Phantastes (Magill’s Guide to Science Fiction and Fantasy Literature)
At a glance:
- Author: George MacDonald
- First Published: 1858
- Type of Work: Novel
- Type of Plot: Fantasy—magical world
- Time of Work: Unspecified
- Setting: Fairy Land
- Genres: Long fiction, Fantasy
- Subjects: Folkloric or magical people, Magic or magicians, Other worlds, Books, Quest, Fairies, Mirrors or lenses
- Locales: Mythical lands
The Plot
On the night of his twenty-first birthday, Anodos (“the way up”) is shown the way into Fairy Land. He confesses to an early interest in such places and is clearly in search of the spiritual essence behind reality, longing for a sense of completion and an acceptance of self.
Anodos is aided on his way by kind and wise cottagers, who provide safe havens on his journey to wisdom. The woods are sometimes his helper, sometimes his foe; he must learn discernment within them. Like many others on such a quest, he is often a slow learner.
It slowly becomes...
[The entire page is 1025 words long]
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