The longest of all MacDonald’s novels, Donal Grant (first published in 1883 by Kegan Paul, Trench & Co., London) is a gothic masterpiece following in the tradition of Jane Eyre; only with yet greater extremes of spiritual darkness and light.
In this compelling sequel to Sir Gibbie, Donal leaves his old home behind him, and takes up a tutorship in the fictional town of “Auchars.” There he meets the proud but unhappy heiress Lady Arctura, and as their friendship deepens into love, he needs all of his hard-won faith to ward off the destructive forces that threaten her life and happiness. The long-buried secrets associated with ancient Castle Graham, its hidden chambers and its "ghost music," must also be probed; and most sinister of all, there walks the unquiet form of Lord Morven, possessed by a legion of devils…
“Once again David Jack has worked his literary alchemy and reveals to those of us who have no knowledge of the Scots Doric one of George MacDonald’s finest books.” -Douglas Gresham, Stepson of C. S. Lewis & Series Producer, The Chronicles of Narnia.
Extensive Scots dialogue
“To have what we want is riches, but to be able to do without is power.”
Recommended Editions and Adaptations
Scots-English Edition, full original text, plus for all passages in the Scots tongue, the original Scots is shown with a side-by-side translation into English by David Jack
The Cullen Collection Edition (abridged): paperback and kindle
Hardcover Edition (unabridged):
From WisePath Books
Articles about Donal Grant
Various Sources
“‘Within and Without’: Exploring the Mind in the Novels of George MacDonald”, by Saskia Voorendt
“Gothic Degeneration and Romantic Rebirth in Donal Grant”, by Jennifer Koopman
Article within Rethinking George MacDonald: Contexts and Contemporaries, edited by Christopher MacLachlan, John Patrick Pazdziora and Ginger Stelle
NORTH WIND ARCHIVE
The home page of the North Wind Archive can be accessed here.
“Below in the Depths: MacDonald’s Symbolic Landscape”, by Adelheid Kegler
Wingfold
Wingfold is a quarterly magazine that restores material by and about George MacDonald, in print since 1993. To subscribe, click here. To request any of the following articles that appear in back issues of Wingfold, contact Barbara Amell at b_amell@q.com.
Fall 2010
“Lost Tragedies: Discovering Shakespearean Influence in Two Novels by George MacDonald”, by Barbara Amell
Blog: Donal Grant
“No other than the God exactly like Christ can be the true God. Cast away from you that doctrine of devils, that Jesus died to save us from our father. There is no safety, no good of any kind but with the father, his father and our father, his God and our God.”