Book Review: Lilith

Lilith, by George MacDonald, is a very puzzling read. It is about a man, living a normal life, going about his business, following in the path of those who have gone before him. There is nothing remarkable about any of it, until he meets Mr. Raven. 

Mr. Raven ushers him into another dimension where everything he thought he knew is suddenly turned upside down. He encounters giants and monsters, dancing and arguing skeletons, and a princess who turns into a giant spotted leopard and a blood-sucking worm. 


I read a review of this book, just to see if I was the only one who was confused by some of the imagery, and realized it's a pretty universal place to be. I have read several other books written by him, but this one is definitely set apart from the others I've read by the layers of symbolism contained in its pages. 

Mr. Vane, the main character, comes to realize through his adventures in this other dimension that he is not really alive. The Raven, who is also Adam, explains to Mr. Vane that he will have to submit to death in order to truly come alive. But before he is willing to submit to the sleep of death, he must come to the place where he voluntarily lets go of life as he has known it. But when faced with a choice to die or to continue to live only a shadow of true life:

"What a hell of horror, I thought, to wander alone, a bare existence never going out of itself, never widening its life, but, bound with the cords of its poor peculiarities, lying an eternal prisoner in the dungeon of its own being! I began to learn that it was impossible to live for oneself even, save in the presence of others . . ." 

It is only when he truly begins to understand Love that he moves closer to that willingness to die. As he learns to love the Little Ones, he recognizes that he must face his fear and do his duty.

"My boy," I answered, "there is no harm in being afraid. The only harm is in doing what Fear tells you. Fear is not your master! Laugh in his face and he will run away."

In his quest to protect the Little Ones from the Evil Princess, he finally realizes the only way they will be free is by defeating the Princess who seeks their destruction. He leads the army made of these children to the city to confront her, only to have her kill Lona, the "mother" of the Little Ones. They take the captive Princess and the body of little Lona back to Adam and the house of the sleeping dead. Each of those who enter it submit to the sleep that will make them fully alive. Even the Evil Princess, after much "tough love" decides she will let go of the illusion she has lived, the one that said she was in control and was her own master.

"When you are quite dead, you will dream no false dream. The soul that is true can generate nothing that is not true, neither can the false enter it."

Sounds a lot like the death we take on in Christ so that we may really live, doesn't it? 

"Thou wilt then know that which thou canst not now dream. Thou hast not yet looked the Truth in the face, hast as yet at best but seen him through a cloud. That which thou seest not, and never didst see save in a glass darkly--that which, indeed, never can be known save by its innate splendour shining straight into pure eyes--that thou canst not but doubt, and art blameless in doubting until thou seest it face to face, when thou wilt no longer be able to doubt it. But to him who has once seen even a shadow only of the truth, and, even but hoping he has seen it when it is present no longer, tries to obey it--to him the real vision, the Truth himself, will come, and depart no more, but abide with him for ever."

I find it fascinating to read the list of people who were profoundly influenced by the writings of George MacDonald. Among them are two of my favorite authors: J. R. R. Tolkien and C. S. Lewis. 

From the website The Literature Network comes this quote:

In his George MacDonald: An Anthology (1947) C. S. Lewis states that while reading a copy of MacDonald's Phantastes (1858) "a few hours later," through inspiration of the gentle Christian's words "I knew I had crossed a great frontier.".... "I know hardly any other writer who seems closer, or more continually close, to the Spirit of Christ himself."

Lilith was very challenging for me. There is still much that I don't understand, much that I am continuing to mull over. I don't know if I will ever plumb the depths contained herein, but it is fun to try. 

This is #17 in the 52 in 52 challenge. I know I have had several book reviews in the last few days, but I usually have 5 or 6 books going at once so it just happened to work out that I have finished several almost simultaneously.