More On The Light In The Attic in The Princess and The Goblin

"The great-great grandmother in The Princess and The Goblin […] is a face of God, welcoming, loving and motherly. She baptizes Irene in a bath of stars, reveals herself at will, and guides children where they need to go. Linked with the moon, she is the poetic, mystic, hidden face of God—a motherly nurse and not a power- wielding triumphant king. She is the left hand, as the Father is the right." William Raeper, George Mc Donald

"I think what first attracted me to George MacDonald was his blend of pagan and Christian mysteries in a single figure. […] I shall call her goddess, for I believe that MacDonald found her among the goddess served by […] pagan priestesses […] As Irene, she is one of the three goddesses of Greek mythology who control the seasons…" Nancy Willard, "The Light in the Belfrey: Grandmothers and Wise Women in George MacDonald's Books for Children

First off, I just have to say that I am glad that I was right. I'm glad that I was because I would have felt kind of silly/stupid for assuming that "Queen Irene" is a symbol for an angel or even God. But now, as I read and reread these quotes I feel it bold and inappropriate to even liken the great-great grandmother to God, as in Jesus Christ. I don't know why I feel that way, I really can't explain. I guess it's because I have been raised in a Christian home and taught to love and fear God above all others and above all other things. Therefore, likening someone to God would mean that someone else, a human or a character in a novel is on the same level as God or is close to being on the same level. It just feels wrong to me.

But…

If I'm just reading it and I say hey it's just a book and you should just remember that it is a book and nothing more than perhaps I can understand why Mac Donald might use the techniques he does. I'm not saying that we shouldn't read critically but one should not be offended. I am not offended just a little taken aback. But what's interesting to point out is that others, Willard, basically calls the Great- Great Grandmother a pagan. But she also calls this character a Christian. Simply put, the two ideas seem a bit conflicting. I know that Mac Donald probably did this because he himself was a Christian mystic but the idea of blending the Christian and the mystic just seems wrong. Maybe that's because we don't know many "Christian mystics." If I'm correct, which I may not be, there were more sects/denominations, if you will, under Christianity in the time in which Mac Donald lived… I know that there were some people with some pretty interesting beliefs who had really taken the Christian faith and changed it somehow… For instance, Milton, John Milton who wrote Paradise Lost, was an Arian. If I'm remembering correctly, this means that he did not believe in the godhead or The Trinity. Instead, he believed that the Father, the Son and The Holy Ghost were three separate beings. Mac Donald had different beliefs but what I'm really trying to get across is that people had different ideas on Jesus Christ/God back in the era in which Mac Donald lived. At least I think. I could be wrong and that would be kind of embarrassing since I'm writing a post over all of this. It seems to me, that, today in the present era, there are still lots of denominations but that within the Judeo-Christian tradition people believe more or less the same thing. I am not including Mormons here. But, that's another story and not really the focus of my installment.

Wrapping it up…

I used these quotes because well- I could write about them but because I think they were rather interesting. For interesting, Raeper calls great-great grandmother Irene "loving" and "motherly." I agree with that, but I still feel like she's a bit creepy. On the other hand, I feel like she's a good character and cares for her great-great granddaughter more than anyone else does. So, I guess I'm a little confused on the great-great grandmother and her position in the story. If anything else, after reading this I do agree with what I've said in previous posts… When readers write they should remember to look at the time in which the story was written and look at it from that point of view. For instance one might ask him or herself- What does this story tell us about the Christians who lived in Mac Donald's era/time?

So, that about wraps it up for now. My brain is fried…