Donal Grant: Introduction
Let us read together one of George MacDonald’s finer stories, Donal Grant. We will be using the Cullen edition, edited by Michael Phillips, which can be easily ordered on Amazon. I would like to encourage each reader to post on this blog any comments on the story that may come to mind. This will give opportunity for us to have discussion and interaction, and this will give us all a sense of community. MacDonald wrote this novel in the 1880's, at the height of his career. He depicts Donal as a young man exhibiting thoroughly Christian attitudes. Any novelist who undertakes to draw a thoroughly good person faces the danger of creating an unrealistic goodie-good character that is unbelievable and boring. As a character Donal is not only attractive but real and quite believable. Such an accomplishment is a large compliment to MacDonald as a novelist. Donal is a native of Scotland, and as such he speaks the Scottish language. In editing the text, Michael Phillips has