The mentor of Lewis Carroll, and revered by C. S. Lewis and J. R. R. Tolkien among others, the severe-looking Scottish author clearly had a knack for creating magical things. Very few authors have said that they don't write for children, "but for the child-like, whether they be of five, or fifty, or seventy-five". The Princess and the Goblin is a fully-fledged children's fantasy novel, however, but also much more than a story of rescuing the princess and the kingdom.Eight-year-old princess Irene lives a very sheltered life in a castle with her nursemaid Lootie and other servants. She has an abundance of toys, but there are so many that they don't satisfy her anymore. Instead she grows frustrated and runs around exploring the castle, eventually finding a mysterious room with an old lady who claims to be her grandmother. Irene also finds out that she has never been told about the goblins who live underground, and who are now plotting against the kingdom.In a way this feels like a simple fairy tale, but a very bloated one. The straightforward plot is dragged out way too much, leading to a flat and anticlimactic ending. The sense of magic and the possibility to read between lines kept me going even when the text level itself was a letdown. Goblins are always interesting creatures, and here they have an interesting background story. The grandmother represents a more divine power. She is there to guide Irene and is connected to the concept of belief. What to do when you believe in something but others have a hard time doing the same? Some would say this hints at MacDonald's efforts to weave a Christian allegory to the story, but belief isn't exclusive to religion.MacDonald also deals with transcending your outward place in the world by learning how to become a person who deserves respect. Early on, we learn that a real princess doesn't tell a lie, isn't rude and does what she is told. Being a good girl is a much bigger thing than being a princess, than having a superficial title. When Irene is playing with miner's children despite her status, the reader is reminded that "the truest princess is just the one who loves all her brothers and sisters best, and who is most able to do them good by being humble towards them".Like in many children's homes even today, the nursemaid Lootie acts as both parents. Irene's mother is dead and her father travels for months on end around his kingdom. Whenever he comes back he is shown as a noble figure, and is almost put on a pedestal by Irene. The king loves his daughter and is moved to tears from the mention of his late wife, but I found it interesting that for most of the time he stays as an absent father, while the story focuses on Irene taking control of her seclusion and saving the kingdom.Irene indeed shows herself to be a different kind of princess. With the help of a miner boy named Curdie, she is an active agent who, with the encouragement of her grandmother, finds courage and honour in herself. She's the one who follows a thread given to her by the grandmother, and saves Curdie from a cave by clearing away a heap of stones. It's admirable that MacDonald doesn't reduce her to a damsel in distress, but gives her the chance to develop and grow."[']We are all very anxious to be understood, and it is very hard not to be. But there is one thing much more necessary.''What is that, grandmother?''To understand other people.''Yes, grandmother. I must be fair - for if I'm not fair to other people, I'm not worth being understood myself.[']"PS. The cover of this Hesperus Press edition is gorgeous!
When I think of the magic of childhood, certain images come into my head. There’s a sort of sparkle, warmth, and yet there is always danger. However, childhood magic has an incomparable sweetness to it. There are few books that manage to touch on this nigh-indescribable feeling of childhood magic. The Princess and the Goblin is such a book.The story is a fairytale, in the same order as Jack and the Beanstalk and The Goose Girl. There is a princess, a peasant boy, a castle and, of course, goblins. These elements do not automatically make magic, but they do in the hands of mater storyteller George MacDonald. The characters in the story are charming. Princess Irene is a smart, spunky little girl, even though she is slightly spoiled (she is a princess after all). McDonald’s ability to write from her point of view is astounding. While reading the book I wanted to say, “I remember thinking things just like that when I was little!” This is especially amazing when one considers Irene’s age. Few authors manage to write fantasy with heroines so young. Yet, Irene is as compelling as any fantasy heroine, and perhaps even more so due to her sweetness and close-to-babyhood charm. Curdie, the brave peasant boy, is also well developed. I enjoyed his enthusiasm as well as his courage. I love to read about courageous children. However, he is far from perfect. For example, he has a hard time believing Princess Irene’s story about her mysterious great great grandmother. Both Irene and Curdie, then, are all the more real because of their flaws. And perhaps even more lovable. The imagery used in the story is also delightful. McDonald’s creative abilities are known among all avid readers of fantasy, but some of his beautiful images used in this book are almost too good to be true. Scene after scene is just bursting with magic. This is enhanced by the child’s POV used throughout the tale.The story itself has an excellent plotline about good vs. evil. There are some genuinely suspenseful moments. McDonald knows how to build atmosphere, too. The scenes in the mines, the goblin court and the forest are all hauntingly memorable. The dark quality of the old fairytales is present here, and the danger of childhood make-believe is just about perfect. The symbolism of the story is also lovely. Like Narnia or The Lord of the Rings, Christian elements as well as bits of mythology are woven seamlessly together into a beautiful story. Parents and teachers (and older siblings) should enjoy discussing these books with children and pointing out the symbolic parts: the thread, the orb, the great great grandmother herself… Charming and beautifully told, this is a fairytale that should find its place right next to the Brother’s Grimm and Anderson’s works.
Do You like book The Princess And The Goblin (1997)?
"'People must believe what they can, and those who believe more must not be hard upon those who believe less.'""The Princess and the Goblin" is a charmingly simple fairy tale--which is to say, it is superficially uncomplicated but full of imagery and themes ripe for symbolic or metaphorical interpretation. (Some of the language and themes may sound a bit trite to modern ears, but that might say more about modern ears than it does about the language and themes.) George MacDonald's work influenced Tolkien, Lewis, Chesterton, and other writers of fantasy, and this story should feel familiar to anyone who's acquainted with those better-known authors. There's little here to surprise readers, but there's a fair amount to delight them. And it's always nice to be reminded that courage, trustworthiness, ingenuity, and love are considered "virtues" for a reason.
—Adam
A princess, a miner and a goblin walk into a story...Feel like you've heard this one before? Maybe the characters are unusual, but the form and general content of The Princess and the Goblin written by George MacDonald in 1872 would go on to become one of the foundation cornerstones for fantasy literature in the following century. Tolkien and Lewis owe MacDonald a good deal. Without those Inklings fantasy just wouldn't be the same today.As with many progenitors, MacDonald's book feels dated. After numerous generations style, appearance and content changes. MacDonald's book looks old, out of date, almost irrelevant, and to modern readers of the genre it might appear as if it has nothing to do current trends. Princesses with grannies and nurses, a miner boy who wards off goblins with rhymes, goblins who can be defeated via their feet...What does any of this have to do with the magic, swords, the undead, assassins, dragons and bastard kings of today? It all had to start somewhere.For nostalgia sake, I gave this an extra star. Granted, this is not the kind of fantasy I'd like to read for the rest of eternity. However, it was nice to see one of the origin stories. It's like witnessing a birth. Fans of Tolkien, for instance, can look into this book and see the likeness in its descendants such as The Hobbit. Fairies such as goblins have been a part of lore, legend and beloved bedtime stories since before books, so it was great seeing an early depiction of such classic characters as the Goblin King, without which we'd never have this...
—Jason Koivu
A tale of a little princess growing up in a country house/castle -- kept carefully inside for the danger of the goblins who live in the mountains.On one rainy day, Princess Irene wanders in the house, gets lost, finds a woman spinning in the tower, unbeknownst to anyone inside -- her great-great-grandmother Irene. On the first clear day after that storm, she goes walking with her nurse-- too far -- and can not return before nightfall, when the goblins start to menace them. Fortunately, they meet Curdie, a young miner, who knows the trick of seeing them off, and gets them home safely. Irene promises to kiss him, but the nurse interferes, much to her distress, and Curdie gallantly points out to her that she had not promised to do it then -- she could do it later without breaking her word.The story this leads to involves Irene thinking her great-great-grandmother a dream, a visit from her father the king, a goblin creature like a cat with enormously long legs, Curdie's overhearing something in the mine, the goblin king's first wife, a ball of thread so fine that it's invisible, and much more.
—Mary Catelli
