As we near the end of MacDonald Month, David sits down with Jess Lederman to discuss how to begin reading the Scottish author, and the help available at WorksOfMacDonald.com.
S7E37: “MacDonald Month: Reading George” (Download)
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Show Notes
Introduction
Quote-of-the-week
For love loves unto purity…
Therefore all that is not beautiful in the beloved, all that comes between and is not of love’s kind, must be destroyed.
And our God is a consuming fire.
George MacDonald, Unspoken Sermons
Biographical Information
Jess Lederman is a graduate of Columbia University. He and his late Teri, came to faith in Christ through the work of C. S. Lewis and George MacDonald. He writes Christian-themed literary fiction and recently completed The Ballad of Midnight and McRae (“McRay”), a novel that begins in the last days of the Wild West and ends in Las Vegas in 1955. He is an integral part of the team behind WorksOfMacDonald.com, and is also the editor of “Consuming Fire: The Inexorable Power of God’s Love, the devotional version of MacDonald’s Unspoken Sermons” and the publisher of numerous new editions of MacDonald’s fiction and non-fiction. When he’s not writing or chasing his young sons around, he can usually be found at the piano, playing Chopin nocturnes for his wife, Ling.
Chit-Chat
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Toast
- David had a cup of chrysanthemum tea.
- Jess was drinking lemon balm tea.
Discussion
01. “Discovering Lewis and MacDonald”
- Jess’ wife listened to a radio interview with Francis Collins, who had written a book called “The Language of God: A Scientist Presents Evidence for Belief”, which quotes Lewis extensively.
- Jess described Lewis as the intellect. In “Mere Christianity,” he builds an apologetic case for a god, progressively moving towards the Christian God. In a complimentary sense, he considers George MacDonald to be the heart.
02. “More than just a fan…”
Q. After doing all of that reading, you have contributed a lot to promoting George MacDonald and his works. You’re obviously more than just a regular fan, so what was it that took you to that next stage?
- Jess is a frequent contributor to WorksofMacDonald.com, a website dedicated to discussing the life and literature of George MacDonald.
- Lewis is much newer and more well-known than MacDonald is.
03. “The website”
Q. Let’s talk about the website. Could you tell us about it? How did it begin, who’s all involved, and what resources do you have there?
- The website came about following Jess’ publication of “Consuming Fire: The Inexorable Power of God’s Love: A Devotional Version of Unspoken Sermons”. It has material from the George MacDonald Society, and many essays by prominent MacDonald scholars, such as Michael Phillips, Barbara Amell, and others.
- Among these things, perusers of the site can find recommended versions of MacDonald’s work, and resources and videos to guide readers as they read through the books.
- The website also has creative outlets for the MacDonald community, including Pictures, Poems, and Song, where artists have set his works to music or to a canvas.
- Many of Lewis’ famous statements can be attributed to his influence, MacDonald. Learn more about them at C S Lewis: The Roots of His Famous Quotes in the Works of George MacDonald.
- Discover who shaped MacDonald’s mind at Influences on MacDonald.
- The website includes personal stories at MacDonald and Me.
- Find Prayers from George’s works.
- In season five, David sat down with Dr. Kirstin Jeffrey Johnson for an After Hours episode, discussing MacDonald’s “Phantastes”.
04. “The many genres of MacDonald”
Q. In the section of your website where you discuss teachings Lewis drew from MacDonald, the list seems endless! To make MacDonald better-known, we’ll focus on how to begin reading his literature. What are the genres he worked in, and what are recognised as his most important works?
- One of MacDonald’s most important and well-known nonfiction works is his “Unspoken Sermons”.
- George MacDonald is known as the Godfather of modern fantasy fiction, due in part to the novels “Phantastes” and “Lilith”. Lighter fare includes things such as “The Light Princess”, “The Princess and the Goblin” and its sequel “The Princess and Curdie”, and “At the Back of the North Wind”.
- “The Golden Key” and “The Day Boy and the Night Girl” are a few popular short fantasy stories of MacDonald’s.
- George also wrote “Scottish novels”, both taking place in his home country, and written with plenty of Scottish dialogue. Some well-read works include “Robert Falconer”, “Sir Gibbie”, and “What’s Minse’s Mine” (Jess’ personal favourite). There are also “English novels” written in an Victorian dialect, notably “Thomas Wingfold, Curate”.
05. “Where to begin?”
Q. Someone wants to get into MacDonald. Where do they begin? What should they definitely not do?
- The mistake that many make with G. K. Chesterton is to start with “The Everlasting Man” or “Orthodoxy”; both excellent works, but not excellent for starting.
- Jess cautioned against starting with the challenging works of “Phantastes” and “Lilith”. “Unspoken Sermons”, particularly the shorter devotional version, would be a good place to start for lovers of nonfiction.
06. “What not to miss?”
Q. What are some of his unmissable key works? And if “What’s Mine’s Mine” is your favourite, could you give your pitch for it?
- Jess highly recommended “Thomas Wingfold, Curate”, the story of a young curate whose faith is confronted in a dramatic way.
Knowing the character of God is essential.
Paul Young
- Many Lewis fans came across MacDonald first in “The Great Divorce”, where the Scotsman makes an appearance as a saint. However, Lewis might have misrepresented some of MacDonald’s beliefs in his characterisation of him.
07. “MacDonald theology unfiltered”
Q. Where should people go if they want to get MacDonald as himself, rather than the “Lewisian” version?
- “Unspoken Sermons” is the most thorough exposition of MacDonald’s thinking.
08. “Poetry”
Q. What are the collections of MacDonald’s poetry like?
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09. “Biographies”
Q. What if people want to read a biography about MacDonald? Where should they go? Are there any particular ones that you would recommend?
- One good work is “George MacDonald: A Biography of Scotland’s Beloved Storyteller”, by Michael Phillips. Another was published by MacDonald’s own son, Greville, called “George MacDonald and His Wife”, with an introduction written by G. K. Chesterton.
Wrap-Up
More Information
- WorksOfMacDonald.com
- Learn more about Jess’ life and works at JessLederman.com.
Concluding Thoughts
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