Shadows and Chivalry studies the influence of George MacDonald, a nineteenth-century Scottish novelist and fantasy writer, upon one of the most influential writers of modern times, C. S. Lewis—the creator of Narnia, literary critic, and best-selling apologist. While other books, quoting Lewis himself, have only mentioned the fact that Lewis called MacDonald his "master," and that MacDonald's Phantastes helped "baptize" Lewis's imagination, this study attempts to trace the overall affect of MacDonald's work on Lewis's thought and imagination. Without ever ceasing to be a story of one man's influence upon another, the study also serves as an exploration of each writer's thought on, and literary visions of, good and evil. Lastly, using the metaphor of chivalry, McInnis looks at what Lewis and MacDonald believed to be greater than either suffering or hell: the severe and tender Love who longs to save.
Shadows & Chivalry:
C.S. Lewis & George MacDonald on Suffering, Evil, and Death
C.S. Lewis & George MacDonald on Suffering, Evil, and Death
Jeff McInnis
Praise for Shadows and Chivalry
"By far the most penetrating and exhaustive study that I have seen of the origin in George MacDonald's writings of so many of C. S. Lewis's ideas. Jeff McInnis's sensitive and highly informed judgments greatly enrich our understanding of their imaginative and devotional achievement. A genuinely enriching read for any earnest Christian mind."
—Rolland Hein, Professor Emeritus,
Wheaton College
"Jeff McInnis has written a book that henceforth will be indispensable to all students of C. S. Lewis who seek to understand the oft-mentioned but till now not fully fathomed debt of his literary and theological imagination to George MacDonald. His well conceived study has the further benefit of doing considerable justice to the angular graces of MacDonald's anti-Calvinistic understanding of redemption. McInnis's chapter on "The Chivalry of God" finds an indispensable key to this great, but out-of-time conversation between two lay theologians of enduring interest and literary power."
—David Lyle Jeffrey,
Distinguished Professor of Literature
and the Humanities, Baylor University
"In this judicious and carefully researched study, the author argues persuasively that the 'baptism' of Lewis's imagination by MacDonald was at once more extensive and more specific than has hitherto been recognized. Recommended reading for anyone who has a serious interest in either author."
—Trevor Hart, Professor of Divinity,
St. Mary's College, University of St. Andrews
"By far the most penetrating and exhaustive study that I have seen of the origin in George MacDonald's writings of so many of C. S. Lewis's ideas. Jeff McInnis's sensitive and highly informed judgments greatly enrich our understanding of their imaginative and devotional achievement. A genuinely enriching read for any earnest Christian mind."
—Rolland Hein, Professor Emeritus,
Wheaton College
"Jeff McInnis has written a book that henceforth will be indispensable to all students of C. S. Lewis who seek to understand the oft-mentioned but till now not fully fathomed debt of his literary and theological imagination to George MacDonald. His well conceived study has the further benefit of doing considerable justice to the angular graces of MacDonald's anti-Calvinistic understanding of redemption. McInnis's chapter on "The Chivalry of God" finds an indispensable key to this great, but out-of-time conversation between two lay theologians of enduring interest and literary power."
—David Lyle Jeffrey,
Distinguished Professor of Literature
and the Humanities, Baylor University
"In this judicious and carefully researched study, the author argues persuasively that the 'baptism' of Lewis's imagination by MacDonald was at once more extensive and more specific than has hitherto been recognized. Recommended reading for anyone who has a serious interest in either author."
—Trevor Hart, Professor of Divinity,
St. Mary's College, University of St. Andrews
Book Description
A mysterious dark wand that keeps getting darker, an ancient song of hope, and a winged visitor from beyond the moon—they all lead Kabe, Troy, and Meg to magical, daring adventures far away from their troubled home.
The MacCaw children have struggled since losing their mother when things went wrong at the hospital years ago, and now their grandfather is in the hospital too. But just before visiting his ill grandfather, young Kabe MacCaw, blind since birth, discovers a mysterious dark wand while trying to teach his dog to fetch. After struggling to discover the secrets of the wand, the MacCaw children find themselves in the middle of a dangerous conflict in a beautiful but threatened other world. The wand grows darker by the hour, and the fate of a world and a family hangs in the balance.
The MacCaw children have struggled since losing their mother when things went wrong at the hospital years ago, and now their grandfather is in the hospital too. But just before visiting his ill grandfather, young Kabe MacCaw, blind since birth, discovers a mysterious dark wand while trying to teach his dog to fetch. After struggling to discover the secrets of the wand, the MacCaw children find themselves in the middle of a dangerous conflict in a beautiful but threatened other world. The wand grows darker by the hour, and the fate of a world and a family hangs in the balance.
Story Description
Jeff McInnis holds a PhD in English from the University of St. Andrews, Scotland.
Praise for In and Out of the Moon
“To me, it is the perfect kind of story [… McInnis] succeeds in producing a highly satisfactory, charming setting. If I could compare this story it would be to George MacDonald's fairy tales, C.S. Lewis' Narnia Chronicles, and The Neverending Story all wrapped into one […] refreshingly free of the dystopian angst that is so prevalent in fantasy novels today. Our heroes suffer setbacks but never lose their hope or optimism. There is a sense of overriding compassion throughout.”
—from Sharon Henning-Wilfong’s review in the Gently Mad literary blog
“To me, it is the perfect kind of story [… McInnis] succeeds in producing a highly satisfactory, charming setting. If I could compare this story it would be to George MacDonald's fairy tales, C.S. Lewis' Narnia Chronicles, and The Neverending Story all wrapped into one […] refreshingly free of the dystopian angst that is so prevalent in fantasy novels today. Our heroes suffer setbacks but never lose their hope or optimism. There is a sense of overriding compassion throughout.”
—from Sharon Henning-Wilfong’s review in the Gently Mad literary blog
