Essay On Phantastes: An Analysis of Subverted Expectations Within a Fairytale
Dear Reader,
The following is a feminist rhetorical analysis of one of my favorite books, Phantastes by George MacDonald. Though we use the word “feminist” in rhetorical criticism, it is not particular to females, nor is it political. Instead, it seeks to disrupt hegemonic views (long-standing ideologies). I hope you enjoy reading and are encouraged to pick up this wonderful book yourself!
The following is a feminist rhetorical analysis of one of my favorite books, Phantastes by George MacDonald. Though we use the word “feminist” in rhetorical criticism, it is not particular to females, nor is it political. Instead, it seeks to disrupt hegemonic views (long-standing ideologies). I hope you enjoy reading and are encouraged to pick up this wonderful book yourself!
Essay
George MacDonald’s fairytale Phantastes upsets traditional norms within fairytale settings and continually subverts expectations within masculine and feminine forms. The end result is an exquisitely nuanced and mature fairytale that allows for new insight into masculine and feminine forms and functions, freeing men and women alike to embrace new aspects of themselves, and a rediscovery of the meaning of love.
George MacDonald’s fairytale Phantastes upsets traditional norms within fairytale settings and continually subverts expectations within masculine and feminine forms. The end result is an exquisitely nuanced and mature fairytale that allows for new insight into masculine and feminine forms and functions, freeing men and women alike to embrace new aspects of themselves, and a rediscovery of the meaning of love.
On the eve of his twenty-first birthday Anodos, now fully “adult,” feels ready to put childhood and all its fantasies behind him. However, the fantasies themselves are not ready to part with him just yet. Having received his father’s old desk, he begins poking through its various compartments when a tiny “woman-form” emerges from one of them and declares to him that she is his great-great-grandmother. The next morning, he awakens to find his room transformed into a forest that leads into Fairyland. He then sets out on a dreamlike journey in which he meets several unexpected female and male characters that teach him the nature of true love.
On the border of Fairyland, Anodos is warned of the evil Ash Tree. He has a close scrape with the Ash, but avoids harm. He then finds The Marble Lady, a woman turned into stone through an enchantment. Enraptured with her beauty, he sings to her, hoping to wake her. She wakes but flees, leaving Anodos desperate to find her. Soon after, he meets with the Maid of the Alder, an evil enchantress who takes the form of the Marble Lady to deceive him and hand him over to the Ash Tree. Just before the Ash Tree overtakes him, someone cuts the tree down, allowing Anodos to escape.
Heartsick for the Marble Lady, he searches for her throughout Fairyland, learning more about his selfish, immature nature as he meets with other characters. Most notably, he meets with the Old Woman With Young Eyes, who teaches him several lessons about the nature of love, and the Noble Knight, who is the husband of the Marble Lady. Anodos loves both of these characters because of their goodness, and through them learns that love is unselfish and sacrificial. He understands that he loves the Marble Lady because her beauty is a signal of her inward goodness, and for that she ought to be universally loved, though he cannot love her in a romantic way.
Anodos is then sent by a Wise Woman to fight alongside two brothers to free Fairyland from terrible giants. He then becomes the squire of the Noble Knight. His time in Fairyland ends when he sees a group of priest-like people attempting to sacrifice a young man and woman to a wolf-like creature. He rushes at the creature to kill it and dies in the process. Suddenly, he awakes back in his own home, though the events which have transpired seem so real to him that neither Anodos or the reader are quite sure whether he was dreaming or actually transported to another place and time.
In Rhetorical Criticism, Sonja K. Foss explains that Feminist Criticism analyzes disruptions that occur in order to transform hegemonic thinking and “create new ways of thinking, acting, and being” (Foss, 147).Within traditional fairy tale structure, there are several expectations of both male and female archetypes. These can restrict and confine the expression of feminine and masculine energies within characters which, if taken too literally in daily life, stifle and limit human development. It is important to recognize that not all male or female people exhibit archetypal behavior. For example, a beautiful princess meets with a dashing prince and lives happily ever after.
These archetypes, if taken literally, limit the happiness of both the male and female characters to a reliance on the opposite gender. It also places expectations (eg. physical beauty) on the masculine and feminine forms. Rudimentary fairy tales can also lead to the assumption that a certain action will bring a certain consequence. This is not the case in real life. Honorable behavior does not always produce an immediate or tangible reward. Fairy tales do, however, create an imaginative space in which the microcosm of our inner worlds intersect with the macrocosm of archetypal stories for self-reflection and analysis. MacDonald “cultivates ambiguity” in his fairy tale through subversion and nuance that steers away from cliches. “This strategy violates conventional rules of rhetoric to construct messages that are clear and transparent (and thus reductive in meaning)” (Foss, 148).
Phantastes is a fairytale that subverts many expectations placed upon both masculine and feminine forms, allowing the characters to manifest more holistically. It takes away certain traditional rewards, but replaces them with stronger, more resilient ones. When we first meet Anodos, we might expect from the traditional fairy tale arch that he is destined to meet with the romantic love of his life, and that through a process of trial and conquest, he will find this love and the two of them will live happily ever after.
MacDonald turns this story inside out and on its head, making Anodos both the hero and the villain in his own story. Repeatedly, Anodos himself is the one who repels the Marble Lady through his selfish desire. After singing to awaken her, he follows her to the Fairy Castle where she has become a living statue. Anodos relates his lack of self-control saying, “...in defiance of the law of the place, flung my arms around her…” after which the lady says, "You should not have touched me!" (MacDonald, 119). This subverts the traditional fairy tale structure in which the object of the male character is conquest of the female character (or vice versa). In opposition to conquest, MacDonald advocates for self-restraint, painting uncontrolled passion as a youthful weakness that strangles love rather than nurtures it.
Not only does Phantastes subvert passion, it subverts romantic love on the whole in regards to the main character. Anodos never receives any kind of romantic reward since the Marble Lady is already married. This does not leave him loveless, but instead opens the doorway to other loves that are in some ways deeper than romantic love. Anodos meets with several female characters who subvert expectations, both positively and negatively. This element of “multiplicity” also expands on femininity, allowing readers to see it in a more nuanced light (Foss, 147).
One of the most notable subversions is the Old Woman With Young Eyes. Anodos describes her voice as very young, but says her face “...was older than any countenance I had ever looked upon…. And the skin was ancient and brown, like old parchment. But the moment I saw her eyes, I no longer wondered at her voice: they were absolutely young… the eyelids themselves were old, and heavy, and worn; but the eyes were very incarnations of soft light” (Phantastes, 131). This juxtaposition of youthful beauty within an old form brings out a subversion of traditional masculinity in Anodos, allowing him to be a child, not in a childish manner, but open and humble. “I could not help laying my head on her bosom, and bursting into happy tears. She put her arms round me, saying, ‘Poor child; poor child!’” (Phantastes, 131). These subversions of age and beauty allow for full freedom of expression, as though time, space, and age are irrelevant, leaving only the honest and bare soul.Throughout the rest of the story, Anodos remembers this particular Lady with deep love and affection, and her love carries him through many of his remaining trials in Fairyland.
The conclusion of Phantastes comes with a final subversion of the triumphant hero. While most fairy tales end with the hero having conquered his foe, Anodos does not return from his final conflict with the wolf-creature unscathed. Instead, he submits himself to the pinnacle of sacrifice; death for the love of his fellow man. Everything he has learned in Fairyland has brought him to a deeper understanding of love which lends itself to self-sacrifice. Upon facing this final fear, he experiences something unexpected--ultimate peace. As his soul broods over his body, Anodos says, “I was dead, and right content. I lay in my coffin, with my hands folded in peace. The knight, and the lady I loved (the Marble Lady), wept over me. ‘He has died well,’ said the lady. My spirit rejoiced” (MacDonald, 180).
When Anodos awakes to his “real life” on earth, he feels as though the worst of life, even death, is all behind him. Life and all its waking problems feel finite in comparison to the vastness he has experienced. He reflects, “When the thought of the blessedness I experienced, after my death in Fairy Land, is too high for me to lay hold upon it and hope in it, I often think of the wise woman in the cottage, and of her solemn assurance that she knew something too good to be told” (Phantastes, 187). This is the subversion of all subversions; that death itself is no bad thing if it is done for love, for love itself leads back to life.
The multiplicity of characters, and the nuanced, subverted nature of this fairy tale makes it a valuable read to expand the idea of masculine and feminine wisdom. By exploring seldom seen forms and functions of masculine and feminine energy, the soul of a person is made more complete, making this an interesting and enlightening read for the feminist critic.
Works Cited
Foss, Sonja K. Rhetorical Criticism: Exploration and Practice. Waveland Press, 2018.
MacDonald, George. Phantastes, a Faerie Romance for Men and Women. Project Gutenberg, 2015.
Foss, Sonja K. Rhetorical Criticism: Exploration and Practice. Waveland Press, 2018.
MacDonald, George. Phantastes, a Faerie Romance for Men and Women. Project Gutenberg, 2015.
