fluffybunny Posted October 21, 2016 Share Posted October 21, 2016 Those who have read Phantasies by George MacDonald, how suitable is it suitable for teens, in terms of being engaging and relevant? (by relevant, I mean that it speaks to all eras and age groups) I read that CS Lewis was inspired by this book, and I'm looking for a new read aloud to teens. Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monica_in_Switzerland Posted October 21, 2016 Share Posted October 21, 2016 I read this myself a couple years ago after reading that CS Lewis was inspired by it. What I can say is: It's a HARD read. I mean, whoa hard. Vocabulary, sentence structure... description to action ratio, everything. I don't feel I did it justice when I read it because at some point my eyes were starting to glaze and I switched to skimming and reading excerpts. Having said that, it was enticing and intriguing enough that I'd like to try it again, but really feel I need a study guide to go with it. If you've read The Princess and the Goblin or any of his other children's books, you can see just how incredibly rich these are compared to modern children's books. So I'd say take that as a guide, multiply times 10, and you'll see what Phantastes is compared to most modern adult novels. So, what is your purpose with your teen? For pleasure- let them give it a try! Assigned- give them a study guide at the very least! And maybe buddy read it. In depth study? You're going to need a lot of time! Maybe hack away at it a bit each week for the whole year? Not sure what's the best approach with this age group, but it is certainly worth reading with the least amount of frustration possible. lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monica_in_Switzerland Posted October 21, 2016 Share Posted October 21, 2016 p.s. I think in the same time period I was reading G. K. Chesterton's Manalive, and it seemed like light, easy reading by comparison to Phantastes! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fluffybunny Posted October 21, 2016 Author Share Posted October 21, 2016 Thank you for explaining what I might be in for. I was going to read it aloud after The Princess and the Goblin. How much harder is it after that book? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monica_in_Switzerland Posted October 21, 2016 Share Posted October 21, 2016 It's hard. It's definitely a move from children's lit to adult lit. But you'll know within a page or two if it will work in terms of language, and within chapter or two if it will work in terms of plot. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G5052 Posted October 21, 2016 Share Posted October 21, 2016 Yes, it's tough. My daughter read it for her high school lit class, and she asked me to read it to see what I thought. Many layers of meaning and difficult language. She's loved it though! 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluegoat Posted October 21, 2016 Share Posted October 21, 2016 This is a book that I think would be much improved for many readers by reading in a group. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fluffybunny Posted October 21, 2016 Author Share Posted October 21, 2016 This is a book that I think would be much improved for many readers by reading in a group. That's promising. I was going to read it aloud anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lori D. Posted October 22, 2016 Share Posted October 22, 2016 (edited) I read it as an adult and enjoyed it, but I do think there is very high potential that it will feel "weird and random" to a teen. It is NOT plot-driven (like MacDonald's Princess and the Goblins/Princess and Curdie), but rather, is far more episodic than MacDonald's episodic At the Back of the North Wind-- really, Phantastes is almost more impressionistic and experiential. And the Christian elements are more more of a subtle undercurrent, compared to the overt Christian themes in MacDonald's novella The Light Princess). Phantastes is much more exploring the idea of the wild and dark side of the realm of Faerie. ... I was going to read it aloud after The Princess and the Goblin. How much harder is it after that book? Significantly harder. The Princess and the Goblin is highly plot-driven and the Christian elements are very overt. Phantases is much more like reading poetry -- very imagistic, suggestive, metaphoric. I'd suggest going with MacDonald's novella The Light Princess, and then his short stories of "The Golden Key" and "The Wise Woman" as stepping stones before tackling Phantastes. JMO. :) If you have not already read these, your family might enjoy these: - space trilogy: Out of the Silent Planet, Perelandra, That Hideous Strength (Lewis) - "Farmer Giles of Ham" (Tolkien) - "Smith of Wooton Major" (Tolkien) ** - "Leaf By Niggle" (Tolkien) - Children of Hurin (Tolkien) - The Man Who Was Thursday (Chesterton) BTW, if you have read "Smith of Wooton Major," the travels into Faerie made by Smith in this short story are what all of the book of Phantastes is like; but Phantases does not have the strong narrative frame to hold the novel together in the same way the narrative frame holds "Smith of Wooton Major" together. Edited October 22, 2016 by Lori D. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoJosMom Posted October 23, 2016 Share Posted October 23, 2016 I read it as an adult and enjoyed it, but I do think there is very high potential that it will feel "weird and random" to a teen. It is NOT plot-driven (like MacDonald's Princess and the Goblins/Princess and Curdie), but rather, is far more episodic than MacDonald's episodic At the Back of the North Wind-- really, Phantastes is almost more impressionistic and experiential. And the Christian elements are more more of a subtle undercurrent, compared to the overt Christian themes in MacDonald's novella The Light Princess). Phantastes is much more exploring the idea of the wild and dark side of the realm of Faerie. Significantly harder. The Princess and the Goblin is highly plot-driven and the Christian elements are very overt. Phantases is much more like reading poetry -- very imagistic, suggestive, metaphoric. I'd suggest going with MacDonald's novella The Light Princess, and then his short stories of "The Golden Key" and "The Wise Woman" as stepping stones before tackling Phantastes. JMO. :) If you have not already read these, your family might enjoy these: - space trilogy: Out of the Silent Planet, Perelandra, That Hideous Strength (Lewis) - "Farmer Giles of Ham" (Tolkien) - "Smith of Wooton Major" (Tolkien) ** - "Leaf By Niggle" (Tolkien) - Children of Hurin (Tolkien) - The Man Who Was Thursday (Chesterton) BTW, if you have read "Smith of Wooton Major," the travels into Faerie made by Smith in this short story are what all of the book of Phantastes is like; but Phantases does not have the strong narrative frame to hold the novel together in the same way the narrative frame holds "Smith of Wooton Major" together. This is a great post, Lori. I'm thinking this may be the starting point for a semester of lit... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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