The Cambridge Companion to George MacDonald

Accessible and authoritative, this is the definitive guide to George MacDonald for students, educators, and general readers. Chapters cover his life, major genres, and central themes, giving clear entry points into his work and demonstrating his continuing importance to Victorian studies, children's literature, fantasy, theology, and wider culture.

George MacDonald (1824–1905) remains one of the most persistently read and beloved of the Victorians. His fairy tales and children's books have delighted generations of young readers, while his sermons, essays, and poems still offer startling insights into life and literature. He has increasingly been recognised as one of Scotland's most important nineteenth-century novelists. Here, seventeen new essays from an international, diverse group of scholars illuminate the crucial aspects of MacDonald's remarkable, varied works. The chapters are organised around MacDonald's life, major genres, and central themes, and provide clear points of entry for students, researchers, and curious readers. For readers approaching MacDonald's works for the first time and for those renewing a long acquaintance, The Cambridge Companion to George MacDonald is an indispensable guide. With a foreword by Malcom Guite and an afterword by Roderick McGillis.