The poetical works of George MacDonald in two volumes — Volume 1

MacDonald, George, 1824-1905Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

Rating 3.8
Word count
515K words
Chapters
52

Tags

English Originals Foreign Literature Life PhilosophySpiritual ComfortSlow ReadingFantasy ElementLyrical VerseVictorian EraScottish Flavor

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.The poetical works of George MacDonald in two volumes — Volume 1 by MacDonaldAuthor: MacDonald, George, 1824-1905,Language: English, Class: PR: Language and Literatures: English literature, Release Date: Dec 1, 2005

Editor's review

This is the first of two volumes of George MacDonald's poetical works, released by Project Gutenberg as a public-domain English literature resource. MacDonald is known for fantasy literature and spiritual writing, and his poetry likewise continues a style in which imagination and faith intertwine, with plain language and rich imagery. The works collected in this volume suit quiet, unhurried reading: readers can feel the beauty of rhythm in Victorian English poetry and also take in the author's reflections on life, nature, and faith. As a public-domain e-book, it is easy to search and carry for reading, and is suitable as an introduction to English poetry or as supplementary material for research on MacDonald's works. Note that public-domain e-books usually lack modern annotation; some historical vocabulary and allusions require readers to look them up themselves, and a dictionary or related background materials can be used while reading for a more complete understanding.

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Reading tips

  1. First read through the table of contents, then choose a poem whose title or opening line draws you in and begin there; there is no need to proceed in order.
  2. Keep an English dictionary at hand, look up historical vocabulary and allusions as you go, and make brief notes.
  3. Read one or two poems a day, reading aloud to feel the rhythm, then go back over the imagery and themes.
  4. After finishing, choose a few favorite poems and do a short translation or imitation to deepen your understanding of the language.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

Contents

  1. 1
  2. 2
  3. 3
  4. 4
  5. 5
  6. 6
  7. 7
  8. 8
  9. 9
  10. 10
  11. 11
  12. 12
  13. 13
  14. 14
  15. 15
  16. 16
  17. 17
  18. 18
  19. 19
  20. 20
  21. 21
  22. 22
  23. 23
  24. 24
  25. 25
  26. 26
  27. 27
  28. 28
  29. 29
  30. 30
  31. 31
  32. 32
  33. 33
  34. 34
  35. 35
  36. 36
  37. 37
  38. 38
  39. 39
  40. 40
  41. 41
  42. 42
  43. 43
  44. 44
  45. 45
  46. 46
  47. 47
  48. 48
  49. 49
  50. 50
  51. 51
  52. 52

FAQ

Is this book in Chinese or English? This book is in the original English and is a public-domain e-book provided by Project Gutenberg, with no Chinese translation included. Chinese readers need some English reading ability and may use a dictionary.
Will it be hard to understand without annotations? Public-domain e-books usually contain no modern annotation, and some Victorian vocabulary and allusions must be looked up. Reading with an English dictionary and background material on the author will make it noticeably easier.
What is the relationship between this volume and Volume 2? This book is the first of a two-volume poetry collection and, together with the second volume, forms the collected poetical works of MacDonald. Each volume stands on its own and can be read separately or straight through in order.

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About the author

MacDonald, George, 1824-1905 Author

George MacDonald (1824–1905) was a Scottish author known for his fairy tales, fantasy novels and religious sermons. This library holds 68 of his works, including The Princess and the Goblin, The Princess and Curdie, At the Back of the North Wind, Phantastes: A Faerie Romance for Men and Women, Sir Gibbie and the three series of Unspoken Sermons. His fairy tales often centre on children, weaving adventure with questions of morality and faith in plain, imaginative prose, while his fantasy works are regarded as forerunners of modern fantasy literature and have influenced later writers of the genre. Public information is limited, so no biographical details are speculated here; his works alone show him to be skilled in both storytelling and spiritual reflection, writing for children and adults alike.