The Princess Bride (Ballantine Reader's Circle)
by William Goldman
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Book Summary Information
Author: William GoldmanEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2003-07-15
ISBN: 0345418263
Number of pages: 429
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Book Reviews of The Princess Bride (Ballantine Reader's Circle)
Book Review: Morgenstern vs Goldman Analysis
Summary: 5 Stars
The Princess Bride, by William Goldman, is your classic fairy tale about a love that can never be broken. It does seem fairly common with princesses, pirates and giants; but that isn't all that is going on. Possibly the reason that this story is so intriguing is not that it is so obviously fiction, but that Goldman tells us that it actually happened.
Goldman tells us that as a child his father read him The Princess Bride by S. Morgenstern. But, when his father read him the story he would skip over the boring parts and only tell him the most interesting points in the story. Goldman then claims that he has never read the entire story himself, so he calls his abridgement the "Good Parts" version and only uses what his father told him as a child, because really that is all that he knows.
The Princess Bride is supposedly a true story that happened once upon a time in a small country located somewhere near Europe called Florin. S. Moargenstern was just retelling factual events that took place long, long ago. But, interestingly enough, I have not ever been able to locate this country of Florin (or the neighboring country of Guilder) on any map, ancient or current. There is also no record of this author, S. Morgenstern, no one can prove that he ever existed. And, we don't know what time period these historical events took place in because the measures of time we have are as follows: before Europe but after Paris, before glamour (which is an ancient idea), and after blue jeans, which he claims were around a lot longer than people would think.
Goldman also employs a technique of telling two stories at once. He is telling the actual story of Princess Buttercup, and Fezzik, and Miracle Max, while also telling his own tale about how he came to right this story. He includes a complete explanation as to how this book came into existence, why he wrote it, and the challenges that came with it. He keeps the plot of this story going with his constant interjections into the text. He must explain cutting entire sections of sixty or more pages. In this way the point of view changes between an omniscient narrator and the first person voice of William Goldman. In these interjections Goldman warns us about bad things that will happen or possible lets us in on good things that are about to take place. Sometimes this foreshadowing can be confusing because of the way that Goldman uses satire, sometimes you can't tell if these acts of foreshadowing are actually going to occur or not.
The Princess Bride has many elements that make it as truly good as it is. Goldman's own personal quest to write this story and all of the hassles that he had to go through just to do so are a whole story in and of itself. We actually learn enough about the characters to make them all real to us, even the minor ones who do not make or break the story. It is the classic fairy tale with a twist around every corner, never knowing what will come next. And, we know it must be good because, after all, someone decided that it was good enough to be made into a movie (and we all know that the movies are better than the books, wink, wink).
Summary of The Princess Bride (Ballantine Reader's Circle)
What happens when the most beautiful girl in the world marries the handsomest prince of all time and he turns out to be...well...a lot less than the man of her dreams?As a boy, William Goldman claims, he loved to hear his father read the "S. Morgenstern classic, The Princess Bride. But as a grown-up he discovered that the boring parts were left out of good old Dad's recitation, and only the "good parts" reached his ears.
Now Goldman does Dad one better. He's reconstructed the "Good Parts Version" to delight wise kids and wide-eyed grownups everywhere.
What's it about? Fencing. Fighting. True Love. Strong Hate. Harsh Revenge. A Few Giants. Lots of Bad Men. Lots of Good Men. Five or Six Beautiful Women. Beasties Monstrous and Gentle. Some Swell Escapes and Captures. Death, Lies, Truth, Miracles, and a Little Sex.
In short, it's about everything.
Eventually to be adapted for the silver screen, THE PRINCESS BRIDE was originally a beautifully simple, insightfully comic story of what happens when the most beautiful girl in the world marries the handsomest prince in the world--and he turnsout to be a son of a bitch. Guaranteed to entertain both young and old alike by combining scenes of rowsing fantasy with hilarious reality, THE PRINCESS BRIDE secures Goldman's place as a master storyteller.
From the Paperback edition.
The Princess Bride is a true fantasy classic. William Goldman describes it as a "good parts version" of "S. Morgenstern's Classic Tale of True Love and High Adventure." Morgenstern's original was filled with details of Florinese history, court etiquette, and Mrs. Morgenstern's mostly complimentary views of the text. Much admired by academics, the "Classic Tale" nonetheless obscured what Mr. Goldman feels is a story that has everything: "Fencing. Fighting. Torture. Poison. True love. Hate. Revenge. Giants. Hunters. Bad men. Good men. Beautifulest ladies. Snakes. Spiders. Beasts of all natures and descriptions. Pain. Death. Brave men. Coward men. Strongest men. Chases. Escapes. Lies. Truths. Passion. Miracles."
Goldman frames the fairy tale with an "autobiographical" story: his father, who came from Florin, abridged the book as he read it to his son. Now, Goldman is publishing an abridged version, interspersed with comments on the parts he cut out.
Is The Princess Bride a critique of classics like Ivanhoe and The Three Musketeers, that smother a ripping yarn under elaborate prose? A wry look at the differences between fairy tales and real life? Simply a funny, frenetic adventure? No matter how you read it, you'll put it on your "keeper" shelf. --Nona Vero
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