The Light Princess

MacDonald, George, 1824-1905Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.9

Word count: 82K words
Chapters: 9

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.The Light Princess by George MacDonaldAuthor: MacDonald, George, 1824-1905,Language: English, Class: PZ: Language and Literatures: Juvenile belles lettres, Release Date: Oct 1, 1996

Editor's review

The Light Princess is a classic fairy tale by George MacDonald. It tells of a princess cursed to lose her weight and how she regains her "gravity" through love and sacrifice. The work uses light-footed imagination to carry metaphors about growth, responsibility, and true love; the language is humorous, the puns are ingenious, and it has both the brightness of a fairy tale and deeper meanings for adults to read closely. MacDonald was an important Victorian fairy-tale writer, and his work has inspired later fantasy literature. This is a free Project Gutenberg English ebook; it is short and suitable as introductory material for reading English fairy tales, as well as for parent-child reading or bedtime reading aloud. While reading, note how the puns on "light" and "heavy" run through the plot, and how the princess's change of character relates to the lifting of the curse.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers who like classic fairy tales and light fantasy stories
Parents or teachers looking for English fairy tales for children
Learners who need short English reading material for practice
Readers interested in MacDonald's fairy tales and the origins of fantasy literature

Not a good fit for

Readers who prefer long, complex plots and adult-oriented fantasy
Readers who cannot read English at all and are unwilling to use a dictionary
Young readers who expect the pace and illustrations of modern children's literature

Reading tips

Read through once to feel the story's rhythm, then a second time to notice the puns on "light" and "heavy."
For parent-child reading, read aloud in sections and ask the child to retell the princess's changes afterward.
English learners can note three to five unfamiliar words per chapter and memorize them in context.
After finishing, compare it with other classic fairy tales and discuss common patterns of curses and their lifting.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

What age is this book suitable for?

As an English fairy tale, its language is of moderate difficulty and the story is not long. For parent-child reading, upper primary school and above is more suitable; for children reading English independently, a basic vocabulary is recommended. The content itself is gentle, but some puns and humor need a little explanation from adults.

Is this the complete story or an excerpt?

This edition is the Project Gutenberg English ebook of The Light Princess; it is the complete fairy tale text, not an excerpt. For specific formatting and appendices, refer to the actual content of the electronic edition; check the table of contents or opening note before reading.

Why does the princess lose her weight?

In the story the princess loses her weight because of a curse; this premise is both a fantasy plot device and a metaphor. While reading, pay attention to how "lightness" affects her actions and feelings, and how she later regains her weight; for specific plot details, refer to the original text and do not replace the story itself with allegory too early.

Comments

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About the author

MacDonald, George, 1824-1905 Author

George MacDonald (1824–1905) was a Scottish author known for his fairy tales, fantasy novels and religious sermons. This library holds 68 of his works, including The Princess and the Goblin, The Princess and Curdie, At the Back of the North Wind, Phantastes: A Faerie Romance for Men and Women, Sir Gibbie and the three series of Unspoken Sermons. His fairy tales often centre on children, weaving adventure with questions of morality and faith in plain, imaginative prose, while his fantasy works are regarded as forerunners of modern fantasy literature and have influenced later writers of the genre. Public information is limited, so no biographical details are speculated here; his works alone show him to be skilled in both storytelling and spiritual reflection, writing for children and adults alike.