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Description
Lilith, by nineteenth-century Christian novelist, George MacDonald, is the chronicle of five trips taken by its narrator, Mr. Vane, into another world where, under the spell of MacDonald's extraordinary imagination, he explores the ultimate mystery of evil. The volume is introduced by C.S.
Ridiculously Simplified Synopsis
Summary
While the narrator is sitting in his library reading, he catches from the corner of his eye an old man. When he gets up to investigate he notices one of his books missing. Confused, he calls his butler, the butler lies and says he does not know. Three days later, he sees the man again. This... read more (warning: may contain spoilers)
Cast of Characters/Important People
- Mr. Vane: Narrator. A man. Sees the supposed forgotten old man. Father dead, mother dead within year after father. Tends to find himself alone a lot. Devoted to the physical sciences. An only child.
- Mr.Raven: Appears in library and takes books then returns them the next day. Was librarian to Sir Upward. Disappeared along with Sir Upward, but returned every so often to the library as an apparition. Described as the "devil" by the ancient woman. Can turn into a raven.
- Butler: Been with family all his life. Very faithful. Knows of the old man but thought he had been forgotten. Had never seen old man before, just heard of him from an ancient woman.
- Ancient Woman: Told butler about the legend concerning Mr.Raven and described him to a "T" without having ever seen him. Said he was librarian to that of Sir Upward.
- Sir Upward: Great reader. Past owner of the house. Read strange, forbidden, evil books and was encouraged by Mr.Raven. One day disappears with Mr.Raven and is never seen again.
- Grandfather/ Old Sir Ralph: Refused to believe in the Old Man and whoever should mention him, would without a warning be dismissed from the house. He believed it was only a story the maids made up so that they could throw themselves in the arms of a man. Believed in nothing he could not see or lay hold of.
- Mrs. Raven: All in white. Warm.
Memorable Quotes
-
“Might a man at any moment step beyond the realm of order, and become the sport of the lawless?”
Narrator -
“"Oblige me by telling me where I am." "That is impossible. You know nothing about whereness. The only way to come to know where you are is to begin to make yourself at home."”
Narrator and Raven -
“"Tell me, then, who you are - if you happen to know." "How should I help knowing? I am myself, and must know!" "If you know you are yourself, you know that you are not somebody else; but do you know that you are yourself? Are you sure that you are not your own father? - or, excuse me, your own fool? - Who are you pray?" "..."”
Raven and Narrator -
“Indeed, who was I? It would be no answer to say I was who! Then I understood that I did not know myself, did not know what I was, had no grounds on which to determine that I was one and not another. As for the name I went by in my own world, I had forgotten it, and did not care to recall it, for it meant nothing, and what it might be was plainly of no consequence here. I had indeed almost forgotten that there it was a custom for everybody to have a name!”
Narrator -
“I will give you a lesson: - No one can say he is himself, until first he knows that he is, and then what himself is. In fact, nobody is himself, and himself is nobody.There is more in it than you can see now, but not more than you need to see. You have, I fear, got into this region too soon, but none the less you must get to be at home in it; for home, as you may or may not know, is the only place where you can go out and into. There are places you can go into, and places you can go out of; but the one place, if you do but find it, where you may go out and in both, is home.”
Raven -
“No man knows it when he is making an idiot of himself.”
Narrator -
“"Am I, or am I not, a free agent?" "A man is as free as he chooses to make himself, never an atom freer." "You have no right to make me do things against my will!" "When you have a will, you will find that no one can." "You wrong me in the essence of my individuality!" "If you were an individual I could not, therefore now I do not. You are but beginning to become an individual."”
Mr. Vane and Mr. Raven -
“"Could you not teach me to know a prayer-flower when I see it?" "I could not. But if I could, what better would you be? you would not know it of yourself and itself! Why know the name of a thing when the thing itself you do not know? Whose work is it but your own to open your eyes? But indeed the universe is to make such a fool of you that you will know yourself for one, and so begin to be wise!"”
Mr. Vane and Mr. Raven -
“You can tell what sort a man is by his creature that comes oftenest to the front.”
Mr. Raven
First Sentence
I HAD JUST FINISHED my studies at Oxford, and was taking a brief holiday from work before assuming definitely the management of the estate.
Table of Contents
Chapter I - The Library
Chapter II - The Mirror
Chapter III - The Raven
Chapter IV - Somewhere Or Nowhere?
Chapter V - The Old Church
Chapter VI - The Sexton's Cottage
Glossary
- desultory: inconsistent
- analogy: a similarity between like features of two things, on which a comparison may be based ex. the analogy between the heart and a pump.
- panorama: an unobstructed and wide view of an extensive area in all directions.
- evanescent: vanishing; fading away; fleeting.
- vellum: calfskin, lambskin, kidskin, etc.
- allude: to refer
- pretext: excuse
- garret: an attic, usually a small, wretched one.
- vistas: an avenue or passage
- disconsolate: characterized by or causing dejection; cheerless; gloomy
- motes: a small particle or speck, esp. of dust.
- espied: to see at a distance; catch sight of.
- romp: to play or frolic in a lively or boisterous manner.
- haply: perhaps; by chance.
- psychical: sensitive to influences or forces of a nonphysical or supernatural nature.
- apt: inclined; disposed; given; prone
- adumbration: to produce a faint image or resemblance of; to outline or sketch.
- entity: something that has a real existence; thing
- uncanny: mysterious; arousing superstitious fear or dread; uncomfortably strange
- pervaded: to become spread throughout all parts of
- crag: a steep, rugged rock; rough, broken, projecting part of a rock.
- taper: a candle
- hitherto: up to this time; until now
- thrush: any, medium-sized songbird of the family Turdinae, usually dull brown and often speckled below, and including many outstanding singers.
- sultry: oppressively hot or moist; sweltering
- descried: to discover; perceive; detect.
- deluge: a drenching rain; downpour.
- cataract: a descent of water over a steep surface; a waterfall
- approbation: approval
- steppes: the vast grasslands
- obstinacy: stubbornness.
- mire: to plunge
- sexton: an official of a church charged with taking care of the edifice and its contents, ringing the bell, etc., and sometimes with burying the dead.
- discomfited: to confuse and deject; disconcert
- liveries: a uniform worn by servants.
- hyacinth: a bulbous plant, of the lily family, widely cultivated for its cylindrical cluster of fragrant flowers in a variety of colors.
- wiseacre: a person who possesses or affects to possess great wisdom.
- sojourn: a temporary stay
- hawthorn: any plants belonging to the rose family, typically a small tree with stiff thorns, certain North American species of which have white or pink blossoms and bright-colored fruits and are cultivated in hedges.
- ethereal: heavenly
- lo: look
- primeval: pertaining to the first age or ages, esp. of the world
- precipitate: sudden
Errata
p.31 - The woman took it from him gently, GAVE it a little piece of bread, and went out with it, closing the door behind her.
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