I have been on a bit of a C.S. Lewis kick of late - trying to gain an understanding of his theological perspective. One of the writers who most influenced his conversion from atheism to theism was George MacDonald. The book that especially influenced Lewis was Phantastes, which happily I just found on-line tonight.

Lewis said this of MacDonald: “I know hardly any other writer who seems to be closer, or more continually close, to the Spirit of Christ Himself!” He also put together and anthology of MacDonald’s writing.

My library had a copy of Lilith with a forward by Lewis as well as recommendations on the back of the book from W.H. Auden, G.K. Chesterton, and Madeleine L’Engle which I couldn’t resist checking out. I really liked Lilith and would love to read Phantastes and am really glad to know it is available on -line!

I definitely have a better understanding of Lewis after having read Lilith. The Christianity that MacDonald and Lewis believed in is not at all like the Christianity I typically think of when I think of Christianity. It’s much less factual - much more imaginative.

According to legend, Lilith was the first wife of Adam who would not be faithful to Adam. Legend has it she also killed boys. In MacDonald’s tale, she confisctes every child that is born - an attempt to destroy childhood, basically, which is closer to God than is adulthood.

The main character, Mr. Vane, has inherited an estate and discovers that there is a ghost wandering around in the library. This ghost turns out to be a raven who helps Mr. Vane navigate the underworld, similar to Dante’s Virgil but MacDonald’s underworld is far less sinister. It is full, however, of motherless children and children who have escaped Lilith but never grow up. Stupid giants. Dancing skeletons. Riddles.

I love this exchange between Mr. Vane (the narrator) and the Raven.

“What does it all mean?” I said.

“A good question!” he rejoined: “nobody knows what anything is, a man can learn only what a thing means! Whether he do, depends on the use he is making of it.”

“I have made no use of anything yet!”

“Not much, but you know the fact, and that is something. Most people take more than a lifetime to learn that they have learned nothing, and done less…”

I also like this statement made by the raven when Mr. Vane claims he had wanted to keep the children from having to deal with hardship : “No doubt you would - the aim of all stupid philanthropists! Why, Mr. Vane, but for the weeping in it, your world would not have been worth saving!.”

Mr. Vane travels the underworld, discovering that he really does know nothing and that everything he ever feared was not worth fearing. In order to realize this, he has to come to the point of being willing to die to the life he knows.

It was a marvelous tale of death and resurrection. I don’t want to say too much more about it, but I do have to mention that I was literally sobbing by the end of the book.

Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful novel. Not sure I’ve enjoyed a book so much in quite some time.