The Princess Bride was originally published in the 1970s. Does it reflect the trends of this time
period, or does the original publication date seem surprising? What is its place in American
literary history? How is the book also timeless?
Due Friday at 4pm.
Ryan Hannigan
ReplyDeletePeriod 3
In the 1970s, storytelling was essentially revived by American authors such as Erich Segal and William Goldman. Many would regard this time period as the “Pivot of change” for the reasons of a postwar economic boom. However, it must be noted there was a massive fluctuation in literary arts, as well. With this change came the increase of the following genres: fiction, satire, and horror–through authors critically acclaimed like Stephen King. The Princess Bride by William Goldman is a book littered with satire, fiction, and amusement for the reader to be captured within the book. For example, Inigo Montoya spends his entire life training to kill Count Rugen, the man who murdered his father. He succeeds in killing the count, however, he later realizes he does not know how to live a life that does not revolve around revenge. Incidentally, the word "Revenge" is the name of the Dread Pirate Roberts's ship, which Westley graciously offers Inigo to take over for him, in preparation for his undoubted retirement with Buttercup. With that stated, it is clear the Princess Bride by William Goldman perfectly encompasses the trends of the 1970s.
The Princess Bride by William Goldman was known as a book which intertwined writing elements such as comedy, romance, and fairytale through articulate uses of satire. It could be said and reinforced by a handful of authors, the book Princess Bride by William Goldman was one of the most influential and concrete cases of satire. This book was able to create and form satire into literature which follows a fractured fairytale storyline. That alone was so unique in America during its publishing time of the 1970s, it cannot go unrecognized. Although many other authors were making groundbreaking literary performances through rivaling genres such as horror and science fiction, Goldman was the first to truly bloom satire through comedy and fractured fairytale plots. With that said, it is obvious the book Princess Bride by William Goldman was largely influential for the use of satire and must be clearly distinguishable among American literature.
It cannot be said all books are timeless, however, the few literary anomalies that achieve that label through consistent popularity can be considered “Timeless”. The book Princess Bride written by American author William Goldman has been noted to be the basis of satire in literature. It follows a creative fractured fairytale storyline which is able to consume the reader, and unknowingly attach satire to the majority of each and every scene produced in the book. For a book to be truly timeless, it must meet the standards of a never-dying plot, original characters, and meaningful beginning and end. From these three key points, a timeless book can be formed. It cannot be mistaken, however, there must also be pure craftsmanship throughout the writing of the book, and unparalleled originality. Goldman is able to hit every single one of these points straight on the head, substantially meeting the requirements for a “timeless” book. With that said, the book Princess Bride written by William Goldman is a timeless book for the reasons of originality, satirical plot, and unmatched craftsmanship.
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ReplyDeleteCORMAC GORMAN P.3
ReplyDeleteThere were tons of things going on throughout the 70’s, such as, the beatles breaking up, the invasion of Cambodia, multiple anti-war protests occuring. The 70’s were a time where the people wanted peace, but war was happening all around the world. I find the original publication date of The Princess Bride to not be surprising because it gives off unrealistic fairy tale vibes, and I believe William Goldman did this in order to distract people from the gruesome war happening just over the pacific ocean in Vietnam and give them an alternate world to be apart of. This is very similar to what the majority of the United States population was doing at the time. They were listening to disco while wearing tie dye shirts and blasting led zeppelin from their radios, all in effort to try and create a peaceful world away from the war. The Princess Bride really does reflect the trends of the of that time period.
Although The Princess Bride was very well written and had meaningful hidden messages, it does not belong in the top category of American literary history alongside Huckleberry Finn, To Kill a Mockingbird or Native Son. I say this because those books have direct meaning to American history and our people. But The Princess Bride is a satirical fairy tale that has no true meaning or history, and although it did connect to the mindset of people in the 70’s, it never really went deep enough to be able to create its own message about American history. Therefore, The Princess Bride should be recognized as a very well written book of its time. But it should not be viewed as one of the best literary pieces of American history, because it does not compare to the literary pieces that ARE major literary pieces in American history.
This book is timeless because people are always looking for a way out of reality and a place to escape to. Weather it’s a book, or virtual reality, or a movie, people always have and always will look for alternate realities. The Princess Bride is a story where nothing is real, but it all seems as if it could have been real at some point in time, it does a great job of opening people imaginations and adding fun scenarios to the story, such as, climbing the rope at the cliffs of insanity or the shark infested waters or the zoo of death. All of those things are fun and enjoyable parts of this story that will always grab the reader's attention. So whenever someone is looking for an enjoyable and fun read, they will stumble across The Princess Bride and that is what will makes this book timeless.
Parker Smith
ReplyDeleteI believe that the 70s show up in the book by the way people act. I don’t think it entirely reflects this time because I can’t see much of The time period in this. I think The humor is very much in the time period though.
I believe that this movie set up a large genre of satire movies that make fun of the basic types of stories that they are. Shrek, as an example, is perfect because it is a super popular movie that uses The Princess Bride as an inspiration.
I think the book is timeless because of its comedy. It’s something that everyone can laugh at because it makes fun of the original hero story that everyone knows.
Zach Boone P3
ReplyDeleteThe Book Princess Bride was written in a time before modern day animation became a thing. The book makes sense to fit in during the 1970 time period due to the way the people dressed and talked it was very popular to have long hair in the 70s which is shown because almost all characters have long hair. Another reason that it fits in is during this time is how they portray women. The time period before women were seen as equals to men. Princess buttercup is a good depiction of how women were seen. They were not allowed to do things alone instead they had men to do it for them. Which the farm boy does over and over again.
The Book fits in very nicely in American literature because the it portrays the way people wanted to travel to America as the man in black did. He was suspected to have been killed by a dreaded pirate however instead he was freed and learned many things on his trip to America like fencing and lots of strength and even increased his smarts. Other than that Goldman seemingly created a unique novel that at that time was not an ordinary way of looking at writing. His philosophy was to create a version without all the boring stuff.
It has aspects really anyone would love. The Book has a love story and also a tragic thirst for revenge which leaves the reader hunched over waiting for Inigo to kill the Six fingered mystery man Count Rugen. The point is that every man women and their neighbor loves a good revenge story. Good vs bad as long as the guy who is presented as the good guy wins. Also not to go unnoticed the amount of humor the book brings in the form of satire really lightens the spirits of the reader and leaving a unique view on fairy tales.
The release date of The Princess Bride is not surprising as it falls directly under the timeline of the Vietnam War, along with the protests that came with it. This was a time in the United States’ history where massive reforms were being made in favor of individual rights and at the detriment of governmental control. It makes sense that a commentary of satire against the “traditional” fairy tale would do well in the United States at the time. It reflects the critique that a large number of Americans were making against the normal american life and the government.
ReplyDeleteThe Princess Bride has its place in literary history as a novel that redefined satire for storytellers and writers. Not many popular books at the time had thought of breaking the fourth wall and directly talking to the reader, much less creating a false novel within a novel. This influence can be seen in later literary works such as Life of Pi. He also successfully subverted expectations by taking everything to an extreme. In most stories the protagonists must overcome difficulties, but the difficulties our “heroes” face are near impossible. The cliffs of insanity, coming back from “mostly dead”, storming a castle guarded by a hundred men, all of these are near impossible for any normal men.
This book is timeless because it is a direct symbolism of american counterculture, which can always be found. Instead of directly making fun of the vietnam war, watergate, and other corrupt political organizations in the U.S., William Goldman constructed a parallel satirical story. Because of this we can draw parallels to any period in U.S. history. If you wanted you can compare it to the modern era of government surveillance under the Patriot Act, a corrupt tax system, and politicians who can’t seem to get anything done without inserting their personal agenda. This book serves as a constant reminder that every government, every society, and every culture can and should be critiqued. At very least, always find a way to laugh at the ridiculousness of even the most serious of topics.
-Brett Siebert
Jaxon Chapman
ReplyDeletePeriod 3
I’m surprised by the original date of publication by how it coincides with modern humor and satire, but when analysing the time period it was published, the topics Goldman decided to satirically make fun do not surprise me. The 70s were full of dramatic fashion trends and icons and women's rights movements. Goldman chose to satirically rank woman by their beauty as if that was the only thing that defined them and our main female character’s only goal was to marry the perfect man. Goldman identified themes in his modern decade and gave them to characters in his novel. For example: The countess was a fashion icon and the princess of Guilder wore extravagant hats as a outlandish fashion trend.
The Princess Bride was published in the same year as Nixon’s watergate scandal. This marks a time where Americans didn’t feel trusting of their leader. Goldman’s book shows this theme of counter intentions and misguided rulers. Goldman was able to touch on serious issues but also deliver them in a way that says it's not a big deal. The Princess Bride will always have a place in history as one of the best satirical novels but also as a lighthearted easy read. You can denote those profound themes in the book if you choose to but you can also just take in the humor and comedy and enjoy a simple read. This is a attribute that not many books are able to execute.
The Princess Bride is timeless do to the fact that it can be funny for anybody. It pokes fun at the classic fairy tale story that will always be relevant to every generation. In modern time, we still know the story of Cinderella and we have “new” hero’s journeys such as Frozen and Moana. Goldman’s satirical fairy tale is able to reach across generations with modern themes that were written nearly 50 years ago. His story is relevant because it is rewritten over and over again but in a serious tone. That is why it will always be funny.
Maguire Stulz
ReplyDeletePer 3
The book Princess Bride was written in 1970s, and the book resembles what was going on in this time period. In the 1970s was when people began to question what was normal and the problems with this. We began to discover how we were destroying the planet and a lot of advancements were being made and I feel like this book makes fun of what we think of the advancements that happened in the past. This was also not so far after WWII and close to the cold war, and the book removed the area of land that most of the war took place in and replaced it with the Florin and Guilder. This book tries to make the war that might happen to be in the same spot as were WWII took place and were the Americans and Russians were trying to control in the cold war. This also show the evil intentions to gain the respect of the people for their own wants/gains. Humperdinck tries to use the murder of his wife that he tries to commit to have the people demand war against the rival civilization, so that they do not disagree when he declares war on them for one bald women that his citizens might not even know about.
This is a big part of American literary history, mainly because it is one of the first stories that make fun of what the typical norm of fairy tales and makes fun of the illogic in them. He used this to point out all of the things that we overlook when we are a child and don’t know any better. This book is the start of making satire from stories that we grew up with and is one of the first forms of satire as a whole. It is important because satire is important to show the illogic and the problems with some of the solutions that people create. It is a good example on what we can make fun of and even makes fun of itself in the book with the notes that the author put in to make it seem like he wasn’t the one who wrote the book. This book is THE satire book that when you think about satire this is probably the first book that you think of. This book has spawned others that try to copy this one, but they are either too short or don’t make a whole lot of sense. This book is the first of its kind and is also very unique.
This book is timeless as long as fairy tales are, because this book is a obvious satire on the fairy tales that we all know from our childhood it will always be relevant. Fairy tales do change, but they always keep the same theme. Their is the same story portrayed with different character and this book makes fun of that, and maneges to make the story complex in the process. The Princess Bride will be timeless because the satire is good humor that mostly ever person enjoys, so this type of book will last as long as what it’s satire on lasts. The Princess Bride is a well written, timeless piece of satire that will be enjoyed for a very long time. Like I said before this book is unique and doesn’t have a whole lot of competition in its genre, people have tried to copy this book, but the copies are too short and/or confusing and hard to follow. This book is well written in the way that it explains what is going on in the book in slices that the author places in the book for humor.
Jackson Smith
ReplyDeleteThe 70’s was a new age for fiction as it brought the return of old storytelling. After a couple of decades filled with cook books, historical novels, and religious writings the 70’s were a time of irreverence and satire as well as continuing the rise of the classic horror novel that had begun in the 60’s. While I wouldn't say that the princess bride screams 70’s literature it definitely fits the themes of the time with the rise of comedy and satire. I think that part of the problem for me is that do to the fact that I was first introduced to the movie which feels pretty 80’s in my opinion, that's what I picture and think of as the princess bride.
The princess bride is an american classic that combines elements of comedy, romance, adventure and so much more all packaged together with copious amounts of satire. It’s one of the best examples of a fractured fairy tale and could probably claim responsibility for helping to create a creative climate that produced things like shrek. The book is well known and the movie is an absolute classic, they both seem to reflect the time period which they come from and still remain timeless and accessible to all generations.
Even though the princess bride reflects the trends from the time period in which it was created it still remains timeless. I think that a large reason for this is that it's not a product of the time but instead helped to shape the literary themes that permeated through the decade. Although it does make some commentary throughout the book it's nothing that is specific to the time and thus everyone from any generation can relate to it. Satire is something that everyone can relate to that is why snl and things of this sort are so popular, and I would say that the princess bride is the gold standard for satire. Even aside from the satirical nature of the book it's an extremely original and well written fractured fairy tale that manages to grip the reader. For all of these reasons I believe the princess bride to be timeless and would even label it as a modern classic.
In the Princess Bride, the author uses satire to hint at the controversy of the Vietnam War in the 70’s, when the book was made. You can see this coming through in the book when Prince Humperdink perpetually tries to frame Guilder for kidnapping Princess Buttercup and eventually killing her in order to start a war between the two countries. This could be in reference to President Nixon’s choice to invade Cambodia, which inevitably caused more tension in the war. People criticized Nixon in the 70’s for continuing to participate in the Vietnam War, just as readers might criticize Prince Humperdink for planning to start a war between Florine and Guilder.
ReplyDeleteThe Princess Bride is well related to American literary history because of its subtle relation to important events taking place at the time of its creation. Nathaniel Rich from the Daily Beast argues that, “It is possible that a suspicious reader might discern certain Nixonian qualities in Humperdink…” Anyone with any knowledge of history and President Nixon’s role in the Vietnam War could, in fact easily put two in two together to uncover Goldman’s not-so-subtle relation between Humperdink and Nixon. Having this background knowledge on the Princess Bride adds a sense of political satire to the book as Goldman makes subtle jabs at Prince Humperdink throughout the story.
The Princess Bride, like many other great works of literature, is a timeless piece. While it is set in a medieval time period and there are frequent and subtle references to the 70’s, the era in which the book was made, most people don’t even have to understand such references to enjoy the book. Most of the satire William Goldman uses in the Princess Bride is funny simply because it makes no sense or pokes fun at the characters. For example, when Goldman implies that glue was invented before Europe, as he states early on in the book that his story takes place before Europe, but later the Count uses glue to make his machine. Or, more simply, Buttercup’s below average intelligence, which is portrayed frequently throughout the story. Anyone in any time period could read this and understand the satire and follow along with the plot, which makes it so timeless.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteJared Picker Period 3
ReplyDeleteThe Princess Bride, a classic fairytale with a satire twist released in the 1970’s. A story that seems perfectly in line with the literary culture then and now. Throughout the 70’s love stories were trending such as Eric Segal’s Love Story. There was also a large surge in readership of the genre fiction and what it had to offer. Some bigger genres then also consisted of satire and irreverence as well as horror. The conclusion I originally drew was that this book could have been from the early 2000’s before realizing its publication date lived in the 70’s which brings me to my next point.
This book will remain timeless regardless of the time it is being read in. The book will stay relevant for a variety of reasons such as the category of staire it falls under. Satire is a popular genre and I believe it will stay relevant regardless of the time because it is a funny and relatable way to look at humor. Not only this but it shows a new stance on literature for the time and how it has been so successful and stayed relevant over the years which generations will continue to read. Not only was other authors the focal point of this time but so was the cold war and Post Vietnam when literature had the power. As portrayed by an article in the New York Times in August 1972, “Literature holds the power to influence the public. Both through media and news outlets as well as influence a movement through author articulation.” which couldn’t be more agreed with due to the front it presented itself with and how with the right words you can begin a movement. The 1970’s was definitely a time where words where power and that’s what William Goldman did with the princess bride.
Finally, this book and the author was walking among titans during its place in literary history. Around when this book came out, Stephen King began to rise for his various books which was of course a fair competition for an author of this caliber when writing a book such as the princess bride. As well as that, this genre of fairytale was more exclusive to the disney franchise and it was difficult for other concepts to pick up steam until the Princess Bride because fairytales were under Disney and their success. All in all this book was quality, I was able to thoroughly enjoy it and so will future generations at it stays relevant around 50 years after publication.
Caleb Costigan
ReplyDeleteDoes it reflect the trends of this time
period, or does the original publication date seem surprising?
The book’s publication date seems very surprising, due to the humor and satire shown throughout the story. The satirical look upon fairy tales themselves that the novel presents, however, is not too surprising when compared to the date that it was published. But how the story is worded just all seems very modern, so most would never guess that it was written over forty years ago just by reading it today.
What is its place in American
literary history?
The Princess Bride serves as a huge step in American literary history due purely to it’s satirical look on fairy tales. The theme of fairy tales that we all know and love was completely flipped on its head, and gave readers a good laugh when they really needed it. This new theme inspired many books and even movies later to come, a great example being Shrek, one of the most well known and appreciated movies out there.
How is the book also timeless?
The book is timeless because it falls perfectly into mold of every fairy tale that everyone has grown up with and always loved. People are comfortable with and enjoy fairy tales, The Princess Bride being a good example, due to their sense of adventure, magic, romance, and their happy endings. But this fairy tale has a twist: the “bad guys” aren’t as bad as they first seem, and actually help the hero later in the story. People love this, and always will. Since they are so delighted by this theme, The Princess Bride will always be known and loved.
The Princess Bride is a very different book from your average young adult novel. Even though it was published in the 1970’s, the actual Princess Bride was published long before that, and Goldman decided to take his own twist to the book and interject every now and then. Knowing that this novel was based on a fairy tale, it would make sense for it to not take place in the century that it was published in. It has ways to reflect the trends of the time it was published in by the humour the author used, and they way he reflected on it in first person. The way that most of the obstacles in the novel were near impossible to overcome as a normal human such as “mostly dying” could be showing in this particular time period that even when things seem at their worst, life will work out.
ReplyDeleteOld-fashioned love stories had a boom in the 1970’s and The Princess Bride was a very appropriate novel for that time. This novel takes its place well in American literary history by introducing a new style of writing and reading to the audience. The way in which Goldman made a novel inside of a novel by putting his own life in there, using satire, and talking directly to the reader is a very different approach than many novels will have. Creating this dissonance between his thoughts and the original story he wrote adds a new layer to the understanding and entertainment of the story.
The book is timeless for three main reasons. First off, every century will have love and trials against love and that is exactly what this book is based off of. Following that, since fairytales aren’t real, they can be read in any time period and still have sense and emotion to it. Since The Princess Bride is analyzed on by the author, it can make a creative twist to how interesting the novel itself is and be taken up by other authors and inspire them to get outside of the box while they are writing. Having new ideas to create twists on novels don’t come very often and this book is showing how much more interesting it can be to read these stories if you just add something special. Knowing this is definitely timeless because it can make people still write and read books throughout our lifetime.
Marcella House
Malina Trosclair, P3
ReplyDeleteThe Princess Bride greatly reflects the 70s in minor details and, one I found to be, a very big one. Minor details of characters like Inigo having long hair and being pencil-thin reflected the musical industries looks (Beatles, Led Zeppelin, etc.). Buttercup being dumber than a bag of rocks and relying on Westley for every small thing, unable to do anything on her own, showed an exaggerated view of women during the time, as women were seen as not independent and very fragile during the time. Cultural trends in the book aside, a big connection to the 70s was how wrong everything was going. With the Vietnam conflicts, the Watergate Scandal, and even ‘small’ things like the Beatles breaking up, the world needed a good story for once. A story they could rely on to have a happy ending, and give them something to feel good about while the world seemingly fell apart. The Princess Bride provided that safe story at the time, while also being original and time changing with a satirical twist on our commonly known fairytale. The Princess Bride allowed readers to go on an interesting, fun, safe, and predictable yet unpredictable adventure during a time when the world didn’t feel as safe as once thought to be.
Jeff-Rindskopf. “The Greatest Bands and Musicians of the 1970s.” The Cheat Sheet, The Cheat Sheet, 29 Nov. 2017, www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/8-of-the-greatest-bands-and-musicians-of-the-1970s.html/.
World Events from 1970 to Today, livinghistoryfarm.org/farminginthe70s/worldevents_01.html.
Arguably, some world changing literature came out during the 1970s. The Shining, One Hundred Years of Solitude, Roots, Helter Skelter, The Bluest Eye, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, and many others. Most titles that we are all familiar with. Some opened our eyes to events happening in the world, such as bringing awareness of Latin culture and suffering (One Hundred Years of Solitude) or breaking racial barriers and blocks through the telling of a slave’s story (Roots). Some changed how we saw entertainment, namely with The Shining opening up the major avenue of horror for American viewers doing things nobody thought to do before. The Princess Bride, also published during this ‘Renaissance of book writing’, changed how people saw a classic story. The satirical rendition of a classic fairytale was groundbreaking during the time and like The Shining changed entertainment forever.
Emily Temple. “A Century of Reading: The 10 Books That Defined the 1970s.” Literary Hub, 5 Nov. 2018, lithub.com/a-century-of-reading-the-10-books-that-defined-the-1970s/.
Palmer, Brent Clark, et al. “10 Novels Written in the 1970s We Love Even More Today.” WhizzPast, 21 Mar. 2015, www.whizzpast.com/10-novels-written-in-the-1970s-we-love-even-more-today/.
A rough definition of timeless is something that withstands the change of time. That no matter what changes society and culture goes through, the thing that is said to be timeless will never be forgotten or changed. The Princess Bride is said to be timeless, and for good reason. In the context of the book being written itself, Goldman explains his rewriting of the book is so his son can read it and have it change his life the same way it changed his when his father read it to him. His father read it to him while he was sick because his father had read it to him. In the book itself, the story is passed from generation to generation (even though Goldman’s son isn’t a huge fan of the book). In our world the story is timeless as well. Anytime someone says ‘princess bride’ you might get confused looks. But once you say the famous lines “My name is Inigo Montoya, you killed my father, prepare to die” people’s faces light up with realization because everyone knows that famous phrase, even if they don’t know its origins.
“TIMELESS | Definition in the Cambridge English Dictionary.” TIMELESS | Definition in the Cambridge English Dictionary, dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/timeless.
“Timeless.” Merriam-Webster, Merriam-Webster, www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/timeless.
The, 1970s was the decade where the Beatles broke up. The top artists were Led Zeppelin, The Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd, and Queen. Bell bottoms and tie dye were “far out” fashion statements. The most popular choice of transportation was a Ford mustang, not a horse. The Princess Bride clearly does not reflect on any of these trends at all. Automobiles weren’t even invented until the year of 1885. (loc.gov) The original publication date is very surprising since there are so many differences between the date and how the book is depicted. Especially, with the books old-fashioned, renaissance feel. It was clear that the author did not want the book to take after the decade it was published.
ReplyDeleteAll the aspects of the book including weapons, outfits, and the overall kingdom setting make it clear that the era this story took place in was much earlier in time. Perhaps it took place around the time of the late renaissance. Which would have taken place in the 15th century. In the book it’s explained how the marriage of Humperdinck and Buttercup would not be based upon love. The Prince does not care who his bride is as long as she’s beautiful. His primary concern is carrying on the royalty line due to his father dying. Which is how marriage was during the renaissance times. It was not at all based on love, like it is in today’s society. But it is based upon carrying on the families royalty. Also, the use figurative language such as “Do I love you? My God, if your love were a grain of sand, mine would be a universe of beaches.” just show how pure the intentions and love were between Westley and Buttercup.
This book is the perfect representation of a fairytale, with a twist. It truly shows the measures that people will take for love, and the consequences they would go through. The characters are very likeable and funny which makes it very enjoyable. Except for, of course the characters with evil intentions. The story takes place in the fictional country of Florin. "The Land of Florin was set between where Sweden and Germany would eventually settle.” Which made an amazing setting for us to envision while reading. There are so many plot twists involved within all of the crazy adventures. The overall plot including the third person introduction as the narrator and the commentary throughout the book really made the book. This fairytale is timeless and has already been published and loved for decades. It is a simple love story filled with romance, comedy, and sword fights. It appeals to a wide audience. There are many life lessons in the story that are also timeless, such as the idea that nothing can get in the way of true love, not even death.
ReplyDeleteJaylee Gouger
In the 1970s, elements and themes of literature were fluctuating greatly. There was a rise of horror and supernatural fiction with popular authors such as Stephen King, as well as young adult literature addressing abortion and homosexuality, sparked by the social movements of the time. The focus on culture and serious themes in young adults in the 1960s paved the way for authors to write more about teen issues in the 1970s. The Princess bride however, is unique upon itself, in that it’s a fractured fairy tail that still follows the rules of a fairytale, that challenges the boundaries of it through William Goldman’s use of satire.
Part of what makes The Princess Bride so unique is that it does not fit into just one theme in American literary history. It follows the ways of a fairy tail throughout themes of true love and obvious bad guys and good guys, but the way William Goldman tells the story, interjecting his thoughts and humor, fractures it and creates a unique setting. Readers are invested fully in the characters, but the use of satire adds intense humor, but the story is kept serious at the same time. Because of the unique nature of the princess bride, it does not simply fit into one theme in literature.
The Princess Bride is a timeless piece because of its endless morals and ability to appeal to all audiences. Fairy-tales are often not appealing to both children and adults, male and female audiences. The Princess Bride manages to satisfy every reader. There are so many different morals to the story, every reader has something to take away from it: whether it be the idea of true love, faith in the people you love shown by Buttercups inherent trust of Wesley coming for her, or to never trust someone with six fingers on one hand. Ultimately The Princess Bride will always be a classic that has has something for everyone to enjoy.
The New York Times, The New York Times, archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/books/97/09/21/reviews/oates-70s.html.
“How ‘Young Adult’ Fiction Blossomed With Teenage Culture in America.” Smithsonian.com, Smithsonian Institution, 7 May 2018, www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/how-young-adult-fiction-blossomed-with-teenage-culture-in-america-180968967/.
“'The Princess Bride': 30 Fairy Tale Morals We Learned.” EW.com, ew.com/movies/2017/09/25/princess-bride-fairy-tale-morals/.
The author of The Princess Bride, William Goldman, uses satire in his book to hint at the women's rights movement that took place in the 1970’s, when Goldman wrote his book. Throughout the novel, Goldman makes snide comments about his ex wife, makes the main female character Buttercup pretty dumb, and Miracle Max’s wife naggy and annoying. Goldman’s use of satire is used to make fun of the women's rights movement a little bit by adding these demeaning qualities to his female characters without overdoing it to the point where he might genuinely upset some female readers.
ReplyDeleteThroughout American literary history, it is easy to spot a common theme with some of the most popular book. That theme being romance, which is where The Princess Bride finds its place in American literature. Although romance novels seem to have become more popular in recent times with books such as Twilight and If I Stay, romance has always been an intriguing genre for most people. The Princess Bride fits into that category, but is more unique as it doesn’t quite follow all the same guidelines that most romance novels do. With his use of satire, Goldman uses The Princess Bride to make fun of traditional romance novels, while still adding enough romance keep the reader interested.
The romance aspect of The Princess Bride is also what makes it so timeless. Love and romance has been a thing since the beginning of time and Goldman’s more satirical version of a love story is no exception to the timelessness of the genre. Without keeping the love story too serious, Buttercup’s and Westley’s love is endearing and passionate, but also a little dramatic to mock the romance genre, which makes it enjoyable interesting through the years. People’s interest in love and humor will prevent the relevance of The Princess Bride from dying, even as the book and movie continue to grow older. Reid S.
Kaley Rhodus
ReplyDeleteWilliam Goldman published the Princess Bride in 1973, during that time the Vietnam War was still on going. Society used satire to expose and criticize politics and current events. In the1970s protesting and using satire was a way for people to express their words among communities. Goldman could have made the Princess Bride a far less enjoyable book by taking away what some characters have. For example; Inigo Montoya, a brilliant swordsman, spends 20 years to learn to avenge his father. After he avenges his father he doesn’t know what to do with his life anymore. Goldman perfected these characters because they have satirical tendencies. The time of which this book was published it is majorly influenced by the trend of 1970 literacy.
The Princess Bride is a tale of adventure, comedy, and a classic love story. Throughout the book Goldman uses humor, exaggeration, irony, and ridicule which makes the text of the book flow well. The book is not taught enough in American Literature because it is not seen as a historical piece of literature like The Great Gatsby, and To Kill a Mockingbird. These books share the details of the time periods they were based on unlike the Princess Bride. The Princess Bride does not tell the readers about the time it was made but it uses techniques that were very common in the time it was made. The Princess Bride should be viewed as a great piece of American Literature because it can teach readers satire in an enjoyable way.
This Princess Bride is timeless because it doesn’t share the standards of society of when it was published. The characters in the book have great depth to them, which will give the reader more to enjoy. This book was thought out very well and can show people more to what text they are reading. This fictional novel can devour the minds of many readers because of the adventure, love, and comedy Goldman tells. The Princess Bride is not an average fairytale, and that is what makes the plot so intriguing to the audience. This book can be read generations from now and it will still be a great story because of the way Goldman had constructed the book from the original tale of Love and High Adventure.
https://www.loc.gov/exhibits/hope-for-america/cartoons-and-satire.html
The original publication date seems surprising to me. I would have never known that it was written in 1970. There aren't any major trends in the book that give away the time frame in which it was made. The characters don’t act any different if they were to be in 2019. However the book does reflect the trends of time because the U.S. President Richard Nixon ordered an invasion of Cambodia, prolonging the war (Ganzel 1). Americans wanted peace and positivity after dealing with the suffering of the Vietnam war. The princess Bride was able to bring some peace and positivity by creating a story that follows exactly what the classic characters types are supposed to do. This classic cliche story brought joy to millions and is why it is the classic it is today.
ReplyDeleteWith authors like Stephen King, and Judy Blume, this 70s era has had its share of successful books. William Goldman has reached that level of success by writing a book that everyone can find something they like in. The Princess Bride has its place in literature as being one of the best books of all time. It is 17th best teen read ever according to NPR (Doll 1). The Princess Bride will go down as one of the best books in American literature because of a few reasons, it’s easy to read, it has multiple genres, and all the characters follow their classic fairytale role.
This book is timeless because William Goldman wrote this for all ages. The Princess Bride has everything from satire to romance and comedy. What more is there to possibly want? This book follows exactly what we the reader would want from a classic fairytale story, for example, the antagonists are easily hatable and fail through the holes of their character. The movie is excellent and the book is even better. The book goes into detail of all the characters and creates a very exciting back story and character development. We the readers can relate to the characters because they all make human mistakes. The characters just want one thing throughout the book whether it be true love or revenge every character has motivation to reach their goal. The book creates the character development by writing about each of the characters stories only making us want to read even more if they will succeed.
Doll, Jen. “How 'The Princess Bride' Became the Quintessential Teen Read.” The Atlantic, Atlantic Media Company, 30 Oct. 2013, www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2012/09/how-princess-bride-became-quintessential-teen-read/323098/.
Ganzel, Bill. “World Events- 1970 to Today.” World Events from 1970 to Today, livinghistoryfarm.org/farminginthe70s/worldevents_01.html.
Zach Arredondo
The Princess Bride is a satire of fairy tales many of us have grown up with. It reflects the time period we live in now because there are still queens, kings, princes and princesses. There is still capturing and killing of the richest people. There is fighting for true love. It reflects the original publication date because it is in a time before Europe existed. There were peasants working the land and nobles ruling and living in castles. The Dread Pirate Roberts, a ship of revenge would be a trend in the 70’s. The original publication date does not seem shocking, as back in the day it was common to have farm men and horses and wagons as the main way of transportation.
ReplyDeleteIn 1973, “the year of infamy,” the last American bombs were dropped on Cambodia, OPEC issued an oil embargo, the stock market crashed, and Woodward and Bernstein revealed that there was more to the Watergate break-in than had first appeared. (Rich 1) A moral of the story was during a year when the Watergate break-in proceeded to unwind, an American public started to learn how unfair life can be. In The Princess Bride, some of the “good ones” die, all in reason to show, life is not fair. “For Morgenstern,” writes Goldman, “the real narrative was not Buttercup and the remarkable things she endures, but, rather, the history of the monarchy and other such stuff.” It conveys through the royal training of a princess.
The Princess Bride is such a timeless work. It begins with the writing. “Fencing. Fighting. Torture. Revenge. Giants. Monsters. Chases. Escapes. True love. Miracles.” It’s a love story and classic fairytale with romance, sword fighting, and satire to attract all audiences. Even after a quarter century, the book fulfills trends of this time period and the 1970’s. Princess Buttercup, Westley, and their many friends and enemies have taught many wise life lessons. The morals that you watch and learn will forever occur in today's world.
Rich, Nathaniel. “American Dreams, 1973: The Princess Bride by William Goldman.” The Daily Beast, The Daily Beast Company, 28 Aug. 2013, www.thedailybeast.com/american-dreams-1973-the-princess-bride-by-william-goldman.
“The Princess Bride Still Timeless After A Quarter Century.” Philspicks, 15 Nov. 2012, philspicks.wordpress.com/2012/11/15/the-princess-bride-still-timeless-after-a-quarter-century/.
Kyle McEntee
ReplyDeleteI think it is not surprising the book The Princess Bride was written in the 70s considering the time period and its use of satire. During the 70s, America was involved in the Cold War and the Vietnam war creating a fearful, unenjoyable time for the our people. Then came along a fractured fairy tale that appeals to everyone through satirical humor that could brighten anyone's day. This book was written to keep our peoples heads held high during this pressing time im America.
I think The Princess Bride by William Goldman belongs with Huckleberry Finn, and To Kill a Mockingbird in literary history. This is because it takes themes such as comedy and romance, intertwines them with satire, and creates a fractured fairy tale for everyone to enjoy. There aren't very many love stories that are able to grab the attention of boys as well as girls. For this reason believe that this book is at up there in literary history.
When you think of a fairy tale you think of either a soft love story like Cinderella for girls or dark story like Bluebeard for boys. The Princess Bride is a timeless book because it creates a fractured fairy tale that combines comedy, romance, and other themes to create a book that appeals to both genders. With plenty of love and sword fights, William Goldman was able to create a book never before heard of. This is why I believe the book is timeless.
Princess Bride Blog
ReplyDeleteEmma Stenzel
In current time, many works of entertainment revolve around satire. The Princess Bride perfectly exemplifies the common era of entertainment. In the 1970s, literature revolved mostly around self-help books and children’s books. When anyone thinks 70’s literature, authors such as Judy Blume and M. Scott Peck instantly come to mind. However, the Princess Bride is unique in its ways because of its use of satire to change a story that’s well known to us all. This book was a benchmark in literacy. The Princess Bride changed how the world viewed fairytales. The only piece of satire that doesn’t quite fit into today’s society is the extensive mocking of Buttercup’s stupidity. With a revolution of women’s equal rights overlapping the time of publication of the Princess Bride, the book hinted at the fact that women are just plain stupid. Buttercup couldn't even pronounce the word syllable and named her horse, well Horse. The Princess Bride, not so secretly, put in their own opinion on women's rights. This would not have been tolerated in today’s society.
The Princess Bride’s overall story belongs back in the 17th century, but the satire and overall tone of this book belongs in the current time. Fairytales became popular in the late 17th century. The prince saves the princess from the villain, with the help of a fantastic sidekick, and they all live happily ever after. Blah blah blah... We all know the story. The overall story of the Princess Bride belongs back in the 17th century. Westley saved Buttercup from the Evil Humperdinck with the help of Inigo and Fezzik (the trusty sidekicks). Sounds like the generic fairytale from the surface. However, the way the Princess Bride was written is what brings this story into the current era. The use of satire transforms the book from the same old fairytale into a book that was a milestone of literature.
This book is timeless in every sense. The Princess Bride is yet another rendition of the classic fairytale we have all come to know and love. Over the course of four centuries, the story has been passed down generation by generation, and this will continue this way until the end of time. In this sense, the story of the Princess Bride will never die. Also, the Princess Bride will always be funny. The humor behind this book doesn’t appeal to just one group of people, this satire speaks to everyone. The story is always the same, the only difference is how the story is told. Princess Bride is not just a book of its time, it will be read for years to come.
The Princess Bride, written by William Goldman in 1973 is a satirical fairytale that is not only hilarious and entertaining, but also a reflection of the attitudes, themes, and ideas at the time. The seventies are often referred to as “The Me Decade” because people began to strive for a sense of individuality and uniqueness that was not observed in previous decades. The Hippie Movement promoted ideas of openmindedness and self expression, the hostile political climate at the time allowed people to create and follow their own agendas, and the rise of activism created a sense of justice and rebellion. The themes of the 1970s closely relate to the themes in The Princess Bride, as the story itself is written as a sort of mockery of the traditional, sterotypical fairytale. The Princess Bride uses characters like Buttercup to represent rebellion against authority, (her refusal to marry the prince) and characters such as Inigo and Fezzik to show a desire for individuality and a purpose. The Princess Bride, as well as specific characters within the story are all accurate representations of the general public attitude in the seventies.
ReplyDeleteThe Princess Bride is particularly unique when compared to other historical literary pieces, as it is a combination of a fairytale, a love story, an adventure, and a comedy. The story holds it’s place in American literature as a fantistic example of satire in storytelling. Not only is it enjoyable for all audiences, but seemed to build a foundation for satire within literature, which influenced the genre to expand. The Princess Bride is important to American literature, because it inspired and advocated for a unique genre that has influenced how we understand an interpret literature.
The Princess Bride can be considered a timeless story because of it’s ability to appeal to children, teens, and adults. It incorporates multiple aspects of story telling that keeps the audience intrigued. It is entertaining, romantic, funny, exciting, and includes fairytale elements that makes the story comfortable and enjoyable for everyone. The Princess Bride remains a timeless classic for it’s ability to please all types of audiences.
I believe love stories like this will always reflect the trends of the time periods because love stories have always and will always exist in one form or another. The Princess Bride is based off a satire of fairy tales which we've all grown up with in our childhoods watching. As in today's society, it still exists, we all still have some type of hope in finding true love and a guy fighting for his girl. However, the publication date doesn't seem so surprising because I feel like William Goldman is taking things he’s grown up and what he knows and created The Princess Bride and the setting into his own perspective on what happen back in the days.
ReplyDeleteThe Princess Bride by William Goldman was known as one of the greatest cult classic through a satire fairy tale with comedy and romance. During the 1970s era is when people were still fighting for rights competing against the watergate scandal. That being said, it reflects off how William Goldman expressed his book, meaning that life is full of reality and you have to fight for what you want in life even when it comes to true love. In the book/movie it is mainly based upon love, royalty, richness and path of travels, leading a young poor boy to fight for his girl from marrying another man. Although it’s what makes the story unique and fitting with its place in American history because it reflects off eras, events that people had to go through in life like farming, wars etc.
The Princess Bride is a love story similar to Romeo and Juliet, but not so tragic. It is a timeless movie/book due to the genre being a love story fantasy with the conceptualization of bringing out true love. It all begins within William Goldman's writing, a young boy and girl found true love at first sight until unforeseen circumstances change both their paths, leading Westley fighting for his one and only true love Buttercup. Even after many years people still reflect off the book/movie in hope of finding true love since “The Princess Bride has become one of the greatest and most beloved romantic comedies of all time in which people like to watch over and over again.” (MGM Entertainment) due to the romantic fantasy and laughter it brings out.
https://philspicks.wordpress.com/2012/11/15/the-princess-bride-still-timeless-after-a-quarter-century/
Alex Colby
ReplyDeleteHarry Potter Blog Post
Question: How is J.K Rowling’s Harry Potter series read by all ages?
According to Barnes and Noble, the average young age to read the Harry Potter series is ages 9-12, but that does not mean that all ages cannot read this book. Barnes and Noble said it themselves “There really is not “right ages” for Harry Potter”. This means that people of all ages that know how to read are capable of reading of reading the Harry Potter series. I am 17 years old and I still find this series enjoyable. Another example is my grandfather. He is 62 and has read the entire series and he absolutely loved it. The way J.K Rowling wrote this series is in a very special way that provides entertainment for every possible age.
In the positive reviews on commonsensemedia.org people of many ages were shown, saying that even though in stores the book series is rated ages 8 and up, it all reaches a different leave of enjoyment of every age. Most adults find the relatable schooling references and the friendly romance extremely enjoyable. Teens find the conflict between Harry and Ron against Draco Malfoy and his following extremely relatable and enjoyable as well. As expected the younger children find the wizards, and fairytale aspect the most enjoyable.
J.K Rowling purposely created this series in a way that is is able to be read by all ages and enjoyed by all ages. Most authors find it difficult to make a book that is suitable for all ages but shown from Barnes and Noble and Common Sense Media’s knowledge on the books ratings and sales, J.K Rowling made it possible.
This book reminds me more of a modern type love story but the jokes remind me of the 70’s. The way they speak and their actions can reflect on the modern day. Although the setting is medieval times explaining the castles and chambers, it has more of a modern affect.
ReplyDeleteThe Princess Bride’s place in history is not a well-known book. This book is not ranked very high based off of how the plot is not interesting and how it’s not relevant in the modern society. This is due to the change in people’s mindsets.
This book will always be timeless because the historical content and the modern day culture. Although it was written in the 70’s, it portrays a medieval time period based off the castles, poisonings, and chambers. Also they talk in a modern way such as the way we do today.
Brett Helms
Raymond Murdock
ReplyDeleteThe Princess bride depicts the trends of that time by showing the classic prince saves the princess or the hero save the damsel in distress but, in a way it does have those moments where the story doesn’t match up with what you think will happen, for example he does save the damsel in distress but the way he does it is both hilarious and suspenseful, in the movie and book he dies at that point you feel like the story is over, that villain won, and Wesley will never get the happy ending that we all thought he would get with Buttercup. But he somehow lives because of the magic of Miracle Max, he is able to meet with the princess, humiliate the terrible example of a prince Humperdinck, and ride off into the sunset with Buttercup at his side. There are many examples like that where you don’t expect it and the author just throws a little twist right at you. This books place in American lit is as a book that broke the norm when it comes to this type of story that the thing you expected to happen, happens, but the twists that happen during the story are what keep the book from following the norm perfectly. This is a timeless piece for that exact same reason, and for the fact that the humour in this book is that which will always be funny, for at least most of the audience, the humour is what keeps the book going and what keeps you reading, in some/most cases it’s what makes up the twists in the book for example Buttercup is not as smart as you would think a princess should be, but Wesley still loves her (as he should). So yes this book is a timeless masterpiece and for very good reasons, it’s funny, has a very interesting plot line, and has twists in the norm you expect in a book where the hero saves the damsel in distress.
The Princess Bride was considered to be written in medieval times as there was royalty that ruled the land and villagers who bowed before them. This was not the case in the 1970's as this was the time for the economy to boom as they were coming out with many different things and royalty was simply unheard of in most countries. I believe that this books place in time belongs in the mid 1800's because this was when royalty and the intelligent English language was spoken instead of slang words like we use today, and as for battle they used swords and shields opposed to guns and nukes. This book is actually mainly timeless just because it is a perfect fairytale with the landscapes but is fractured through language and actions. There was never a specific time when a kingdom ruled the land as there is in this movie.
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