Crossing a Great Frontier: Essays on George MacDonald’s Phantastes

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Crossing a Great Frontier collects twenty-one hard-to-find scholarly essays about Phantastes into one convenient volume. In his comprehensive introduction, editor John Pennington describes the essays as reflecting four main perspectives about Phantastes: as a religious work, a structurally coherent work, an insightful psychological work, and within its cultural/literary context. The book’s title is derived from C.S. Lewis who wrote that after reading Phantastes, he knew he had crossed a great frontier. Lewis’s praise for MacDonald influenced more people to read MacDonald. His comments, however, diminished MacDonald’s reputation as a skilled writer. Crossing a Great Frontier presents indisputable proof that Lewis underestimated the skill of his 19th century mentor. Readers will discover a multitude of insights into a book and author whose genius continues to be revealed.

John Pennington, professor of English at St. Norbert College, specializes in Victorian fairy tales and is the editor of North Wind: The Journal of George MacDonald Studies.