. The widow dies and the witch makes the queen think that her child is dead and sends her away. The witch keeps both of the children away from each other. One knows only the day and the other only the night. Through circumstances they meet each other and have to work together to try to get away from the witch.
I like this story because they had to lift each other up and help one another through their weaknesses. I think we should help other people with their weaknesses and problems too.
Read
December 23, 2021Pretty good. Again, MacDonald uses lots of symbolism referring to the spiritual awakening process.
He uses characters to depict the dark and light within us and how they come together in union (by the marriage of the two MC's).
On the surface, its a fantasy with some romance, but as you read you can see the deeper meaning.
No content concerns
He uses characters to depict the dark and light within us and how they come together in union (by the marriage of the two MC's).
On the surface, its a fantasy with some romance, but as you read you can see the deeper meaning.
No content concerns
June 6, 2012
I chose this book because excerpts were in a recent YA dystopian book I read (The Enclave) and I was curious to read more.
May 31, 2022
This rating is for the edition illustrated by Nonny Hogrogian.
December 19, 2020
Really lovely little tale.
June 6, 2024
Excellent! A beautiful story of suffering, love, and gratitude that convicted me of my own reaction to the suffering in my life.
March 1, 2015
I have not once been able to describe aptly the effect that Macdonald's writing has on me. I shall try, though here, to say that it seems to fill me with life and joy and light and understanding. It is life-bringing! Its clearness and grace charm a beauty into my soul that no other writing ever has.
Simple. Beautiful. This was a wonderful story about light and dark and fear and grace and curiosity, and true strength.
To all readers, enjoy!
Also, this story is also named The History of Photogen and Nycteris. It's available in public domain here:
http://www.online-literature.com/geor...
Simple. Beautiful. This was a wonderful story about light and dark and fear and grace and curiosity, and true strength.
To all readers, enjoy!
Also, this story is also named The History of Photogen and Nycteris. It's available in public domain here:
http://www.online-literature.com/geor...
February 17, 2018
Today I've read this old tale by the Scottish author George MacDonald. I decided to use it for my uni project this semester and can't wait to work with it after reading it.
First of all, I love every story with two opposites, especially day and night! ;)
That's what got me into this story in the first place. Also, while reading some parts reminded me of Snowwhite and the Huntsman and others of Hansel and Gretel by the Brothers Grimm. I love these kinds of children's tales. ;)
Lastly, I enjoyed this story because of the strong female character in it and the fact that the boy discovered his superficiality. Together they help each other and become one!
First of all, I love every story with two opposites, especially day and night! ;)
That's what got me into this story in the first place. Also, while reading some parts reminded me of Snowwhite and the Huntsman and others of Hansel and Gretel by the Brothers Grimm. I love these kinds of children's tales. ;)
Lastly, I enjoyed this story because of the strong female character in it and the fact that the boy discovered his superficiality. Together they help each other and become one!
December 29, 2008
This wonderful work is a perfect example of why it is a crime of the highest order that the maestro of "fairytales", George MacDonald, is not better known in our day. A beautiful and extremely creative story of fantasy, romance, and deep allegory.
Read from the author C.S. Lewis called his literary "master"--the man who inspired and fathered the renowned Inklings, the small group of authors including such men as C.S. Lewis, J.R.R Tolkien, Charles Williams, Owen Barfield, and others.
Read from the author C.S. Lewis called his literary "master"--the man who inspired and fathered the renowned Inklings, the small group of authors including such men as C.S. Lewis, J.R.R Tolkien, Charles Williams, Owen Barfield, and others.
November 1, 2015
As someone who grew up reading Tolkien and CS Lewis, and gaining exposure to Walt Whitman and Lewis Carroll as I grew older, I was shocked that these great writers were contemporaries of or greatly influenced by an author I had never heard of or read. This was an easy read, a quick little fable, but the wording is beautiful, and it is easy to see how MacDonald's writing influenced so many. I will be seeking out more of his work.
September 12, 2022
I had not before read a nighttime scene in a book that instilled in me such great awe and the feeling that, maybe, I don’t know the night at all. Something so common to me as the moon, or understood as the wind, described through the eyes of a wondering yet wise child, left me with some of her novel perspective and beautiful appreciation. And then she meets the day, and the boy who only knows light…
May 26, 2019
At last, I got the lovely edition with Nonny Hogrogian's illustrations that I'd been coveting for a while, and couldn't be happier with my copy! Beautiful little fairy tale, one of my most favourite.
October 28, 2023
`Oh, I see!'' returned Nycteris. ``No, of course! -- you can't be a girl: girls are not afraid
-- without reason. I understand now: it is because you are not a girl that you are so
frightened.''
George MacDonald was by no means perfect but the man knew his protofeminism 😌
CW: Hunting, grief, child abuse/neglect, period racial language
-- without reason. I understand now: it is because you are not a girl that you are so
frightened.''
George MacDonald was by no means perfect but the man knew his protofeminism 😌
CW: Hunting, grief, child abuse/neglect, period racial language
to-reread
February 19, 2023I have very fond memories of listening to this as a wee girl with my sister. I don't think I fully appreciated MacDonald back then (I don't think I fully appreciate him yet!) but I'd like to give this one a reread soon.
November 14, 2025
simple and good. a story about how even the things people intend for evil can become something good. a joy. three stars for nycteris, and 2 stars for photogen, because she's nicer than him and she deserves stars more tbh.
total score: 5/5 stars
total score: 5/5 stars
Read
March 21, 2024i enjoyed this one quite a bit more than the golden key, this was very fun
March 17, 2023
Such a sweet story. They don't make children's books like this anymore.
May 22, 2015
I first came across this in another book I was reading called Enclave by Ann Aguirre. Before multiple chapters in her book she would have a quote from The Day Boy and The Night Girl. After finishing the series through which the quotes were spread, I wanted to read the book itself. I had originally thought it would be a large book, so I was shocked to see it was as simple as children’s fairytale from the late 1800s. It didn’t take me very long to read it, but once I was finished I was glad I did. It has easily become one of my favorite literary pieces of all time.
When the story first begins we are introduced to two women, Aurora and Vespor, two women introduced to stay with the witch Watho. Both women were pregnant and while Aurora was given a room filled with sunlight and space, Vespor was given a room in the dark basement of the castle to be cut off from light and the outside. Eventually Aurora gave birth to a little boy and moved out of the castle believing that her son had been stillborn. Vespor, on the other hand, died during childbirth and her daughter was put under Watho’s care. From then on the children were raised in completely different lifestyles, never to know each other.
Photogen, Aurora’s son, was raised to be awake and outdoors from the time the sun rose to the time the sun set, so that he would never know of darkness or nighttime. Oppositely, Nycteris, Vespor’s daughter, was raised in the cold dark basement where she was born with only a lamp to give her light; she knew nothing of the outside world or daytime. The time would eventually come when Nycteris would grow into a young lady and she would find the door unlocked, unintentionally of course. By night, she began to sneak out and look about the world she never knew. She experienced many new things like the moon, wind, plants, and rivers; most of these new things scared her. She had always managed to make her way back into the basement before she was discovered, before daylight.
Meanwhile, Photogen himself began to grow older, and with age comes curiosity. He began to question what happened after the sun set and he was forced to go inside to sleep. One night, he stayed out past sunset and was faced with something he never knew before: darkness. Not being used to the sudden absence of light, Photogen was blinded as he ran into terrible creatures he never knew about- lions, owls, etc. While on one of her nightly outings, Nycteris came across a young man, scared and crying, it was Photogen. She stayed with him and comforted him until it was daylight. Immediately Photogen felt better and left Nycteris to fend for herself. Never seeing daylight before Nycteris’ fragile eyes and skin burned and she was left to blindly crawl back into the basement. When Watho found out what had happened, she was furious.
She forced Nycteris to stay out in the harsh sun until she could no longer take it. For weeks, Watho gradually grew more and more cruel towards Photogen and Nycteris until they decided they needed to escape. Under the cover of darkness, Photogen and Nycteris escaped. They took care of each other so that they would be able to travel both day and night. Watho found out quickly and chaced after the two of them, transforming into a giant wolf. Taking action, Photogen shot and killed her, freeing them both of her. Together, they fled to the nearby kingdom where Aurora still lived. When she found out she had a son she was delighted. Photogen and Nycteris would later get married and live happily ever after, in a cliché sort of way.
I am going to choose Photogen to characterize because I feel as though he changed the most throughout this book. He started off as a fully entitled young man and, for some odd reason, began to question his perfect life. It was his curiosity that led him to figure out there was more than just what Watho had taught him. Of course, Nycteris went through this as well, but for the purpose of this paper I’m just choosing to write about one of them. Although he was very brave, he was too confident in what he could handle and it’s what led to him requiring the help of Nycteris. Something that I really didn’t like about his character was that he was so willing to leave Nycteris behind after she had helped him. He really should have helped her and made sure she would be okay. Other than that I thought his curiosity and bravery was very admirable.
I rated this five out of five stars because, although this was a children’s book, it was very well written and should be considered a timeless classic. It had adventure, fantasy, and romance all in one, making it perfect for any age, gender, ethnicity, ect. It also wasn’t too vulgur, which was a plus. This is my second favorite literary piece of all time and I would recommend it to anyone and everyone looking for a good short story or book.
June 26, 2025
قرأتها بالترجمة العربية من إصدار دار أثرى للمترجمة الصديقة براءة، بعنوان "نهاره وليلها" وقد أبدعت أيما إبداع في اختيار الكتاب ابتداءً وانتهاءً بالترجمة البديعة! 🤍🤍🤍
April 21, 2025
Oh.my. heart. That was adorable!!!😍😍😍🥰🥰🥰🥰
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