Greetings, fellow readers!
I hope you enjoyed the MacDonald reviews. Perhaps we will return to this author sometime in the future. I would like to read The Princess and the Goblin and At the Back of the North Wind. If you would like a more complete list of his writings please visit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_MacDonald#Partial_list_of_works
I will not focus on a single author for the month of February. In honor of Valentine's Day, I will review three romance novels. Due to my busy schedule, I will release one review each week for the next three weeks. For the final week of February, I will post a preview for the month of March. If I have time, I may release special editions.
For the month of February, the featured authors will be: Elizabeth Gaskell, Harriet Beecher Stowe, and Geraldine Brooks.
Elizabeth Gaskell was an English woman who wrote in the mid-1800s. Her writings include Mary Barton, North and South, Cranford, and Wives and Daughters. Molly Gibson, of Wives and Daughters, is one of my favorite Victorian literary heroines. I look forward to sharing my favorite Gaskell novel with you.
Harriet Beecher Stowe is best remembered for her controversial anti-slavery novel Uncle Tom's Cabin, published only a few years before the American Civil War. However, this was only one of several novels that she wrote between 1852 and 1890. I will review The Pearl of Orr's Island, written ten years after Uncle Tom's Cabin.
Geraldine Brooks, not to be confused with the Australian writer of the same name, wrote at the turn of the 20th century. Titles include: Dames and Daughters of the French Court, Dames and Daughters of Colonial Days, and Dames and Daughters of the Young Republic. Each book is a collection of short stories about different women in history. I have had the privilege of only reading Romances of Colonial Days by Geraldine Brooks. I will, however, keep my eyes open at all antique shops for copies of her other novels. They are quite interesting. She references people I have read about in history books, and women whom I've never heard of before, but women who nonetheless lived and breathed and had joys and sorrows like we do today.
Thank you for visiting Victorian Bookshelf, and I hope you will return this coming month for these new treasures of literature.
~ Katelyn
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
"Sir Gibbie" by George MacDonald
Though edited, Sir Gibbie looked imposing and a little boring when my aunt and uncle gave it to me years ago. However, once I started reading, I fell in love with the story, finishing it in four days. The pictures were not the best, but I had matured to the age when I knew that you cannot judge a book by its cover or by its illustrations.
Sir Gibbie is the son of the impoverished Sir George Galbraith. Gibbie’s mother is dead, and his father is slowly killing himself with alcohol purchased in Mistress Croale's whisky parlor. They live in a tiny attic in the Old House of Galbraith, which was sold to pay the family’s debts. Gibbie is a tender, loving boy but, sadly, he is unable to speak. He communicates with the people of the Scottish town through smiles and kind actions.
When Sir George dies, Gibbie leaves the town, wandering through the Scottish countryside. He finally arrives at the Glashgar highlands. He takes refuge in a barn, helping the lady of the house secretly each morning before the house awakes. The barn is located at the Mains of Glashruach, leased by John Duff, and the lady is Jean Mavor, John Duff's half-sister. She believes a brownie (Scottish fairy) is working the daily magic.
When Sir George dies, Gibbie leaves the town, wandering through the Scottish countryside. He finally arrives at the Glashgar highlands. He takes refuge in a barn, helping the lady of the house secretly each morning before the house awakes. The barn is located at the Mains of Glashruach, leased by John Duff, and the lady is Jean Mavor, John Duff's half-sister. She believes a brownie (Scottish fairy) is working the daily magic.
On Glashgar Peak, Gibbie meets Janet Grant, a wife and mother with the child-like faith that Jesus praised in the Gospel of Matthew: “And he said: “I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 18:3 NIV) Gibbie also befriends Donal Grant, Janet’s son, who works as a herdsman for the Lord of Glashruach. Donal reads and writes his own poetry. He and Gibbie become best friends.
The news of Jean Mavor’s brownie greatly disturbs the Lord of Glashruach, Thomas Galbraith, a greedy, pompous, cowardly man. He dislikes anything relating to magic and myth. He orders Fergus Duff (John Duff’s son) to capture the person who is secretly helping Jean and to prove to everyone – especially Mr. Galbraith’s daughter, Ginevra – that brownies are not real.
Poor Gibbie is apprehended. Fergus beats him, then takes him to Mr. Galbraith. No one understands that Gibbie cannot speak. Thus they make the erroneous mistake of assuming that he won’t speak. Mr. Galbraith sends Gibbie and one of his workers, Angus MacPholp, to the coach-house, with orders for Angus to whip Gibbie. Fergus strips the boy of his shirt and lays the whip to his back twice: first across his waist and then vertically down his back. He is about to strike again when Ginevra rushes into the coach-house and rescues Gibbie. Gibbie escapes to Janet Grant’s house. Janet and her husband Robert adopt Gibbie, and he lives with them and becomes like a brother to Donal. Gibbie enjoys many happy years in Glashruach, and he might have spent the rest of his life quietly and happily with his new family. However, someone is searching for him.
After Gibbie had left the town of his birth, the local pastor, Rev. Sclater, learns that Gibbie is heir to a large fortune from his uncle, Mr. William Fuller Winthrop. Rev. Sclater offers a 100 pound reward for information concerning the whereabouts of Gibbie Galbraith. During a terrible flood, an old friend arrives in Glashruach searching for Gibbie. The friend sees him and, in the turmoil, travels to the city to give Rev. Sclater the news of Gibbie’s whereabouts.
Rev. Sclater comes to Glashgar and convinces Gibbie to return to the city with him and begin his education as a wealthy gentleman. Gibbie leaves, but only on the condition that Donal Grant may come too and share the benefits of a higher education. The two boys leave their simple lives behind at Glashgar, preparing for the new life that awaits them in the city, little knowing that Ginevra will also be leaving for the city and school, too.
The beauty of Sir Gibbie is in its delightful, charming characters. Most of them are poorly educated farm-folk, but they are honest and sincere. The villain, the selfish Mr. Galbraith, is rather like a Dickens character. He is slightly unbelievable because he is unimaginably selfish and narrow-minded.
The character of Sir Gibbie is worth a great deal of study: a mute boy with a face like an angel’s, overflowing with kindness and unselfishness. He is truly the opposite of Mr. Galbraith. Gibbie is integrity itself. The life of prosperity does not spoil him; he does not really change: he is the same person at the end of the story as he is in the beginning. Those who change are the people who live around him. They change because of his loving, gentle influence.
I used to think that Gibbie was a slightly unrealistic character. He was too good to be true. His goodness did not irritate me or hinder the book, but I knew there was really no one truly like him. Then I read a book that changed my mind. It was a book that explained how literature professors view plots and characters. Through this book I realized that Gibbie isn’t exactly to be taken as your average character. Actually, he is an allegorical character: the Christ-figure of the story. It is always exciting to make a discovery, and now I’m surprised I didn’t realize it sooner. When Angus whips Gibbie, he whips him across the waist and down his back. It is the shape of the Cross.
Like Jesus, Gibbie walks on earth, living true Christianity, a kind not practiced even by the churchgoers and the pastor. “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.” James 1:27 NIV
Monday, January 10, 2011
"The Light Princess" by George MacDonald
I became familiar with The Light Princess through a recorded dramatic reading - another treasure located at the local library. It was the second MacDonald fairytale I heard, the first being At the Back of the North Wind. The Light Princess is an easier read than The Golden Key, but it is not the latter's inferior.
The Light Princess begins like so many fairy tales: a kingdom, a king and a queen facing the great dilemma of having no heir, a spell, a prince, even a witch. The king is slightly pompous and comical, and the queen is serious and more sensible. Eventually, the couple are blessed with the birth of their daughter. The story may have been happy but uneventful if the king had not forgotten to invite his spiteful sister, Princess Makemnoit, to the christening. Princess Makemnoit, easily forgotten since she is an awful person, is the instigator of all misery and sorrow that plagues the characters.
To take her revenge for being overlooked, she casts a spell on the princess, depriving the baby girl of all her gravity. The spell and its result are discovered one day when the princess miraculously floats to the ceiling of her nursery, put afloat by the wind coming in through the open window. As the child grows up, her loss of gravity is felt keenly by the entire palace.
The loss of gravity is a horrible condition. Not only can the slightest breath of wind carry the princess away, but she has no gravity of spirit. She knows neither sadness nor sorrow nor anything grave. She laughs often, but even that lacks sincerity.
King John and his queen decide to consult the college of Metaphysicians. The materialist Hum-Drum and the spiritualist Kopy-Keck both try to solve the princess's problem, but the king and queen cannot possibly take their harsh advice. Instead, a temporary solution presents itself when, by accident, the princess discovers that her gravity is restored whenever she is submerged in water. From that day forward, the princess spends all her time swimming in the lake next to the palace.
The hero of the tale - aye, the prince - meets the princess one evening as she is swimming in the lake. She bewitches the prince, and he becomes her devoted admirer. As, however, true love requires some gravity of mind, his love is not returned by the princess, who is light of body, mind, and heart.
Princess Makemnoit learns of the princess's happiness and regained gravity in the lake, and, being the kill-joy that she is, she brings to life a giant serpent to drain the lake of all its water. The princess, who, despite of her loss of gravity, loves the lake. As she watches the water mysteriously drain away, she begins to fade and draw close to death. The king desperately searches for a way to save the lake and thus his daughter. Finally, a message is found in the mud that was once covered by the lake:
"Death alone from death can save.
Love is death, and so is brave -
Love can fill the deepest grave.
Love loves on beneath the wave."
"If the lake should disappear, they must find the hole through which the water ran. But it would be useless to try to stop it by any ordinary means. There was but one effectual mode - The body of a living man could alone stanch the flow. The man must give himself of his own will; and the lake must take his life as it filled. Otherwise the offering would be of no avail. If the nation could not provide one hero, it was time it should perish."*
Published in 1864, The Light Princess is a beautiful story - not devoid of its gravity to be sure. As with The Golden Key, it has a deeper meaning, another level of understanding aside from its surface story. It tells of a Prince who loved his princess with the truest, purest love. But it has much more to offer than that: it reminds its reader of a greater love, indeed, the Greatest love story ever told.
*MacDonald, George. The Light Princess. United States of America: The Meriden Gravure Company, 1969. Print.
The Light Princess begins like so many fairy tales: a kingdom, a king and a queen facing the great dilemma of having no heir, a spell, a prince, even a witch. The king is slightly pompous and comical, and the queen is serious and more sensible. Eventually, the couple are blessed with the birth of their daughter. The story may have been happy but uneventful if the king had not forgotten to invite his spiteful sister, Princess Makemnoit, to the christening. Princess Makemnoit, easily forgotten since she is an awful person, is the instigator of all misery and sorrow that plagues the characters.
To take her revenge for being overlooked, she casts a spell on the princess, depriving the baby girl of all her gravity. The spell and its result are discovered one day when the princess miraculously floats to the ceiling of her nursery, put afloat by the wind coming in through the open window. As the child grows up, her loss of gravity is felt keenly by the entire palace.
The loss of gravity is a horrible condition. Not only can the slightest breath of wind carry the princess away, but she has no gravity of spirit. She knows neither sadness nor sorrow nor anything grave. She laughs often, but even that lacks sincerity.
King John and his queen decide to consult the college of Metaphysicians. The materialist Hum-Drum and the spiritualist Kopy-Keck both try to solve the princess's problem, but the king and queen cannot possibly take their harsh advice. Instead, a temporary solution presents itself when, by accident, the princess discovers that her gravity is restored whenever she is submerged in water. From that day forward, the princess spends all her time swimming in the lake next to the palace.
The hero of the tale - aye, the prince - meets the princess one evening as she is swimming in the lake. She bewitches the prince, and he becomes her devoted admirer. As, however, true love requires some gravity of mind, his love is not returned by the princess, who is light of body, mind, and heart.
Princess Makemnoit learns of the princess's happiness and regained gravity in the lake, and, being the kill-joy that she is, she brings to life a giant serpent to drain the lake of all its water. The princess, who, despite of her loss of gravity, loves the lake. As she watches the water mysteriously drain away, she begins to fade and draw close to death. The king desperately searches for a way to save the lake and thus his daughter. Finally, a message is found in the mud that was once covered by the lake:
"Death alone from death can save.
Love is death, and so is brave -
Love can fill the deepest grave.
Love loves on beneath the wave."
"If the lake should disappear, they must find the hole through which the water ran. But it would be useless to try to stop it by any ordinary means. There was but one effectual mode - The body of a living man could alone stanch the flow. The man must give himself of his own will; and the lake must take his life as it filled. Otherwise the offering would be of no avail. If the nation could not provide one hero, it was time it should perish."*
Published in 1864, The Light Princess is a beautiful story - not devoid of its gravity to be sure. As with The Golden Key, it has a deeper meaning, another level of understanding aside from its surface story. It tells of a Prince who loved his princess with the truest, purest love. But it has much more to offer than that: it reminds its reader of a greater love, indeed, the Greatest love story ever told.
*MacDonald, George. The Light Princess. United States of America: The Meriden Gravure Company, 1969. Print.
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Special January Edition Part Two
Hello, Readers!
Well, here is the last half of the detailed report. :) The first is a wedding announcement.
Mollmann – Lill.
"Mr. Arthur J. Mollmann and Miss Alina C. Lill will be united in the holy bonds of wedlock at 3 o’clock this afternoon. The ceremony will be performed the at [yes, it does have this mistype] residence of the parents of the bride, by Rev. H. Walz, pastor of the Ev. Prot. Church. Mr. Fred W. Mollmann will be the best man and Miss Lillie E. Lill will be the bride’s attendant.
"The groom is a son of Mr. and Mrs. J. D. Mollmann. He is a printer by trade, having learned the profession in the HERALD office, where he worked two months less than seven years, and which position he left to accept the foremanship of the East St. Louis Democrat, where he is now employed. The bride is the second daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Peter W. Lill and is a very popular young lady.
"They will make their home at East St. Louis, for which place they will leave to-morrow, carrying with them the best wishes of a host friends. The HERALD hopes that their greatest expectations will be realized."
"The bride ... is a very popular lady." Isn't that charming? The news article - incomplete - that appears on the back of the marriage announcement is about an entirely different subject and occurs in a country far from the happy couple in St. Louis.
'According to intelligence received from Samana, an advance body of over 2,000 of the enemy has arrived in the Khanti valley and is watching the movement of the British troops. The Afridis are spreading a report that the Ameer of Afghanistan has demanded hostages from them, and will help them if hostages are given.
'The news from the Mohmand expedition is very satisfactory. Gen. Jeffreys, who is meeting with little opposition, is destroying the enemy’s fortifications and villages. The tribesmen appear cowed, and overtures of surrender are expected very shortly.
'It appears that they lost over 70 killed and a large number wounded during the night attack on Sir Bindon Blood’s column, their heavy defeat destroying their faith in the mullahs who had promised to close the muzzles of the British guns by divine means.'
-----
Badamani Pass Captured.
'LONDON, Sept. 25. – According to special dispatches from Silma, the British, who, on Wednesday, captured Badamanai Pass, held by the Hudda…mullah with a large force of Mohmands and Shinwaris, have pushed on from the pass and without …'
I'm not very good on my World history, so I looked up Sir Bindon Blood, referenced in the first half of the newspaper clip, and found this Wikipedia page about him:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sir_Bindon_Blood.
According to this information I found, I believe the conflict in question is the Second Anglo-Afghan War, which lasted from 1878 to 1880. If this is the case, then the newspaper clip was already several years old before being placed in the book, which was not published until 1888. As the Mollmann - Lill wedding notice was clipped out by the owner, I suppose it would be safe to assume that the woman was a relative or a close friend of the couple.
A sale for Men's and Boys' suits appears on the back of the last poem.
The last item I found inside The Social Mirror was a beautiful Victorian bookmark:
I'm not very good on my World history, so I looked up Sir Bindon Blood, referenced in the first half of the newspaper clip, and found this Wikipedia page about him:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sir_Bindon_Blood.
According to this information I found, I believe the conflict in question is the Second Anglo-Afghan War, which lasted from 1878 to 1880. If this is the case, then the newspaper clip was already several years old before being placed in the book, which was not published until 1888. As the Mollmann - Lill wedding notice was clipped out by the owner, I suppose it would be safe to assume that the woman was a relative or a close friend of the couple.
The last two newspaper clips are poems reflecting the Christian Victorian views on death.
THE FUTURE
-------
God holds the future in His hand,
O heart of mine, be still!
His love will plan the best for thee,
The best, or light or dark it be –
Then rest thee in His will.
God holds the future in His hand.
Why should I shrink or fear?
Through every dark and cloudy day –
Yes, all along my pilgrim way –
His love will bless and cheer.
God holds the future in His hand,
And I can trust His love.
The past declares His faithfulness;
His eye will guide, His heart will bless,
Till I am safe above.
God holds the future in His hand;
I leave it all with Him.
I know one day He will explain
The “wherefore” of each grief and pain,
Though reasons now are dim.
~ London Christian.
WORD OF ADVICE
------
‘Tis the custom to prate of the sadness,
The sins and the sorrows of life;
But I’d rather speak of the gladness
And beauty with which it is rife;
For the darkest of clouds has its lining,
The hardest of labor brings sleep;
‘Neath the rocks there is gold for the mining,
And pearls may be found in the deep.
Is it better to sip of life’s nectar,
Or purposely drink of its gall?
Would you willingly walk with a specter,
If angels would come at your call?
Would you rather have sunshine and lightness
Or darkness and gloom in your dreams?
As for me, I would cherish the brightness
With which the whole universe teems.
Look around and behold the earth’s glory –
The mountain, the river and plain;
For they tell us an exquisite story,
The burden of Nature’s refrain.
How the Father of love, in His kindness,
Has given us more than we know;
Though we threw it aside in our blindness,
And reap of the pain which we sow.
But, to harvest the best of life’s treasure,
One lesson must early be learned,
That we give to each other a measure
Of what our best efforts have earned.
Then, my children, I pray you be ready
To search, as you go, for the flowers,
And to share what you have with the needy,
For thus you’ll have blessings showers.
– A. E. Ross, in N. Y. Independent.
On the back of the first poem is a drawing of a woman modeling a cape and hat.
The last item I found inside The Social Mirror was a beautiful Victorian bookmark:
The bookmark is an advertisement for Merrick’s Anti-Monopoly, Anti-Trust, Anti-Combination Spool Cotton.
MERRICK’S SPOOL
Cotton is six cord,
soft finish, and is made
from the finest quality
of combed Sea Island
Cotton, and, on account
of its superior strength,
evenness, and smooth-
ness, surpasses all
other for hand and
machine sewing.
Try one spool and be
convinced of its excel-
lence.
What glimpses into the lives of the men and women who lived at that time! I enjoyed them very much, and I hope you did, too.
~ Katelyn
Monday, January 3, 2011
Special Edition
Good evening, Readers!
I found such a special treasure today, and I couldn't wait to share the wonderful little relics of history, so here is a special January edition.
To celebrate my birthday, my mother and sister went antique shopping with me this morning. I purchased two worn photos, to add to my collection of pictures, and one very special book: The Social Mirror. I was delighted with the find: a social guide printed in St. Louis, Missouri, United States of America in 1888. I have yet to read it - which I am looking forward to - but it was what I found inside the book that excited me. Within the book I found four newspaper clips and a lovely Victorian bookmark. The clips are from the Herald* newspaper in East St. Louis. One is of a gown - perhaps the lady of the house was thinking of creating a dress pattern based on the drawing - two poems, and a wedding announcement.
A lovely blouse - but what a waist! My stomach hurts just to look at it. It's just not natural! This is an example of the ideal beauty of the late Victorian era: tiny waist, round, full face, and the Pouter Pigeon style blouse. On the back of the clip is an article about a certain Mrs. Todd, Hannigan, and his wife:
"...they were soon compelled to break up on account of the rapidly failing health of the husband. The germs of consumption had planted themselves firmly within his system and he could not exterminate them. Finally his condition became such that both he and his wife went to live with Mrs. Todd in her Olive street home. Hannigan rapidly grew worse and finally was compelled to take to his bed and stay there for several months.
"During this time his physician advised him to drink whisky in order that his system might be strengthened. He soon became so addicted to the drink that it became an indispensable part of his daily life. He had a number of hemorrhages and they left him in such a weak condition that a moderate amount of whisky would make him intoxicated. While Hannigan was in this condition he was, according to Mrs. Todd, very disagreeable towards his wife. He recovered from his illness to the extent of being able to leave his bed, but for the last two years he has not been able to work. He still continued to imbibe freely, claiming that was all that kept him alive.
"Hannigan's conduct towards his wife at these periods finally became such that one day, about a year ago, Mrs. Todd sharply reprimanded him. A heated colloquy followed, which resulted in Hannigan's leaving the house. He went to live with his mother at 2615 Olive Street, where he has been ever since.
"Since then Mrs. Todd has moved to 518 North Teresa. Hannigan, she says, has been around a number of times, imploring his wife to live with him once more, but she ..."
And that's where it ends! I almost wish the story had been cut out instead of the dress. :) What an intriguing but very sad story ... it must have been in the gossip column of the newspaper. Imagine the entire city knowing your very private business! Isn't it interesting that Mrs. Todd did not mind being interviewed concerning this delicate, domestic crisis?
Tomorrow I will post another special edition featuring the other newspaper columns and a couple of pictures.
Until then ... goodnight!
~ Katelyn
*For a little more information about the newspaper, you can visit: http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn91054211/
I found such a special treasure today, and I couldn't wait to share the wonderful little relics of history, so here is a special January edition.
To celebrate my birthday, my mother and sister went antique shopping with me this morning. I purchased two worn photos, to add to my collection of pictures, and one very special book: The Social Mirror. I was delighted with the find: a social guide printed in St. Louis, Missouri, United States of America in 1888. I have yet to read it - which I am looking forward to - but it was what I found inside the book that excited me. Within the book I found four newspaper clips and a lovely Victorian bookmark. The clips are from the Herald* newspaper in East St. Louis. One is of a gown - perhaps the lady of the house was thinking of creating a dress pattern based on the drawing - two poems, and a wedding announcement.
A lovely blouse - but what a waist! My stomach hurts just to look at it. It's just not natural! This is an example of the ideal beauty of the late Victorian era: tiny waist, round, full face, and the Pouter Pigeon style blouse. On the back of the clip is an article about a certain Mrs. Todd, Hannigan, and his wife:
"...they were soon compelled to break up on account of the rapidly failing health of the husband. The germs of consumption had planted themselves firmly within his system and he could not exterminate them. Finally his condition became such that both he and his wife went to live with Mrs. Todd in her Olive street home. Hannigan rapidly grew worse and finally was compelled to take to his bed and stay there for several months.
"During this time his physician advised him to drink whisky in order that his system might be strengthened. He soon became so addicted to the drink that it became an indispensable part of his daily life. He had a number of hemorrhages and they left him in such a weak condition that a moderate amount of whisky would make him intoxicated. While Hannigan was in this condition he was, according to Mrs. Todd, very disagreeable towards his wife. He recovered from his illness to the extent of being able to leave his bed, but for the last two years he has not been able to work. He still continued to imbibe freely, claiming that was all that kept him alive.
"Hannigan's conduct towards his wife at these periods finally became such that one day, about a year ago, Mrs. Todd sharply reprimanded him. A heated colloquy followed, which resulted in Hannigan's leaving the house. He went to live with his mother at 2615 Olive Street, where he has been ever since.
"Since then Mrs. Todd has moved to 518 North Teresa. Hannigan, she says, has been around a number of times, imploring his wife to live with him once more, but she ..."
And that's where it ends! I almost wish the story had been cut out instead of the dress. :) What an intriguing but very sad story ... it must have been in the gossip column of the newspaper. Imagine the entire city knowing your very private business! Isn't it interesting that Mrs. Todd did not mind being interviewed concerning this delicate, domestic crisis?
Tomorrow I will post another special edition featuring the other newspaper columns and a couple of pictures.
Until then ... goodnight!
~ Katelyn
*For a little more information about the newspaper, you can visit: http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn91054211/
The Golden Key by George MacDonald
I wish I could say that I found a copy of this book tucked away in a charming antique shop. Yet the plain truth is that I became acquainted with this story by listening to a reading of The Golden Key, borrowed from the local library. No embossed cover, not thick paper pages, no musty smell - which is probably best since I am allergic to dust, mildew, and the like. What a tragic thing for an old-book collector such as myself! Yet, this did not subtract from the interesting story which is The Golden Key.
The protagonists of the fairytale are a girl named Tangle and a boy named Mossy. Mossy's great-aunt tells him about a key that can be found at the end of the rainbow. His father, the great-aunt tells Mossy, found the key. Mossy decides that he too will find the key. So he ventures into Fairyland to search for the end of the rainbow. The rainbow in Fairyland is different from what we know as a rainbow. It does not appear to be made of moisture and sunshine, but an actual place. There is a world within the rainbow. Mossy can actually see people moving in this strange, colorful world. It is here, where his great-aunt said it would be, that Mossy finds the Golden Key.
The merchant and his daughter, Tangle, live close Mossy and his great-aunt. The merchant leaves Tangle to the charge of their two unkind and untidy servants. The fairies of Fairyland dislike the two servants because they are messy, which is a thing that angers these fairies. In an effort to rid themselves of the lazy servants, the fairies chase Tangle out of her home. Tangle, frightened, runs into the forest. She is followed by a flying fish that has feathers like those of a bird - it is an air fish. It leads her to a cottage, owned by a woman who has been waiting for her. The woman is thousands of years old, and yet she is lovely. She is wise, too. Tangle stays at the cottage belonging to this woman, who becomes her grandmother. The day the air fish brings her to this cottage is three years after she ran away from her home.
The woman sends another air fish to bring Mossy to her. When he arrives, the woman entrusts Tangle to Mossy's care, and the two journey to find the lock that the Golden Key will unlock and to discover the land where shadows fall. The children see many curious yet wondrous things. Their journey lasts for years, and they develop a strong friendship - though it is not said that they fall in love. When Tangle and Mossy finally come to the door the Golden Key unlocks, they begin the greatest adventure of their lives.
The Golden Key, published in 1867, is one of the deepest stories of the fantasy genre I have ever read. While the plot is short and simple - no battles involving thousands of soldiers or wizards weaving spells - it has a unique charm and leaves you with a feeling that you have only had a mere whiff of a scrumptious pie or cake. The story is like a hard boiled egg - to use an unromantic simile. The hard boiled egg has the shell, the egg white, and, at the center, the golden yoke. This story requires three stages of understanding. I have barely accomplished the first stage. I am by no means a literature professor, but I know that there is much to be learned and gathered from this story. What are the themes? What do each of the characters represent? What is the Golden Key? The story raises endless questions.
To be honest, The Golden Key is not my favorite George MacDonald story. This is simply because the story is far above my understanding and full comprehension. Perhaps it will endear itself to the reader with each consecutive reading. But whether it becomes your favorite fairytale or not, it will arouse thoughts and speculations, leaving you hungry for a deeper, richer understanding of MacDonald's short story The Golden Key.
For more information about George MacDonald, please visit: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Macdonald
The protagonists of the fairytale are a girl named Tangle and a boy named Mossy. Mossy's great-aunt tells him about a key that can be found at the end of the rainbow. His father, the great-aunt tells Mossy, found the key. Mossy decides that he too will find the key. So he ventures into Fairyland to search for the end of the rainbow. The rainbow in Fairyland is different from what we know as a rainbow. It does not appear to be made of moisture and sunshine, but an actual place. There is a world within the rainbow. Mossy can actually see people moving in this strange, colorful world. It is here, where his great-aunt said it would be, that Mossy finds the Golden Key.
The merchant and his daughter, Tangle, live close Mossy and his great-aunt. The merchant leaves Tangle to the charge of their two unkind and untidy servants. The fairies of Fairyland dislike the two servants because they are messy, which is a thing that angers these fairies. In an effort to rid themselves of the lazy servants, the fairies chase Tangle out of her home. Tangle, frightened, runs into the forest. She is followed by a flying fish that has feathers like those of a bird - it is an air fish. It leads her to a cottage, owned by a woman who has been waiting for her. The woman is thousands of years old, and yet she is lovely. She is wise, too. Tangle stays at the cottage belonging to this woman, who becomes her grandmother. The day the air fish brings her to this cottage is three years after she ran away from her home.
The woman sends another air fish to bring Mossy to her. When he arrives, the woman entrusts Tangle to Mossy's care, and the two journey to find the lock that the Golden Key will unlock and to discover the land where shadows fall. The children see many curious yet wondrous things. Their journey lasts for years, and they develop a strong friendship - though it is not said that they fall in love. When Tangle and Mossy finally come to the door the Golden Key unlocks, they begin the greatest adventure of their lives.
The Golden Key, published in 1867, is one of the deepest stories of the fantasy genre I have ever read. While the plot is short and simple - no battles involving thousands of soldiers or wizards weaving spells - it has a unique charm and leaves you with a feeling that you have only had a mere whiff of a scrumptious pie or cake. The story is like a hard boiled egg - to use an unromantic simile. The hard boiled egg has the shell, the egg white, and, at the center, the golden yoke. This story requires three stages of understanding. I have barely accomplished the first stage. I am by no means a literature professor, but I know that there is much to be learned and gathered from this story. What are the themes? What do each of the characters represent? What is the Golden Key? The story raises endless questions.
To be honest, The Golden Key is not my favorite George MacDonald story. This is simply because the story is far above my understanding and full comprehension. Perhaps it will endear itself to the reader with each consecutive reading. But whether it becomes your favorite fairytale or not, it will arouse thoughts and speculations, leaving you hungry for a deeper, richer understanding of MacDonald's short story The Golden Key.
For more information about George MacDonald, please visit: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Macdonald
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