Random George MacDonald Podcasts

George MacDonald’s fairy stories and fantasy have inspired a number of writers including C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien and of this popular fairy story, which as you might suspect concerns a little princess plotted against by a race of goblins, G.K. Chesterton said that it “made a difference to my whole existence.”

Categories: Arts, Kids & Family

Tags: audio books, audiobook, Dramatic Works, ebooks, Fairy tales, fiction, free audio books, George MacDonald, Kids, Loyal Books, loyalbooks.com, The Princess and the Goblin

A king and queen are in despair. After years of marriage, they are yet to be blessed with a child. Finally a lovely daughter is born to them. They plan a grand christening ceremony for the baby, but as destiny would have it, they forget to invite the nastiest lady in the kingdom, who also happens to be the king’s sister, the evil Princess Makemnoit. Now if all that seems distinctly familiar to you, it was meant to! Using the Sleeping Beauty/Briar Rose fairytale as a starting point, Scottish writer George MacDonald creates a story that’s even more enchanting and gives it a nice little twist. In The Light Princess, published in 1864, the cruel aunt Makemnoit curses her hapless niece to become bereft of gravity! The spell she chants says, “Light of spirit, by my charms. Light of body, every part. Never weary human arms. Only crush thy parents’ heart!” by which the child begins to float all over the place. The slightest breeze could cause her to fly away. Her parents and the entire palace are exhausted trying to keep her rooted to the ground. The princess grows into a lovely, but very tall young woman. She discovers that swimming keeps her on earth, but soon her wicked aunt decides that she didn’t deserve even this small enjoyment. Finally, as in all fairytales, it is a handsome prince who succeeds in bringing our heroine down to earth. George MacDonald was a playwright, poet and Christian minister. He deeply influenced many people and was mentor to children’s writer, Lewis Carroll, whom he encouraged to publish Alice after it was first written. He also had a great impact on other writers like Mark Twain, Tolkein and Walter de la Mare. His circle of friends included Ruskin, Tennyson, Trollope, Dickens and Wilkie Collins. In America he was admired by Walt Whitman and Longfellow. Though his works concern fantasy themes, he didn’t intend them to be read only by children. He said, “I write not for children, but for the child-like, whether they be five or fifty or seventy-five.” He was deeply humanist in thinking and his theology was of a compassionate and optimistic variety. He used fantasy more as a medium for exploring the real human condition and his works are tinged with wit and humor. The Light Princess has been adapted as a very successful musical and the story lends itself wonderfully to fantastic stage innovations and techniques. It is a great addition to your bookshelf and should be thoroughly enjoyed by both children and grownups.

Categories: Arts, Kids & Family

Tags: audio books, audiobook, ebooks, Fairy tales, fiction, free audio books, George MacDonald, Kids, Literature, Loyal Books, loyalbooks.com, Myths/Legends, The Light Princess

First appearing in Harper’s Young People as a serial, the piece focuses on the extraordinary tale of a young boy and a girl who have been brought up in a secluded and controlled environment by a wicked witch, incognizant of the world outside of their custom tailored settings. Enriched with magic, fantasy, romance, and allegory, The Day Boy and the Night Girl is a great instance of MacDonald’s excellent use of metaphors to express a deeper meaning to a seemingly simple fairy tale. The novel begins with the introduction of Watho, a wicked witch who has an insatiable thirst for knowledge. In her pursuit of knowledge, she decides to conduct her very own experiment, where she seeks to shape the characters of two infants by controlling their environment with utmost caution. In order to carry out such an experiment, she deviously accommodates two expectant mothers in her castle, lodging one of the women in a sunlit, airy room, while placing the other in a dark, confined space. Accordingly, Photogen is born in light surroundings, whereas Nycteris is born in the darkness. Subsequently, Watho begins her experiment as she raises the young boy in daylight, oblivious to the existence of night, while also allowing him to roam free and explore his surroundings. In contrast, Watho raises the young girl in darkness, unaware of the day’s brightness, and keeps her secluded in her small quarters. However, following a series of events, the two eventually meet, as they are both exposed to an unfamiliar scene that stirs up many emotions. Complementing each other’s deficiencies, Photogen and Nycteris effectively endorse the belief that two opposites attract, as they overcome their differences with the help of their growing mutual support and understanding. Consequently, the pair must stand by each other to overcome their cruel captor, while at the same time learn to embrace the unknown and unexpected. Featuring many absorbing elements including an intriguing plot, contrasting characters, vibrant imagery, and deep allegory, the story is sure to fascinate with its evocative details that successfully justify its author’s renowned literary reputation. Furthermore, MacDonald successfully portrays the notion of light and dark, while also allowing the audience to gather their thoughts and grasp the hidden meaning implied within its pages, which is sure to have a profound effect. More great books at LoyalBooks.com

Categories: Arts, Kids & Family

Tags: audio books, audiobook, ebooks, Fairy tales, fantasy, fiction, free audio books, George MacDonald, Kids, Loyal Books, loyalbooks.com, The Day Boy and the Night Girl

Written by the man who mentored Lewis Carroll and encouraged him to submit Alice for publication, At the Back of the North Wind is today a forgotten classic of Victorian children’s literature. The story tells of a young boy named Diamond, the son of a coachman in an English country mansion. Diamond sleeps in the hayloft above the stables and at night he finds he’s disturbed by the wind blowing through the holes in the wall. He tries to plug them but one night, he hears an imperious voice scolding him for doing this! It is the magnificent North Wind that speaks to him and tells him that he’s closed up her windows. Puzzled and intrigued, Diamond begins a conversation with this haughty lady who then invites him to travel with her and see the wide world. What follows is a series of wonderful adventures and experiences in which the great North Wind teaches Diamond the most valuable lessons that a human being can learn – about truth, goodness, beauty and love. The book is said to have inspired writers like CS Lewis. The author, George Macdonald was a literary luminary of his day. Friend of the great artists, writers and philosophers of the day like John Ruskin, Charles Dickens, Wilkie Collins, Antony Trollope, Walt Whitman, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and a host of others, he was an ordained minister of the Church besides being a gifted poet and writer. His body of work includes novels, fantasy stories, children’s stories, poetry, non-fiction and religious treatises. He was also a staunch advocate of criminal reform and opposed punishment in any form, believing that love could conquer everything. At the Back of the North Wind has been seen by many scholars as an allegorical tale. But for young readers, it is simply an exciting fantasy story.

Categories: Arts, Kids & Family

Tags: Adventure, At the Back of the North Wind, audio books, audiobook, ebooks, Fairy tales, fiction, free audio books, George MacDonald, Kids, Literature, Loyal Books, loyalbooks.com