The journey in George MacDonald's fantastic fiction

Scottish novelist, poet, preacher, fairy tale writer and visionary George MacDonald (1824-1905) is arguably one of the most underrated authors of the Victorian period. Especially his adult romances and other works of imaginative fiction have greatly influenced the development of the fantasy genre. MacDonald was deeply interested in the development of the human spirit, believing that every individual was on their way back to their ‘true home’. The aim of this study is to investigate the nature of the journeys that many of his protagonists embark on as they leave behind the ordinary world to travel through symbol-laden fantastic realms. MacDonald displays great creativity in letting his various characters discover that they must leave behind selfishness in order to find their true selves, descend in order to rise, and die in order to live. This study devotes its attention not only to MacDonald’s most popular fantastic tales such as Phantastes, Lilith and “The Golden Key”, but also takes into account some of his less-studied works such as the subversively ironic fairy tale “Cross Purposes” or the dark and enigmatic story of “The Shadows”.