George MacDonald
Published: 2020-09-14
Total Pages: 254
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Phantastes: A Faerie Romance for Men and Women by George MacDonald Phantastes: A Faerie Romance for Men and Women is a fantasy novel written by George MacDonald, first published in London in 1858. It was later reprinted in paperback by Ballantine Books as the fourteenth volume in the Ballantine Adult Fantasy series in April of 1970. The story centers on the character Anodos ("without a path" or "ascent" in Greek) and draws inspiration from German romanticism, particularly Novalis. A story is about a young man who is dragged into a dream world and there he seeks his ideal of feminine beauty, embodied by the "Marble Lady". Anodos experiences many adventures and temptations while in the other world until he is finally ready to give up his ideals. The story begins the day after Anodos' twenty-first birthday. He discovers an old fairy (whom he learns to be his grandmother) at the desk that he opens with a key that he inherited as a birthright from his late father. After the fairy shows her Fairy Land in a vision, Anodos wakes up the next day to discover that her room, built with natural elements, is taking literal form and transforming into a wood. Find out that he has been transported to Fairy Land. Anodos then meets a woman and her daughter in a cabin who warns him about the Fresno and Aliso, who seek to destroy it. She is told that the spirits of these trees can leave their host trees and roam Fairy Land. Then explore the world of fairies, who live in flowers, making them shine. The flowers, they tell him, die if the fairies leave. Then she has a nightmarish encounter with the spirit of the Fresno, escapes, and finds rest in the warmth and love of the spirit of the Haya. After this, find the statue (affectionately called "my marble lady" by Anodes) of Pygmalion. After he sings to him, the statue runs away from him. He chases after the lady and finds a woman he thinks is her. However, this lady is actually the Alder Maiden in disguise. The Ash's spirit joins the Maiden and is close to killing Anodos when he is saved by Sir Percivale (who chopped down the royal ash with an ax). Anodos later meets a woman and her daughter who believe in fairy tales and the magic of Fairy Land, despite the disbelief of the woman's husband. Anodos also finds his shadow, an evil presence that follows and haunts Anodos for the rest of the story. Anodos finds a palace that mysteriously belongs to him, and contains a room with an inscription that reads "Sir Anodos". In the palace, read the story of Cosmo of Prague. Cosmo is a believer in fantasy who sacrifices his life to free his lover's soul from an enchanted mirror (whether the event was a fictional story made by a Fairy Land author or if it was a recording of an event in the world of Anodes. Left ambiguous). Anodos spends a lot of time in the palace, recounting his various adventures and readings. On one of those wanderings, he comes across hallways filled with motionless statues. Hearing the last vestiges of the song from the hallways and considering the newly frozen statues in immobility as he approaches, Anodos moves further and further into the hallways. He dreams of the marble lady, that only she has an empty pedestal among the statues. He later finds this pedestal and, imagining a way to trick the statues into continuing to dance as he enters the room, he finally sings on the pedestal. The marble lady materializes, but Anodos tries to grab her. She runs away and disappears. Anodos follows him, descending into a strange underworld with gnome-like creatures (such as the German Kobolds) taunting him.
