"The little waves, when I moved in the boat, heaved and fell with a plash as of molten silver, breaking the image of the moon into a thousand morsels, fusing again into one, as the ripples of laughter die into the still face of joy. The sleeping woods, in undefined massiveness; the water that flowed in its sleep; and, above all, the enchantress moon, which had cast them all, with her pale eye (...) ", in Phantastes by George Macdonald
pickA wild literary journey that may not be everyone's cup of tea. A story without story but with a lot meaning: about life and death and everything in between. About dreams and fears, about hopes and ideals, about love and selflessness. About a wanderer that should really start paying more attention to warnings and stop touching damsels who don't want to be touched.
Finally finished "Phantastes", by George Macdonald during #HyggeHourReadathon! Just a quiet read cuddled up on the couch under a warm blanket.
Loved this book! Reading it was akin to a spiritual experience, but without having to spend money on magic shrooms ?
@TheBookHippie @jenniferw88 @Chrissyreadit @AllDebooks
"(...) and find their common life in those wondrous hours that flow noiselessly over moveless death-like forms of men and women and children, lying strewn and parted beneath the weight of the heavy waves of night, which flow on and beat them down, and hold them drowned and senseless, until the ebbtide comes, and the waves sink away, back into the ocean of the dark", in Phantastes, by George Macdonald.
so-soVery obscure and at times confusing, and pleasant - but I am very glad that because of this book, we have had the pleasure of C.S. Lewis's great works in this world and also his immense example within Christianity. To me, I can now see a hint of Phantastes within the Magician's Nephew. That same otherworldliness that takes you by the hand to teach you something. But I do very much prefer the way it was done by Lewis.
pickAnother imaginative challenge weaved from the mind of the great spellbinding Mr MacDonald, most thoughtful, and magical, aroused in the prominent light of an intuitive and noble innocence, only found in the “holiness of the heart‘s affections.”
pickMacDonald challenges the reader‘s imaginative capabilities and his metaphorical associations. I never thought that I would one day empathize with Lilith, whom many of us know about already. However, MacDonald softens the heart, and does some magic that eventually pulls the reader into a sense of pity for all characters, including her. The ending is quite sad, but hopeful, as are many things in life.
Started a children's classic. I have a nice hardbound copy.
pickBook #14 of the year:
“Donal Grant” by George MacDonald. I loved this book as a young teen and finally got to reread it. It‘s complicated, written in the late 1800s, with lots of Scottish-English and swathes of religious philosophizing, but I still really enjoyed it. It‘s a good story, sweet and sad.
