Phantastes
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| Author | George MacDonald |
|---|---|
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Genre(s) | Fantasy novel |
| Publisher | Smith, Elder & Co. |
| Publication date | 1858 |
| Media type | Print (Hardback & Paperback) |
| Pages | 323 pp |
| ISBN | NA |
| Followed by | Lilith |
Phantastes, A Faerie Romance for Men and Women is an 1858 fantasy novel written by George MacDonald. Its importance was recognized in its later revival in paperback by Ballantine Books as the fourteenth volume of the celebrated Ballantine Adult Fantasy series in April, 1970. This was the first prose work ever published by MacDonald. Because of its limited financial success, MacDonald saw himself forced to turn to writing realistic novels. "Phantastes", however, exerted a lot of influence on fantasy authors of later generations, e.g. C. S. Lewis claimed that his imagination had been "baptized" by reading it.
The story is of Anodos ("pathless" or "ascent" in Greek) and takes its inspiration from German romance, particularly Novalis. The story concerns a young man who is pulled into a dreamlike world and there hunts for his ideal of female beauty, embodied by the "Marble Lady". Anodos lives through many adventures and temptations while in the other world, until he is finally ready to give up his ideals. In its themes and overall storyline, "Phantastes" is a kind of dry run for the later Lilith.
The book is illustrated by Pre-Raphaelite painter Arthur Hughes.
[edit] External links
[edit] References
- Bleiler, Everett (1948). The Checklist of Fantastic Literature. Chicago: Shasta Publishers, 187.
