A inocência nos diferentes espaços de 'A Princesa e o Goblin', de George MacDonald

Abstract

George MacDonald (1824-1905), a Scottish writer from the 19th century, is considered a great writer of children and adult fiction in English speaking countries. Although he grew up within Calvinist teachings, and that his works are usually analysed through a religious view, it can be also taken into consideration the importance MacDonald gave to Nature. The author was known to attribute to Nature the development of knowledge – in other words, the contact with it would allow people to know and understand the world (MACDONALD, 1893). MacDonald affirmed that this relation motivated the individual, regardless of their age, to trust in the imagination and the irrational, because it is through this trust that, according to the author, truths that are not possible to recognize only by believing in rationality can be found. In the book The princess and the goblin, the levels of these relations with Nature can be acknowledged according to the space occupied by the characters. Our interest in highlighting this aspect of the book is reinforced not only by the author’s lack of visibility in Brazil, but also because his works are commonly studied through religion that, although is pertinent considering the author’s history, does not embrace some elements we consider important.