Sophie Davis joins me to talk about George MacDonald's last fantasy novel, Lilith. Even for George MacDonald, this is a weird book. But if you're familiar with MacDonald's work, you know that wisdom and weirdness often go together like...I don't know...being a librarian, a sexton, a Raven, and the Adam? Or being a leopardess, a very white queen who is afraid of children, and an ancient Canaanite demoness seductress from a waterless world?

Apologies for the audio quality here. Soon enough, episodes will have better audio, but I worry that this will annoy--apologies if it does. Give it a try, anyway, because we get to some really good stuff in this episode.

(Here, by the way, is a link to the article Sophie references listing biblical allusions in Lilith.)

Among other things, we discuss:

• Why Lilith? / MacDonald's late fantasy — ~5:15
• Lilith vs. Phantastes comparison — ~7:55
• The world of Lilith: Bulika, the Lovers, and the Bags — ~16:15
• The figure of Lilith in myth and MacDonald's redemption arc — ~20:50
• Feminine guide figures: Mara, Eve, and Mr. Raven — ~36:40
• Favorite images & a possible adaptation — ~43:25
• Sophie's Conference paper on MacDonald's theology of death — ~48:25

Thanks, as always, for listening, and let me know if you have questions or comments. My email is inklingsvarietyhour@gmail.com, and you can always rate and review the show.

See you in a few weeks, when we'll talk about Manly Wade Wellman's The Old Gods Waken.