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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