Book Anatomy · The Princess and the Goblin
The Princess and the Goblin: Openings and endings
13 lenses on openings and endings for The Princess and the Goblin by George MacDonald. Count lenses are exact for our text. AI lenses are our reading and cite only quotes that passed a word for word check.
Jump to: F1 F2 F3 F4 F5 F6 F7 F8 F9 F10 F11 F12 F13
F1. First line and first paragraph: what each does. Both
The first full paragraph runs to 8 words and 1 sentences.
Why the Princess Has a Story About Her (Ch 1, para 1)
The first paragraph 'Why the Princess Has a Story About Her' poses the central question: why does this princess matter? It sets up the mystery of her identity and importance. The opening establishes the world and its dangers without naming the protagonist.
Chapters: Ch 1
F2. What the first page sets up: voice, world, question. AI
The first page establishes a fairy-tale voice, a mountain world with hidden dangers, and introduces goblins as the threat. It sets up the princess as confined and protected, raising the question of what she is being protected from. The tone is formal and omniscient.
Chapters: Ch 1
Her face was fair and pretty, with eyes like two bits of night sky, each with a star dissolved in the blue. (Ch 1, para 3)
They were much too afraid of the goblins to let her out of the house then, even in company with ever so many attendants; and they had good reason, as we shall see by and by. (Ch 1, para 5)
F3. How many words before the lead appears? Count
First dialogue after 25,084 words. See the full lens on the book page.
F4. How many words before the first line of dialogue? Count
First dialogue after 25,084 words. See the full lens on the book page.
F5. The hook of chapter one. AI
Chapter 1's hook is the revelation that goblins harbour ancestral grudge and live beneath the mountains. The final line warns 'they had good reason' to keep the princess indoors, promising danger to come. This creates curiosity about what the goblins will do.
Chapters: Ch 1
They were much too afraid of the goblins to let her out of the house then, even in company with ever so many attendants; and they had good reason, as we shall see by and by. (Ch 1, para 5)
F6. Prologue: its job and its length. Both
No prologue: the book starts in its first chapter.
Not a feature of this book. Chapter 1 serves as exposition and world-building but is not a separate prologue. It is numbered as Chapter 1 and integrated into the main narrative.
F7. How fast is the main story question posed? AI
The main story question emerges slowly. Chapter 1 asks what the goblins will do. Chapter 3 introduces the grandmother mystery. Chapter 6 brings Irene and Curdie together and hints at goblin threat. The central question, can Irene and Curdie stop the goblins?, is not fully clear until chapter 9.
Chapters: Ch 1, Ch 3, Ch 6, Ch 9
They were much too afraid of the goblins to let her out of the house then, even in company with ever so many attendants; and they had good reason, as we shall see by and by. (Ch 1, para 5)
I'm your great-great-grandmother,' said the lady. (Ch 3, para 32)
F8. Final chapter: which beats resolve what. AI
Chapter 32 resolves the goblin threat through the miners' repairs and the goblins' departure or transformation. It confirms Irene and Curdie's bond and hints at future adventures. The climax (chapter 27) defeats the goblins; chapter 32 shows the aftermath and restoration of peace.
Chapters: Ch 27, Ch 32
All the rest went up the mountain, and separated in groups to the homes of the miners. Curdie and his father and mother took Lootie with them. (Ch 32, para 2)
But most of them soon left that part of the country, and most of those who remained grew milder in character, and indeed became very much like the Scotch brownies. (Ch 32, para 5)
F9. Last line: what it leaves in the mind. Both
The last full paragraph runs to 16 words.
The rest of the history of The Princess and Curdie must be kept for another volume. (Ch 32, para 6)
The last line 'The rest of the history of The Princess and Curdie must be kept for another volume' leaves the reader with promise of continuation. It suggests the story is not finished, that Irene and Curdie's adventures will continue. This creates anticipation rather than closure.
Chapters: Ch 32
The rest of the history of The Princess and Curdie must be kept for another volume. (Ch 32, para 6)
F10. Loose ends tied and left open. AI
The grandmother's full nature and powers remain mysterious. Her connection to the ring and the thread is hinted but not fully explained. Curdie's belief in her is incomplete. The goblins' ultimate fate is left open, some flee, some become brownies, but their full transformation is not shown.
Chapters: Ch 22, Ch 32
Of one thing you may be sure, that while you hold it, I hold it too. (Ch 15, para 81)
But most of them soon left that part of the country, and most of those who remained grew milder in character, and indeed became very much like the Scotch brownies. (Ch 32, para 5)
F11. Epilogue: its job. Both
No chapter called an epilogue. The last chapter is 344 words.
Chapter 32 serves as epilogue, showing the repairs, the miners' work, and the goblins' departure. It is brief and summary-based, providing closure to the invasion plot while leaving room for the promised sequel. It restores order and hints at future peace.
Chapters: Ch 32
All the rest went up the mountain, and separated in groups to the homes of the miners. Curdie and his father and mother took Lootie with them. (Ch 32, para 2)
But most of them soon left that part of the country, and most of those who remained grew milder in character, and indeed became very much like the Scotch brownies. (Ch 32, para 5)
F12. Echoes between the opening and the ending. AI
The opening establishes the princess as confined and protected; the ending shows her reunited with her father and safe with Curdie. The opening introduces goblins as a distant threat; the ending shows them defeated. The opening poses the question of the princess's importance; the ending proves her worth through her courage and Curdie's devotion.
Chapters: Ch 1, Ch 32
They were much too afraid of the goblins to let her out of the house then, even in company with ever so many attendants; and they had good reason, as we shall see by and by. (Ch 1, para 5)
There, Curdie! There's the kiss I promised you! (Ch 30, para 17)
F13. Length of the wind down after the climax. Count
After the climax (chapter 27, our reading) the book runs 4,808 more words, 9.4% of the whole.
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