The Princess Bride (novel)
A metafictional abridgment of a fictional classic tale.
The Princess Bride: S. Morgenstern's Classic Tale of True Love and High Adventure, The "Good Parts" Version is a 1973 fantasy romance novel by American writer William Goldman. It combines comedy, adventure, fantasy, drama, romance, and fairy tale, and is metafictionally presented as an abridgment of a longer work by the fictional S. Morgenstern. The book was adapted into a 1987 feature film directed by Rob Reiner, and Goldman noted that it generated more responses from readers than anything else he had written.
Quick Facts
- Author
- William Goldman
- Country
- United States
- Language
- English
- Genre
- Fantasy
- romance
- adventure
- metafiction
- Publisher
- Harcourt Brace Jovanovich
- Released
- 1973
- Dewey
- 813/.54 22
- Congress
- PS3557.O384 P75 2003
Facts from the source article.
Plot
The story begins with William Goldman telling how he got involved with the tale. He learned that the "historical account" he thought he remembered from his father was actually a "good parts" version that cut out the dull sections. After supposedly tracking down the original, long-winded book by a made-up author named S. Morgenstern, Goldman decides to put together his own "good parts" edition, which becomes the main story. In the Renaissance-like land of Florin, a young farm woman named Buttercup frequently orders around her servant, Westley. His steady response, "As you wish," eventually shows his love for her, and she comes to feel the same way. Westley leaves to make his fortune so they can get married, promising to come back. But later, Buttercup hears that the Dread Pirate Roberts attacked Westley's ship, and she thinks he is dead. Several years go by, and she gets engaged to Prince Humperdinck, who will inherit Florin's throne. Right before the wedding, a group of three outlaws kidnaps Buttercup: Vizzini, a Sicilian criminal mastermind; Inigo Montoya, a Spanish fencing expert; and Fezzik, a huge Turkish wrestler. While they climb the Cliffs of Insanity, a man dressed in black chases them. Vizzini cuts their rope, but the man holds onto the cliff face. The man in black reaches the top, and Inigo challenges him to a duel. Inigo explains he is looking for revenge against a six-fingered man who killed his father, Domingo Montoya. They have a highly skilled sword fight, and the man in black wins but lets Inigo live out of respect. The man in black keeps going. Vizzini tells Fezzik to stop him, but Fezzik, who likes fair fights, challenges the man to a wrestling match. The man outsmarts Fezzik and chokes him until he passes out. The man then faces Vizzini, who has blindfolded Buttercup, and suggests a Battle of Wits using two goblets and the deadly iocane powder. After a bunch of tricks and long speeches about being smart and deceiving others, Vizzini tricks the man into drinking the poisoned wine. But both cups had poison in them, so Vizzini dies in surprise. The man in black says he built up a resistance to the poison, which is supposed to kill anyone.
Buttercup's Baby
In later printings, particularly the 25th anniversary edition, an epilogue mentions a sequel called Buttercup's Baby, which was supposedly stalled by legal battles with the estate of S. Morgenstern. Those same editions include a sample chapter from that unfinished book. The chapter is a scattered collection of scenes: the four main characters flee to One Tree Island, and later Waverly, the daughter of Westley and Buttercup, is kidnapped by a madman whose face lacks skin. He eventually hurls her off a mountainside. Fezzik, who was watching her, jumps after her, cradling her to shield her from the fall, which will almost certainly kill him. There is also a flashback to Inigo’s swordsmanship training and a past romantic interest. The chapter’s footnotes continue Goldman’s running commentary, including his outrage that the protective Morgenstern estate allowed an abridgment of Buttercup's Baby—but not by Goldman; it was done by Stephen King. Those footnotes describe Goldman’s visit to the fictional country of Florin, where a museum dedicated to the “real” story displays artifacts like Inigo’s six-fingered sword. The 30th anniversary edition offered hints about the sequel’s plot and a promise that the full version would be ready by the 50th anniversary edition in 2023. In a January 2007 interview, Goldman said he was struggling to come up with ideas. He died in 2018, never finishing the sequel.
Adaptations
In 1982, British producer Milton Subotsky approached Ray Harryhausen with a script he had written based on the novel. Harryhausen enjoyed the book but felt the screenplay had significant issues. The two tried to develop a new script together, but eventually abandoned the effort. The novel was later turned into a 1987 film directed by Rob Reiner, with a screenplay written by Goldman himself. Goldman also teamed up with Adam Guettel to create a musical version, with Goldman writing the book and Guettel composing the music. The collaboration ended when Goldman insisted on receiving 75% of the author's royalties, despite Guettel handling both music and lyrics. Guettel’s score was nearly finished, but aside from an orchestral suite performed at the Hollywood Bowl in 2006, it is unlikely to be heard. In November 2013, Disney Theatrical announced plans to stage a new musical adaptation based on the novel and the film screenplay. In 2008, Toy Vault, Inc. announced a Princess Bride card game scheduled for release in the second quarter of that year, as well as a board game—the second such game for the movie, following a simple board game included with some VHS releases. Also in 2008, Worldwide Biggies released a computer game called The Princess Bride Game, with voice work from several film actors, including Mandy Patinkin as Inigo Montoya, Wallace Shawn as Vizzini, and Robin Wright as Buttercup. Sierra Online parodied the novel’s title in their computer game King’s Quest VII: The Princeless Bride. In 2014, Game Salute acquired the tabletop game adaptation rights for The Princess Bride, releasing a series of board and card games later that year. In 2019, Toy Vault produced a role-playing game written by Steffan O’Sullivan. On September 13, 2020, the surviving original cast members took part in a live script reading that served as a fundraiser for the Wisconsin Democratic Party. In 2021, BBC Radio 4 broadcast a two-part radio adaptation by Stephen Keyworth, titled “The Best Bits of the Good Parts Version,” with the first part airing on Christmas Day 2021 and the second on New Year’s Day 2022. During the week of December 26, 2021, five mini-episodes called “Bitesize Backstories” were also aired, covering the backstories of the book itself and four main characters, described as stories that could be enjoyed on their own or as enhancements to the drama.
More in Romantic Fantasy Novels
Spotted an error? Know more?
Reader corrections go straight into our review queue. Suggest an edit · How this site is sourced