Phantastes: A Faerie Romance for Men and Women

George MacDonald grew up in the village of Huntly in Scotland. At the time, the region’s dominant religion was a strict form of Calvinism focused on the doctrines of original sin and election, which holds that there is nothing mankind can do to earn salvation; God has already determined who will receive salvation regardless of personal merit. Although the creed itself offered no incentive to virtue, followers were held to such rigid standards of behavior that sending a child to the market for milk on the Sabbath was tantamount to mortal sin. Even as a child, MacDonald rejected this doctrine. He saw the kingdom of God in the hardworking people who lived hand-to-mouth. Nevertheless, the MacDonalds were devout Christians, and George displayed an early inclination toward ministry.

As a young man, he discovered the writing of the German Mystics, who greatly influenced his writings and personal theology. The Mystics asserted that introspection and yielding oneself could lead to divine unification. This is the underlying philosophy behind Anodos’s quest in Phantastes. His pursuit of beauty leads him through tests and trials. In each test, he learns greater self-knowledge and self-control, eventually leading to surrender, making himself a servant to Sir Percival.

MacDonald did not call himself a theologian or a philosopher.