The Princess Bride: Introduction & Chapter 1

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Prof. Tarma Amelia Black
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The Princess Bride: Introduction & Chapter 1

Post by Prof. Tarma Amelia Black »

In this thread, we’ll be discussing the Introduction and Chapter 1 of The Princess Bride.

We'll continue to include prompts that you may use as an idea for posting, but if you have other things to write, go for it! We'd love to hear absolutely anything that occurs to you while reading (however small) just so long as it's HOL-appropriate.

To begin with, this story starts with an entirely different kind of beginning from the general run of books. (Go read my book write-up here if you want to be amused. Find out what happened with me the first time I read this book ...) So we get through the Introduction to the book and find out why it is written the way it is and actually get into some of the story! What do you think of how the book starts and what happens in those first two parts?

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Have you seen the movie The Princess Bride? Is it like the book or different? What's the same and what is different? Go here and talk about it!

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Prof. Tarma Amelia Black
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Joined: Sun Dec 14, 2003 6:31 am

Re: The Princess Bride: Introduction & Chapter 1

Post by Prof. Tarma Amelia Black »

I kept reading and forgot entirely to post in here! Ooops.

Well, again I was flummoxed by the beginning. Somehow I have gotten used to stories being just stories. Not like that play of Shakespeares where some folks are watching a play and the play is about both the play and the folks who are watching it.

Right.

So anyway, it's brilliant. I can see why I'd be calling the library and asking for the ORIGINAL book! This guy (Goldman) is so clever in how he starts the story ... So here we have the introduction which is an entirely different story than that for which the book is titled. Amazing. I love it.

Then we get to the official Chapter One. The 'Good Parts' version. Within Chapter One are little notes from Goldman, written in italics, about the story and about Morgenstern's parenthetical remarks. There is a lot of discussion about the 'most beautiful women' in the world, and how the rankings change. And why the rankings change. Then the thing of how Buttercup's eyes are opened about Farm Boy -- because the Countess kept watching him -- that was sort of funny and sad. But Westley knew all along, evidently. He also knows (in the book) that she's not the most aware person in the world "You never have been the brightest, I guess." because all this time when he was saying "As you wish" it meant "I love you." He stayed in his hovel because of her. He has taught himself languages, toned up his body, done all kinds of things, just because he loves her -- and she never noticed until someone else noticed him first. So then he goes off, to earn his fortune and ... then she is told he is killed by the Dread Pirate Roberts. And she decides never to love again.
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*Avatar & Siggy by Cheeky XVIx!Cosmo* ... Siggy image by Susan Seddon Boulet *** Avatar from Leverage
"You have the inborn natural right to remain silent. Don't think about it, don't talk about it, shuush ....... STILL." ~ Xaris
Katya Snow
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Re: The Princess Bride: Introduction & Chapter 1

Post by Katya Snow »

Prof. Tarma Amelia Black wrote:I kept reading and forgot entirely to post in here! Ooops.

Well, again I was flummoxed by the beginning. Somehow I have gotten used to stories being just stories. Not like that play of Shakespeares where some folks are watching a play and the play is about both the play and the folks who are watching it.

Right.

So anyway, it's brilliant. I can see why I'd be calling the library and asking for the ORIGINAL book! This guy (Goldman) is so clever in how he starts the story ... So here we have the introduction which is an entirely different story than that for which the book is titled. Amazing. I love it.

Then we get to the official Chapter One. The 'Good Parts' version. Within Chapter One are little notes from Goldman, written in italics, about the story and about Morgenstern's parenthetical remarks. There is a lot of discussion about the 'most beautiful women' in the world, and how the rankings change. And why the rankings change. Then the thing of how Buttercup's eyes are opened about Farm Boy -- because the Countess kept watching him -- that was sort of funny and sad. But Westley knew all along, evidently. He also knows (in the book) that she's not the most aware person in the world "You never have been the brightest, I guess." because all this time when he was saying "As you wish" it meant "I love you." He stayed in his hovel because of her. He has taught himself languages, toned up his body, done all kinds of things, just because he loves her -- and she never noticed until someone else noticed him first. So then he goes off, to earn his fortune and ... then she is told he is killed by the Dread Pirate Roberts. And she decides never to love again.
lol, there is no Original darling. those notes are part of the story. every version of every book of the Princess bride has those. i found out because i had the 'movie version' of the book and i wanted the original too. Morgenstern is a pen name of Goldeman more or less, which is another reason why this book is so very unique.the story itself is breathtaking, if a bit simple. his portrayal of Buttercup as a bit of a breathtaking beauty whose 'too simple' to realize how beautiful she is... i don't think anyone else has ever done that. the characters are startlingly original. i still have trouble believing that he wrote this book for his daughters on their requests for a story about "princesses" and a "Bride". i just can't believe how very different and yet at the same time, exactly the same the movie is from the book!
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Prof. Arielle Lemoyne
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Re: The Princess Bride: Introduction & Chapter 1

Post by Prof. Arielle Lemoyne »

I have never seen the movie, or at least not all the way through. I tried to watch it once and fell asleep, and they played it in school once and I also fell asleep >_> So I've seen bits and pieces of it, and I know some of the famous lines and such, but I don't actually know what the plot is. Maybe I'll try the movie again when I finish the book!

I wasn't entirely sold on the introduction. I think the writing style is going to take some getting used to. It's certainly different than what I'm used to reading, and it's hard to follow the train of thought at times, but it's interesting. And Tarma, I may not have actually called and tried to request the "original," but I was a little confused when I was looking for this book. And I definitely had to look it up to see whether it was true once I started reading. >>

Anyways, once I got into the first chapter I started really enjoying it, and definitely laughed a few times. I loved the comebacks between Buttercup's parents (e.g. "Terrible things can happen when you're overtired. I was overtired the night your father proposed." I also loved this: "How can I improve my personal appearance?" "start by bathing." The end of the chapter seemed very abrupt, and I'm interested to see where it goes from here!
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