There and Back George MacDonald is part of our Contemporary & Literary Fiction book collection. Browse this title alongside contemporary novels and character-focused literary fiction.
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Goodness leads to the truth in the final novel in the Scottish author's Wingfold Trilogy, following Thomas Wingfold Curate and Paul Faber Surgeon.
This final installment of the Thomas Wingfold trilogy from 1891 adds yet further dimensions to the personal search for faith and the nature of belief, exemplified in the characters of Barbara Wilder and Richard Tuke. Both Barbara and Richard must ask whether or not God's existence is true, what God's character is like, and what demands are placed upon them as a result. Wingfold's conversations with Barbara probe the foundations of belief with depth and profundity. Wingfold continually emphasizes the great truth: Everything depends on the kind of God one believes in.
All three of the Wingfold books address the logic and reasonableness of the Christian faith. MacDonald's characters must reason out belief. There will be no pat answers, no "humbug," as he called it. Christianity is reasonable,...
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About George MacDonald
George MacDonald was a Scottish novelist, poet, and Christian minister whose imaginative fairy tales and fantasy stories helped shape the development of modern fantasy literature. Best known for works such as Phantastes, At the Back of the North Wind, and The Princess and the Goblin, MacDonald combined magical adventures with moral reflection, spiritual symbolism, and a deep interest in the inner lives of ordinary people. His stories often begin in recognizable domestic settings before opening into mysterious worlds where dreams, fairy creatures, and extraordinary encounters reveal unexpected truths. His influence extends to later writers of fantasy, including C. S. Lewis and J. R. R. Tolkien, who admired aspects of his imaginative storytelling. Readers searching for George MacDonald books will find classic fantasy, children's literature, fairy tales, poetry, and novels that explore courage, kindness, faith, and the transformative power of imagination.
Early Life and Literary Career
George MacDonald was born on December 10, 1824, in Huntly, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. He studied at King's College in Aberdeen and later trained for the ministry, becoming a Congregationalist minister before concentrating increasingly on writing and public speaking. His literary career developed during the nineteenth century, when fairy tales, religious writing, and imaginative fiction were evolving in response to changing ideas about childhood, morality, and the supernatural. MacDonald's fantasy works stood out because they treated the imagination as a means of exploring spiritual and psychological questions rather than merely providing entertainment. His writing influenced later generations of authors and helped establish several techniques that became familiar in modern fantasy, including journeys into strange worlds, symbolic magical encounters, and characters whose moral development matters as much as their external adventures. He died on September 18, 1905, in Ashstead, Surrey, England.
Popular Books and Fairy Tales
George MacDonald's most celebrated works include Phantastes, The Princess and the Goblin, The Princess and Curdie, and At the Back of the North Wind. Published in 1858, Phantastes follows a young man whose journey through a dreamlike fairy world becomes an exploration of desire, imagination, and spiritual growth. The Princess and the Goblin introduces Princess Irene and the miner's son Curdie, whose courage and trust are tested by a hidden world of goblins beneath the mountains. Its sequel, The Princess and Curdie, continues their adventures while exploring responsibility and moral maturity. At the Back of the North Wind presents a more dreamlike narrative centered on a boy named Diamond and his mysterious encounters with...Read More