The Princess Bride

Fractured fairy tale; Ruritanian romance; Satire

Fiction

Paperback

1st

1st

Third Person

Fiction

283

8

2018-06-26 16:38:13

A satirical and romantic fantasy, The Princess Bride presents itself as S. Morgenstern’s classic tale of true love and high adventure, abridged by William Goldman to include only the ”good parts.” The story follows the breathtakingly beautiful Buttercup and her true love Westley, a humble farm boy who departs to seek his fortune and is reported killed by the Dread Pirate Roberts. Grief‑stricken, Buttercup agrees to marry the scheming Prince Humperdinck of Florin, whose plans have more to do with politics and war than with love. Before the wedding can occur, Buttercup is kidnapped by a mismatched trio: the brilliant but arrogant Sicilian strategist Vizzini, the towering gentle giant Fezzik, and the melancholy master swordsman Inigo Montoya, who lives only to avenge his father’s murder at the hands of a mysterious six‑fingered man. Their plan to start a war between Florin and Guilder is upended when a black‑clad masked man pursues them, defeating Inigo in a dazzling duel, besting Fezzik in brute strength, and outwitting Vizzini in a battle of intellect. The stranger is revealed to be Westley, who has improbably survived years as the Dread Pirate Roberts. Together, Westley and Buttercup must escape Humperdinck’s dungeons, torture chambers, and treachery, aided and impeded by Inigo and Fezzik, resurrections, miracle workers, and rodents of unusual size. Intercut throughout the fairy‑tale narrative are Goldman’s metafictional asides about his supposed abridgment of Morgenstern’s original, his fictionalized family life, and the publishing history of the text, which transform the novel into a playful commentary on storytelling, authorship, and the nature of happy endings. This specific mass‑market edition also includes the first chapter of the purported sequel, ”Buttercup’s Baby,” presented with further commentary as an in‑universe continuation of the joke about Morgenstern, his estate, and the impossibility of ever getting the full story.

Ballantine Books

9780345348036

United States

United States

1992-12-01

1992

1973

39655269

1

English

New York

Yes

~$22.62

2026-03-24

2018-06-26 16:38:13