GEORGE

See also:

• MACDONALD, FLORA (1722—1790)
• GEORGE MACDONALD (1824-1905)
• MACDONALD, JACQUES ETIENNE JOSEPH
• MACDONALD, JOHN SANDFIELD (1812-1872)
• MACDONALD, LAWRENCE (1799-1878)
• MACDONALD, SIR HECTOR ARCHIBALD (1852-1903)
• MACDONALD, SIR JOHN ALEXANDER (1815-1891)

MACDONALD (1824-1905)  , Scottish novelist and poet, was born at Huntly, Aberdeenshire . His father, a farmer, was one of the Macdonalds of Glencoe, and a direct descendant of one of the families that suffered in the massacre . Macdonald's youth was passed in his native town, under the immediate influence of the Congregational Church, and in' an atmosphere strongly impregnated with Calvinism . He took his degree at Aberdeen University, and migrated thence to London, studying at Highbury College for the Congregational ministry . In 185o he was appointed pastor of Trinity Congregational Church, Arundel, and, after resigning, his cure there, was engaged in ministerial work in Manchester . His health, however, was unequal to the strain, and after a short sojourn in Algiers he settled in London and adopted the profession of literature .. In 1856 he published his first book, Within and Without, a dramatic poem; following it in 1857 with a volume of Poems, and in 1858 by the delightful " faerie romance " Phantastes . His first conspicuous success was achieved in 1862 with David Elginbrod, the forerunner of a number of popular novels, which include Alec Forbes of Howglen (1865), Annals of a Quiet Neighbourhood (1866), Robert Falconer (1868), Malcolm (1875), The Marquis of Lossie (1877), and Donal Grant (1883) . He was for a time editor of Good Words for the Young, and lectured successfully in America in 1872-1873 . He wrote admirable stories for the young, and published some volumes of sermons . In 1877 he was given a civil list pension . He died on the 18th of September 1905 .

Both as preacher and as lecturer on

literary topics George Macdonald's sincerity and moral enthusiasm exercised great influence upon thoughtful minds . His verse is homely and direct, and marked by religious fervour and simplicity . As. a portrayer of Scottish peasant-life in fiction he was the precursor of a large school, which has benefited by his example, and surpassed its original leader in popularity . The religious tone of his novels is relieved by tolerance and a broad spirit of humour, and the simpler emotions of humble life are sympathetically treated .