The Complete Fairy Tales (Penguin Classics) (Paperback)

by George Macdonald (Author), U. C. Knoepflmacher (Author) "That we have no English word corresponding to the German Mahrchen, drives us to use the word Fairytale, regardless of the fact that the tale..." (more)
Key Phrases: fairy fleet, little daylight, wise woman, Old Man of the Sea, Cross Purposes, Ralph Rinkelmann (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
An authoritative edition of the shorter fairy tales of George MacDonald, "one of the most remarkable writers of the nineteenth century" (W. H. Auden)

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 alternative order to the dubious certitudes of everyday life.

The Complete Fairy Tales brings together all eleven of George MacDonald's shorter fairy tales, including "The Light Princess" and "The Golden Key," as well as his essay "The Fantastic Imagination." The subjects are those of traditional fantasy: fairies good and wicked, children embarking on elaborate quests, journeys into unsettling dreamworlds, life-risking labors undertaken. Though they allude to familiar tales such as "Sleeping Beauty" and "Jack the Giant-Killer," MacDonald's stories are profoundly experimental and subversive. By questioning the concept that a childhood associated with purity, innocence, and fairy-tale "wonder" ought to be segregated from adult skepticism and disbelief, they invite adult readers to adopt the same elasticity and openmindedness that come so naturally to a child.

"I have never concealed the fact that I regarded him as my master . . . The quality that had enchanted me in his imaginative works turned out to be the quality of the real universe, the divine, magical, terrifying and ecstatic reality in which we all live." --C. S. Lewis

About the Author
George MacDonald (1824-1905) was born in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. Briefly a clergyman, then a professor of English literature at Bedford and King's College in London, he was a popular lecturer and published poetry, stories, novels, and fairy tales. U. C. Knoepflmacher is a professor of English and Paton Foundation Professor of Ancient and Modern Literature at Princeton University.

Product Details

• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Penguin Classics (September 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0140437371
• ISBN-13: 978-0140437379
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 5.1 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #150,118 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

65 of 66 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Complete Fairy Tales, July 3, 2000

By	Valerie King (Memphis, TN) - See all my reviews

I find it such a pity that this literary genious is not more widely read! This particular book, I have read and re-read so frequently in the last 8 years that I may soon be forced to purchase it again. The cover has been rolled into a perpetual "O" and so many pages have been dog-earred and folded, that it has become rather hard to read. Needless to say, I have found this book one of the most enjoyable of the many many books I've read during my 17 years of life. The stories contained in this book are exceptionally enchanting and the symbolism superb! They have undoubtably had a strong influence on my own writing style.

I would recommend George MacDonald over all other authors (with C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien a close second and third). And I would recommend this book to fantasy readers over any other piece I've read.

26 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars From the first master, February 9, 2003

By	E. A Solinas "ea_solinas" (MD USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 10 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

George MacDonald, a 19th-century minister from Scotland, may be the earliest writer of fantasy as we know it today. He was a prolific writer and an influence on grand masters C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien, and here some of his less-known (but well-written) works.

First of all is his essay on "The Fantastic Imagination," where he discusses fantasy, fairy tales, and the nature of childlike innocence. There are also short stories, such as the novella "Light Princess," about a girl who is a lightweight in mind AND body, excerpts from the dreamy fantasy novel "At The Back of the North Wind," the haunting "Shadows" that appear for a king, a "Wise Woman" who sweeps away an obnoxious princess, and several others.

MacDonald's stories have the sort of rich, compelling prose that the best of 19th-century literature has. His stories are full of creepy creatures, magical women, golden keys and dreamy atmosphere, the sort of stuff now written by Jane Yolen and not many others. But they're also more grounded and traditionally fairy-tale-like than the stories of later writer Lord Dunsany. Rather, you can see how Lewis and Tolkien would have both enjoyed and been influenced by MacDonald.

A good selection of short stories and a thought-provoking essay, definitely for fans of fantasy and fairy tales. Delightful.

27 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Marred by careless proofreading., November 24, 2001

By A Customer

The stories were languid yet wry. Very enjoyable. However, I don't believe I've ever encountered such careless errors. In addition to numerous spelling errors, the chapter heading was wrong in TWO cases! The introduction was lacking as well. Read George MacDonald, but get a different edition of his works.