The Complete Fairy Tales

George MacDonald occupied a major position in the intellectual life of his Victorian contemporaries. This volume brings together all eleven of his shorter fairy stories as well as his essay "The Fantastic Imagination". The subjects are those of traditional fantasy: good and wicked fairies, children embarking on elaborate quests, and journeys into unsettling dreamworlds. Within this familiar imaginative landscape, his children's stories were profoundly experimental, questioning the association of childhood with purity and innocence, and the need to separate fairy tale wonder from adult scepticism and disbelief.Introduction
Suggestions for Further Reading
A Note on the Texts
The Fantastic ImaginationFrom ADELA CATHCARTThe Light Princess
The Shadows
The Giant's Heart
From DEALINGS WITH THE FAIRIESCross Purposes
The Golden Key
From AT THE BACK OF THE NORTH WINDLittle Daylight
Nanny's Dream
Diamond's Dream
LATER TALESThe Carasoyn
The Wise Woman, or The Lost Princess: A Double Story
The History of Photogen and Nycteris: A Day and Night Mährchen
Explanatory NotesGeorge MacDonald (1824-1905) was a minister who was rejected by his congregation, and struggled thereafter to support his family of eleven children by writing. In his own day he was celebrated as poet, preacher, and lecturer, and as the author of numerous novels. He is best known today for his vivid children's stories. U. C. Knoepflmacher has published widely on children's literature and the Victorian period.