George MacDonald

by William Raeper

George MacDonald (18324-1905) was one of the most startling and original of nineteenth-century writers. His writing and lecturing brought him wide recognition in his own day, and into the company of many of the leading Victorians of his time. Among his friends were John Ruskin and Lewis Carroll, as well as many of the pre-Raphaelite painters, social reformers, and church figures of the period.

This is the first major biography of George MacDonald since George Macdonald and His Wife, written by his son, Greville MacDonald, in 1924. It provides a striking portrait of the main in his times, as well as giving a critical introduction to his writing.

Genres: Biography, Nonfiction

432 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 1987

About the author

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/peo...

Reviews

[Ellis · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book provides a clear and in-depth look at George MacDonald's life, and it also has a few chapters including literary analysis of his works. I enjoyed reading it and learning more about MacDonald, although some of chapters focusing on literary criticism were a bit long, so I ended up skimming them. I agree with another reviewer who mentioned that there was a lot of unnecessary information on Ruskin in the book; I skimmed the latter half of the chapter on him and Rose because it seemed rather irrelevant. Raeper's style is engaging and easy to read, and it was nice to have direct quotes from letters and other primary sources embedded in the biography. Also, I appreciated the pictures in the middle of the book, as it was fun to be able to connect faces with the lives I was reading about.

[Joel Zartman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well worth it. Complete, thorough, sympathetic, insightful. A bit heavy on quotation, a bit more confident on some of the interpretations than seems warranted, wandering quite off the topic with Ruskin, but on the whole a good appreciation of MacDonald.

[Justin Wiggins · Rating 5 out of 5]

This very well researched biography on the great Scottish writer, George MacDonald, by William Raeper, made me admire MacDonald even more. MacDonald was an incredibly inspiring human being, and writer.

My favorite chapter from the book is the one called "In the Folds of Faerie-Fantasy Novels." I highly recommend this biography.