Notes from Lukmanova’s Lecture on George MacDonald – #1

Last month Olga Lukmanova from Russia did a talk at L’Abri called “George MacDonald – the fairy-tale canon and the art of myth-making”. Here is the first part of my notes on this talk (they are organized topically rather than sequentially, though they follow the approximate order of her talk).

Her Meeting with George MacDonald (10 December 1824 – 18 September 1905)

In 1996, she first heard of MacDonald through C.S. Lewis’ “The Great Divorce”Olga was intrigued, basically what Lewis said about his perception of MacDonald was the way she viewed LewisA week later she went to her library and found that, low and behold, they had a shelf with George MacDonald books(Turns out they were simplified edition of his work)In her personal life she was depressed and burned out, seeking joy. She found new vigor in reading MacDonald’s worksHer love for George MacDonald’s work began

Her Passion for MacDonald

She read everything by him at the library, came to L’Abri and read moreThankfully everything by MacDonald is in public domain and available onlineShe talked to her friends about him, and they asked why she doesn’t translate them into RussianSo far, 5 of his major works are translated and she is working on his fairy talesEventually she began pursuing a degree doing studies on George MacDonald’s fairy tales and has been doing that for 1 year

Intro to George MacDonald – Early Life

(he sort of looks like he could be a Russian author)Born in Northern Scotland (his work presents stunning views of Scotland)Lost his mother at 8 years oldFamily was in the bleaching businessHe spent most of his childhood on a farm which is reflected in his writingsLewis noted how MacDonald’s life is very much characterized by a nearly perfect relationship with his father, which translated into his entire view of the world–the Fatherhood of God lays at the heart of itWhen he was 15 years old, his father remarried and his father’s new wife became like a mother, George had a lot of respect for her

School/Early Adult Life

George was interested in natural philosophy (ie. science) and wanted to go to Germany to study, but his father didn’t have the money for that so he fell back on theology/philosophyHe went to HighburyOne winter he had to go to a library up north to catalog a library. A house with a library appears through almost all his novels.Up north, he was introduced to the German romantics, especially Georg Philipp Friedrich Freiherr von Hardenberg (aka “Novalis”)One of MacDonald’s first publications was translating the work of Novalis, and he would continue to work on that the rest of his life

His Family And Personal Characteristics

MacDonald married Louisa Powell at the age of 27 and they had 11 kidsTheir family used to travel around England and stage the Pilgrim’s progress, acting it out.Lewis stated that his chief weakness was his Scottish love of finery, though he was poor, he loved good food and good clothes.He was incredibly generousHe maintained a friendly, magnetic  home that was the center of whatever community he was inOne of his best friends was Lewis Caroll, and his kids were the first to hear Alice in its original presentation in 1863

Post Graduation Life

After graduation, he began preaching in Sussex, and continued there for 3 yearsPart of the congregation loved his preaching, the deacons and others began questioning his orthodoxyHe preached a broad, welcoming, inclusive GodHe said that animals might go to heavenAround Christmas he published the spiritual songs of “Novalis”, the German realist, which smacked of German biblical criticismThey didn’t dismiss him but cut his salary (at which time he had one child), he said “we’ll live on less”They made more salary cuts, and then he left. He never again was a formal ministerGoing forward, he never had permanent employment again, but earned money through his books, itinerant preaching, and teaching science and literature lectures at a ladies college. He also had a pension and his friends helped him out.

A Life of Sorrow

TuberculosisBefore he reached 65,  he lost 4 of his 11 kids to tuberculosisHe also lost two brothers to tuberculosisHe also had weak lungs and tuberculosisHe went through sickness, disease, and povertyWhen he wrote about affliction being the “shadow of God’s wings”, he would know about afflictionHe lived to 81

to be continued…