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Lilith (Paperback)

by George MacDonald (Author) "I HAD JUST FINISHED my studies at Oxford, and was taking a brief holiday from work before assuming definitely the management of the estate ..." (more)
4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)

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Product details

  • Paperback: 252 pages
  • Publisher: Ethics & Public Policy Center Inc.,U.S.; New edition edition (Dec 1990)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0802860613
  • ISBN-13: 978-0802860613
  • Product Dimensions: 17.8 x 10.7 x 2.3 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 246,267 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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    #8 in  Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Authors, A-Z > M > MacDonald, George

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Product Description

Amazon.co.uk Review

The great 20th-century poet WH Auden said of this novel, "Lilith is equal if not superior to the best of Poe," but the comparison only begins to touch on the richness, density and wonder of this late 19th-century adult fantasy novel. First published in 1895 (inhabiting a universe with the early Yeats, George Bernard Shaw and Oscar Wilde--not to mention Thomas Hardy), this is the story of the aptly named Mr Vane, his magical house and the journeys into another world into which it leads him.

Meeting up with one mystery after another, including Adam and Eve themselves, he slowly but surely explores the mystery of the human fall from grace, and of our redemption. Instructed into the ways of seeing the deeper realities of this world--seeing, in a sense, by the light of the spirit--the reader and Mr Vane both sense that MacDonald writes from his own deep experience of radiance, from a bliss so profound that death's darkness itself is utterly eclipsed in its light. --Doug Thorpe



Synopsis

""Lilith" is equal if not superior to the best of Poe," wrote W. H. Auden in his introduction to the 1954 reprint of George MacDonald's "Lilith", which was first published in 1895. It is the story of Mr. Vane, an orphan and heir to a large house - a house in which he has a vision that leads him through a large old mirror into another world. In chronicling the five trips Mr. Vane makes to this other world, MacDonald hauntingly explores the ultimate mystery of evil.
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I HAD JUST FINISHED my studies at Oxford, and was taking a brief holiday from work before assuming definitely the management of the estate. Read the first page
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8 Reviews
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Average Customer Review
4.9 out of 5 stars (8 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Absolutely Brilliant - A Deep Journey into the Innerworld, 23 Dec 1998
By A Customer
Lillith is the result of a full and mature exploration of the "otherworld" by an author who knew more about the symbols of the mythopoeic realm than most any other author in the last 100 years (including C.S. Lewis, Tolkien, and Lewis Carol). If you're looking for a light reading story book, or merely entertaining fiction, this book is probably not for you. Some people taking it superficially see nothing more than an incomprehensible juxtaposition of images that reveres the qualities of obedience and submission. However, this would be to entirely miss the point of this story, which is about the process of inner transformation of human desire and will. It is very existentialist in that it places the responsibility for our progress on ourselves rather than on circumstances outside of ourselves. For those willing to dig deeper however, many rewards await those willing to ponder the story's rich (and often riveting!) tapestry of images. Taken further, the story describes the path of an individual's complete inner transformation in a language of symbols not merely arbitrarily arranged, but composed out of a deep understanding of the nature of the inner world of the human psyche. I would highly recommend this book, and regard it (together with *phantastes*) as possibly the best of genre for fiction / phantasy writing in the last 100 years. Madame L'engel regarded MacDonald as the "godfather of phantasy", and Lewis regarded him as his "master". Lillith is certainly worthy material for earning this distinction.
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Magnificent,awe-inspiring,thought provoking,spiritual tour., 26 Dec 1997
By A Customer
As has been said by C.S.Lewis,MacDonald has a gift which is difficult to define.A mythopoetic painter,is as close as I can come.He uses images as symbols of thoughts,ideas,spiritual states,and as has been said,shocks you into a more completely awake state than many will ever reach in their lives. Mr Vane,the central character,steps through a mirror,(possibly the same mirror written about by his friend,Lewis Carroll,in 'Through The Looking Glass.')In the world of the mirror,he finds that it is "-the business of the world to so make a fool of you that you know yourself to be one, and so begin to become wise."This is the book to which C.S.Lewis was referring in his book title,'Till we Have Faces,'as he watches the dance of the people whose spirits have not yet developed to the point where they yet have more than a flesh and blood body surmounted by a skull with lidless eyeballs,their uncontrolled passion stark and staring,though yet more well-developed than the poor skeleton couple who now need each other as they never did in life,and now must learn to love by need.From bog-worms to the demon vampire Lilith,saved by her ex-husband,Adam,from the noble Mr.Raven,who has haunted a magnificent library for generations,to the precious,innocent little ones,who will not grow to be stupid,cruel giants,all of the characters,teach the reader something of his own needs,his own sad character flaws,and how only a holy death can purify his motives.As do his other works,this one has inspired not only Lewis & Tolkein,but Madeline L'Engle,who quotes MacDonald in her books,and may have awakened the same gift in Charles Williams,another friend of Tolkein and Lewis.This and his other book,'Phantastes,' may be the greatest fairy tales ever written. The writing may not be perfect,but the content is right on.
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9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars a tale rich in paradox, 6 Mar 1998
By A Customer
Rich in symbolism, steeped in paradox, this is a tale of a man's journey and his coming to terms with the frailty of humanity when it is seen in the light of God. MacDonald never hides the basis of his paradigm--that there is a God who loves us, who knows better than we do what is best for us--rather, he weaves it into a rich tapestry of adventure wherein key characters make known the paradox that is at the heart of Chrisitianity: he who would be first must be last.

This is not an easy read. And, truly, anyone who is not willing to accept that an author may expound his faith through the words and deeds of his characters--indeed, through the fatherly nature of the narative itself--will little likely enjoy reading this tale. But to those who are ready to dive in to the heart of a realm of paradox in an attempt to better know the God that MacDonald worshiped, this may very well be a life-changing story.

I am not a man given to favorites. But no other work has colored my life so beautifully as MacDonald's LILITH. And no other story is more dear to my heart.

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Stays with one after finishing
What I can say about this book is that it remains in the mind, a living world, long after it has been finished. Read more
Published on 31 Jul 2007 by Pillowtail

4.0 out of 5 stars A huge journey
Told in first person. We experience the other world through Mr Vane's eyes and thoughts and wishes. His journey is wonderous and educational. Read more
Published on 26 Feb 2006 by Ms. K. J. Livingstone

5.0 out of 5 stars A superb working out of Christian Universal Salvation
MacDonald's fantasy novel is actually the best modern treatment of what St. Gregory of Nyssa's theology of Apocatastasis (Universal Salvation) would be like, worked out in... Read more
Published on 9 Aug 1999

5.0 out of 5 stars Enjoy other worlds? This is the book for you!
I would recomend this book to anyone who enjoys adventure, other worlds, thinking about strange but wonderful things, and using their imagination. Read more
Published on 9 Mar 1998

5.0 out of 5 stars A haunting tale hovering between dream and nightmare,
LILITH is best considered in the context of MacDonald's life, and remembering his earlier work PHANTASTES. Read more
Published on 8 Dec 1997

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