Phantastes, A Faerie Romance

"In good sooth, my masters, this is no door.

Yet is it a little window, that looketh upon a great world."

For offering this new edition of my father's Phantastes, my reasons

are three. The first is to rescue the work from an edition illustrated

without the author's sanction, and so unsuitably that all lovers of the

book must have experienced some real grief in turning its pages. With

the copyright I secured also the whole of that edition and turned it

into pulp.

My second reason is to pay a small tribute to my father by way of

personal gratitude for this, his first prose work, which was published

nearly fifty years ago. Though unknown to many lovers of his greater

writings, none of these has exceeded it in imaginative insight and power

of expression. To me it rings with the dominant chord of his life's

purpose and work.

My third reason is that wider knowledge and love of the book should

be made possible. To this end I have been most happy in the help of my

father's old friend, who has illustrated the book. I know of no other

living artist who is capable of portraying the spirit of Phantastes;

and every reader of this edition will, I believe, feel that the

s are a part of the romance, and will gain through them

some perception of the brotherhood between George MacDonald and Arthur

Hughes.

GREVILLE MACDONALD.

"Phantastes from 'their fount all shapes deriving,

In new habiliments can quickly dight."

FLETCHER'S Purple Island

"Es lassen sich Erzahlungen ohne Zusammenhang, jedoch mit

Association, wie Traume dengkeennohgneedizhusamdimenhang;

jedoeh mit und voll schoner Worte sind, aber auch ohne allen

Sinn und Zusammenhang, hochstens einzelne Strophen

verstandlich, wie Bruchstucke aus den verjschledenartigsten

Dingen, Diese svahre Poesie kann Wlrkung, wie Musik haben.

Darum ist die Natur so rein poetisch wle die Stube eines

Zauberers, eines Physikers, eine Kinderstube elne Polterund

Vorrathskammer

"Ein Mahrchen ist wie ein Traumbild ohne Zusammenhang. Ein

Ensemble wunderbarer Dinge und Begebenheiten, z. B. eine

dMusNkalische Pbantasie, die harmonischen Folgen einer

Aeolsharfe, die Natur slebst....

"In einem echten Mahrchen muss ailes wunderbar,

geheimnissvoll undzusammenhangendsein; alles belebt, jeder

auf eineandereArt Die ganze Natur muss wunderlich mit der

ganzen Geisterwelt gemiseht sein; hier tritt die Zeit der

Anarehie, der Gesetzlosigkeit Frelheit, der Naturstand der

Natur, die Zeit von der Welt ein entgegengesetztes und eben

daruel'ndiehr Weld der Wahrheit durehaus Chaos der

vollendeten Sehopfung ahnlich ist."--NOVALIS.