preview

Summary Of William Goldman's The Princess Bride

Decent Essays
Open Document

The Princess Bride, written by William Goldman, is no ordinary fairy tale, most fairy tales are straightforward, the fact that it is told through a frame narrative, adding additional layers, makes the story more confusing. Although it does not fully fit the conventions of an ordinary fairy tale, it does fit the conventions of oral story-telling. Through the preface and interruptions, Goldman simulates oral-storytelling, with a hint of fantasy, in his novel, in order to recreate the moment in which his father told him the story.
Throughout the novel, Goldman reminds his readers that this novel should be listened to not read. The beginning of the novel is not the actual story, but instead a preface in which a fictional William Goldman, the narrator, tells the readers about parts of his …show more content…

Throughout the novel, the fictive Goldman interrupts parts of the story to add a few of his remarks, his interruption, right before the protagonist, Buttercup, is introduced, marked the first of many. Goldman says, “When I said at the start [the preface] I’d never read this book, that’s true. My father read it to me” (Goldman 96). Here, the reader comes to a realization about why he is interrupting. Goldman is abridging the novel so the readers could read it as the “good parts” version, in other words, the version in which Goldman’s father read to him as a child; this makes the story feel like it is told not read (adding onto the oral story telling element). Another example of further emphasis on the story-telling aspect happens when Buttercup is in the Florin Channel, Goldman interrupts with a childhood memory, “’She doesn’t get eaten by sharks at this time,’ my father said,” (107). This line, just as it reassured young Goldman, reassured the readers through his father’s voice. This supports the storyteller role because only through an oral story can the storyteller directly respond to the listener’s

Get Access
Related
Get Access