A Dish of Orts : Chiefly Papers on the Imagination, and on Shakespeare
MacDonald, George, 1824-1905
English
We will print you a perfectly bound paperback of your selected title and send it to you at your nominated address
Below is a summary of A Dish of Orts : Chiefly Papers on the Imagination, and on Shakespeare
Distributed Proofreaders
A DISH OF ORTS
BY
GEORGE MACDONALD
PREFACE.
Since printing throughout the title _Orts_, a doubt has arisen in my
mind as to its fitting the nature of the volume. It could hardly,
however, be imagined that I associate the idea of _worthlessness_ with
the work contained in it. No one would insult his readers by offering
them what he counted valueless scraps, and telling them they were such.
These papers, those two even which were caught in the net of the
ready-writer from extempore utterance, whatever their merits in
themselves; are the results of by no means trifling labour. So much a
man _ought_ to be able to say for his work. And hence I might defend, if
not quite justify my title--for they are but fragmentary presentments of
larger meditation. My friends at least will accept them as such, whether
they like their collective title or not.
The title of the last is not quite suitable. It is that of the religious
newspaper which reported the sermon. I noted the fact too late for
correction. It ought to be _True Greatness_.
The paper on _The Fantastic Imagination_ had its origin in the repeated
request of readers for an explanation of things in certain shorter
stories I had written. It forms the preface to an American edition of my
so-called Fairy Tales.
GEORGE MACDONALD.
EDENBRIDGE, KENT. _August 5, 1893._
CONTENTS.
THE IMAGINATION: ITS FUNCTIONS AND ITS CULTURE
A SKETCH OF INDIVIDUAL DEVELOPMENT
ST. GEORGE'S DAY, 1564
THE ART OF SHAKSPERE, AS REVEALED BY HIMSELF
THE ELDER HAMLET
ON POLISH
BROWNING'S "CHRISTMAS EVE"
"ESSAYS ON SOME OF THE FORMS OF LITERATURE"
"THE HISTORY AND HEROES OF MEDICINE"
WORDSWORTH'S POETRY
SHELLEY
A SERMON
TRUE CHRISTIAN MINISTERING
THE FANTASTIC IMAGINATION
THE IMAGINATION: ITS FUNCTIONS AND ITS CULTURE. [Footnote: 1867.]
There are in whose notion education would seem to consist in the
production of a certain repose through the development of this and that
faculty, and the depression, if not eradication, of this and that other
faculty. But if mere repose were the end in view, an unsparing
depression of all the faculties would be the surest means of approaching
Back