Christian Speculative Fiction discussion

Sorry that it has taken me a little while to post a new question. I got a little behind in my reading.

We are now following Gibbie back to Edinburgh in which he is becoming a gentleman. George MacDonald's complex characters continue to be a mix of good and evil. I am continually surprised by the depth each person George MacDonald introduces displays.

For me, Mrs. Sclater was one of the most surprising characters. I expected that I would dislike her until Gibbie connected with her. Still, I find myself swing in my opinion of her from both positive impressions to negative impressions.

What characters have surprised you by their complexity?

"We are now following Gibbie back to Edinburgh"...although GM doesn't name the city, I'm pretty sure it's Aberdeen. He gives it the fictional name of Inverdaur in the sequel, Donal Grant, to match "Daurside" in Sir Gibbie.

I agree with what you say about Mrs Sclater, and even her husband has his likeable aspects underneath his pomposity. Angus the gamekeeper is a brute, undoubtedly, but remember the author saying that he showed a glimmer of compassion when chastising the innocent Gibbie, by changing the implement for one not quite so lethal, because he had children himself?

David wrote: ""We are now following Gibbie back to Edinburgh"...although GM doesn't name the city, I'm pretty sure it's Aberdeen. He gives it the fictional name of Inverdaur in the sequel, Donal Grant, to match ..."

I hadn't even questioned my assumption, but this fixes a lot of layout problems in my imagination with Gibbie's journey into the country! I assumed the two big cities of that day would have been Edinburgh and Glasgow. I have a bias towards Edinburgh since I live there for four years. When George MacDonald didn't name the city, I immediately started to image Edinburgh since it was on the east coast which I think he does mention. I didn't realize Aberdeen would have been big enough in that time to fit the description. I had never visited it. I mentioned your correction to my husband who had been to Aberdeen before, and he described the distinctive gray granite buildings. I remember George MacDonald describing that at the beginning of the book as well. Thanks for mentioning it! I'm now going to be googling pictures of the city. Lol!

No probs, Lara! The majority of GM's Scottish novels are set in Aberdeenshire (What's Mine's Mine being a notable exception-it's set in the highlands) with Aberdeen itself being the only city that is given any great attention, because it's where the characters would go to study, being the nearest seat of learning. MacDonald himself was from Huntly, and studied for his first degree in Aberdeen, before going to London to study for the ministry, then living in various parts of England during his short ministry and long writing career, with Italy becoming a second residence for him eventually because the climate was good for his lungs, which gave him problems all his life. In Robert Falconer, Aberdeen is mentioned by name, along with a few specific places in the city, while Huntly, where Robert (a fictionalised MacDonald, essentially) is renamed Rothieden. Aberdeen wouldn't have been as prominent then as now (though even today, Edinburgh and Glasgow are much bigger population-wise) but I think it was still a fairly thriving city-certainly the hub of the North East and the most practical place for people from the region to take their degree.

David wrote: "I agree with what you say about Mrs Sclater, and even her husband has his likeable aspects underneath his pomposity. Angus the gamekeeper is a brute, undoubtedly, but remember the author saying tha..."

I am so amazed at the complexity of all the characters even the villains. I think this comes from the omniscient point of view that he writes in. Most writers and even reviewers seem to hate this writing style, but George MacDonald pulls out every bit of power such a point of view can deliver. George MacDonald brings up so many facets to their motives by jumping into their thoughts rather than limiting himself to one or two characters points of view! It makes many other book characters seem flat in comparison. As a writer, I feel challenged to see characters like Angus in my writing and to really understand them more. I don't think George MacDonald is excusing Angus' behavior, but rather showing how everyone one justifies themselves and has a logical reason for their action, even if that logic is flawed.