George MacDonald (1824-1905) is one of the most complex and significant Scottish writers of the nineteenth century, especially as a writer of children's fiction and literary fairy tales. His works, however, have seldom been studied as Scottish literature. This dissertation is the first full-length analysis of his writings for children in their Scottish context, focusing particularly on his use of Scottish folklore in his literary fairy tales. MacDonald wrote in the Scottish Romantic tradition of Robert Burns, Walter Scott, and James Hogg; by close reading his works alongside similar texts by his compatriots, such as Andrew Lang, MacDonald's own idiosyncratic contribution to that tradition becomes more apparent. His profound knowledge of and appreciation for Christian mysticism is in evidence throughout his work; his use of folklore was directly informed by his exploration of mystical ideas. Hogg is recast as a second Dante, and ‘bogey tales' become catalysts for spiritual awakening. MacDonald's fairy tales deal sensitively and profoundly with the theme of child death, a tragedy that held personal significance for him, and can thus be read as his attempt to come to terms with the reality of bereavement by using Scottish folklore to explain it in mystical terms. Traditional figures such as Thomas Rhymer, visionary poets, and doubles appear in his fairy tales as guides and pilgrims out of the material world toward mystical union with the Divine.

It is a generally accepted scholarly truth that Shakespeare’s Macbeth was written with the intent of pleasing the newly crowned James I, a few years after his ascension to the English throne in 1603. The main arguments for this claim are, first, Shakespeare’s inclusion of witches—a well-known interest of James’s—and second, the portrayal of Banquo, the fictional ancestor of the House of Stuart. Some recent scholarship has, however, questioned this view, arguing, among other things, that James did not wish to be associated with his Scottish heritage and that witchcraft is not as prominent in Shakespeare’s play as it might have been if pleasing James was his objective. In this paper, I look specifically at the part of the theory of “the royal play” which pertains to the question of the witches and, against the background of this recent research, argue that Shakespeare’s reasons for including witches in his play have less to do with James and more to do with his own interest in human psychology. By analysing the ways in which Shakespeare adapts his sources—the chronicles of Raphael Holinshed and Hector Boece—I argue, first, that Shakespeare is less interested in catering specifically to James’s demonological theories than to make the three women into witches as such. Secondly, I compare the function of prophecy in Macbeth to Greek tragedy and the historical writing of Holinshed and Boece against the sociological theory of George Park and argue that Shakespeare’s purpose in letting witches function as the deliverers of prophecy is to create an element of uncertainty and thus a vantage point from which to explore the psychological complexities of human decision-making and the perils of trusting appearances.

Scholars and storytellers alike have deemed George MacDonald a great mythopoeic writer, an exemplar of the art. Examination of this accolade by those who first applied it to him proves it profoundly theological: for them a mythopoeic tale was a relational medium through which transformation might occur, transcending boundaries of time and space. The implications challenge much contemporary critical study of MacDonald, for they demand that his literary life and his theological life cannot be divorced if either is to be adequately assessed. Yet they prove consistent with the critical methodology MacDonald himself models and promotes. Utilizing MacDonald’s relational methodology evinces his intentional facilitating of Mythopoesis. It also reveals how oversights have impeded critical readings both of MacDonald’s writing and of his character. It evokes a redressing of MacDonald’s relationship with his Scottish cultural, theological, and familial environment – of how his writing is a response that rises out of these, rather than, as has so often been asserted, a mere reaction against them. Consequently it becomes evident that key relationships, both literary and personal, have been neglected in MacDonald scholarship – relationships that confirm MacDonald’s convictions and inform his writing, and the examination of which restores his identity as a literature scholar. Of particular relational import in this reassessment is A.J. Scott, a Scottish visionary intentionally chosen by MacDonald to mentor him in a holistic Weltanschauung. Little has been written on Scott, yet not only was he MacDonald’s prime influence in adulthood, but he forged the literary vocation that became MacDonald’s own. Previously unexamined personal and textual engagement with John Ruskin enables entirely new readings of standard MacDonald texts, as does the textual engagement with Matthew Arnold and F.D. Maurice. These close readings, informed by the established context, demonstrate MacDonald’s emergence, practice, and intent as a mythopoeic writer.