The Princess and the Goblin

I'd long known of C.S. Lewis's high regard for the children's stories of George MacDonald, but I had never read any of my fellow Scotsman's works. 

This past week I remedied that situation.

I'm glad I did.

I read The Princes and the Goblin, and can see why Lewis liked MacDonald. There are some different elements of the tale that take it beyond just a simple children's story. The "grandmother" figure and the magic surrounding her is particularly interesting - I wonder if she shows up in the sequel, The Princess and Curdie? I also wonder if Frances Hodgson Burnett found in the relationship between the Princess and Curdie some inspiration for the Mary/Dickon relationship in The Secret Garden. And while sillier than the dark creatures in The Lord of the Rings, the goblins and their caves in MacDonald's fantasy kept making me think of Tolkien's epic tale.

A good quick read. Now I want to read the sequel. 

I wish I had known about it when my daughters were young!

Pax et bonum