The Princess and the Goblin
| Author | George MacDonald |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Publisher | Strahan & Co |
Publication date | 1872 |
| Publication place | United Kingdom |
The Princess and the Goblin is a children's fantasy novel by George MacDonald. It was published in 1872 by Strahan & Co.
From the backpage of the Wordsworth Classics edition:
- George MacDonald's second novel for children is widely regarded as both his best children's story and one of the finest fantasy tales ever written. The Princess Irene lives in a castle on a mountain with her nurse Lootie, while in caves beneath live a race of ugly goblins with heads as hard as stone. The lines are drawn for a fantastic confrontation between the Princess, her great-great-grandmother and her intrepid friend Curdie on the one side, and the gnome-like goblins on the other. It is a thrilling battle of wits which must prove fatal... for someone.
As the story begins, the royal family is visiting their castle in the countryside. Curdie is the young son of a miner and is already helping his father in the mines (not unusual since this was written in a society where child labour was still common). Irene discovers her great-great-grandmother, the queen mother, living in an attic in the labyrinthine castle, even though everyone else insists that she must be dead by now. Grandmother gives Irene a magical ball of thread which will help her find her way home from anywhere. Attacks by the goblins result in Irene's kidnapping, and Curdie and his father being trapped underground.
The sequel to this book is The Princess and Curdie, in which Princess Irene and Curdie are a year or two older, and must overthrow a set of corrupt ministers who are poisoning Irene's father, the king. Irene's grandmother also reappears and gives Curdie a strange gift and a monster called Lina to help his quest.
Animated versions
In the 1960s, the novel was adapted in animated form by Jay Ward for his Fractured Fairy Tales series. This version involved a race of innocent goblins who are forced to live underground. The goblin king falls in love with a princess, but a prince saves her by reciting poetry because goblins hate it.
A full-length animated adaptation of the book, directed by József Gémes, was released in 1993. This Hungary/Wales/Japan co-production, created at Budapest's PannóniaFilm, Japan's NHK, and S4C and Siriol Productions in Great Britain, starred the voices of Joss Ackland, Claire Blooms and William Hootkins. The film's producer, Robin Lyons, also wrote the screenplay. However, it was not well recieved commercially nor critically upon its U.S. release from Hemdale Film Corporation in summer 1994. But it became a cult classic on home video. The DVD premiered in 2003.
The film's Dutch title is De Prinses en de Trollen (Template:Lang-en).
Other
"The Princess and the Goblins" is also a poem by Sylvia Plath (1932-1963).
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