Book Anatomy · The Princess and the Goblin
The Princess and the Goblin: Pace
16 lenses on pace 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: D1 D2 D3 D4 D5 D6 D7 D8 D9 D10 D11 D12 D13 D14 D15 D16
D1. Chapter length in words, as a chart. Count
32 chapters, median 1,470 words. See the full lens on the book page.
D2. Mean sentence length per chapter. Count
Mean 17.8 words. See the full lens on the book page.
D3. Paragraph length per chapter. Count
Paragraphs average 41 words.
Mean paragraph words, chapter by chapter
D4. Scene against summary: how much is shown live? AI
The book is heavily scene-based, especially in chapters 6 to 32 where action unfolds live. Early chapters 2 to 5 use summary for Irene's exploration, but most pivotal moments, the goblin encounters, the escape, the invasion, are shown in full scenes.
Chapters: Ch 2, Ch 3, Ch 6, Ch 9, Ch 14, Ch 18
D5. Action against reflection, per chapter. AI
Action dominates chapters 6 to 9, 14, 18 to 21, 25 to 31. Reflection appears in chapters 4 to 5, 10 to 11, 15 to 17, 22 to 24, where characters process doubt and belief. The balance shifts toward action as the goblin threat escalates.
Chapters: Ch 4, Ch 5, Ch 10, Ch 11, Ch 15, Ch 18
That may be only because you do not understand it. If you did, you would probably find it was an explanation, and believe it thoroughly. (Ch 23, para 14)
D6. Tension score per chapter (1 to 5) as a curve. AI
Peak 5 of 5, mean 3.1. See the full lens on the book page.
D7. Emotional arc of the whole book, matched to the six shapes. Count
Riches to rags (fall). See the full lens on the book page.
D8. Chapter endings: cliffhanger, question, reveal or quiet close. AI
18 of 32 chapters end on a hook. See the full lens on the book page.
D9. Chapter openings: in scene, in summary, or after a time jump. AI
Most chapters open in scene with immediate action or dialogue. Chapters 1, 13, 17, 26, 32 use summary openings. Chapter 10 opens with a time jump signalled by 'One splendid sunshiny day'. Chapter 25 jumps forward with 'Curdie watches the goblins' progress from the mountain while Irene enjoys the summer'.
Chapters: Ch 1, Ch 2, Ch 6, Ch 10, Ch 13, Ch 17
One splendid sunshiny day, about an hour after noon, Irene, who was playing on a lawn in the garden, heard the distant blast of a bugle. (Ch 10, para 3)
D10. Do chapters and sentences get shorter near the climax? Count
In the last fifth, chapters run at 0.67 times the length of earlier ones, and sentences at 0.99 times. So things speed up near the end.
D11. Dialogue density against pace. Count
Link between dialogue share and chapter length: -0.02 (1 is a perfect match, 0 none). Between dialogue share and tension: -0.02.
Dialogue % per chapter, chapter by chapter
D12. Time jumps and how they are signalled. Both
8 time jump phrases in the narration, such as 'next morning' or 'years later'.
| Where | Phrase |
|---|---|
| c5p2 | next morning |
| c6p2 | next day |
| c7p6 | next morning |
| c7p7 | next night |
| c16p12 | next morning |
| c23p28 | next morning |
| c25p6 | next night |
| c30p2 | next morning |
Time jump phrases, chapter by chapter
Ch 5, para 2: When she woke the next morning, the first thing she heard was the rain still falling. Indeed, this day was so like the last that it would have …
Ch 6, para 2: The next day the great cloud still hung over the mountain, and the rain poured like water from a full sponge. The princess was very fond of being …
Ch 7, para 6: The work was hard at best, for it is very warm underground; but it was not particularly unpleasant, and some of the miners, when they wanted to earn …
Ch 7, para 7: Perhaps my readers may be wondering what the goblins could be about, working all night long, seeing they never carried up the ore and sold it; but when …
Ch 16, para 12: When the princess woke the next morning, her nurse was bending over her. 'How your ring does glow this morning, princess!--just like a fiery rose!' she said.
Ch 23, para 28: 'It's exactly as your mother told it to me the very next morning,' said his father.
Time jumps are signalled by seasonal markers (spring in chapter 17, summer in chapter 25) and narrative summary. Chapter 32 uses 'The miners repair the damage' to indicate passage. Most jumps occur between chapters rather than within them.
Chapters: Ch 17, Ch 25, Ch 32
D13. Info dump spots: long runs with no action or speech. Both
4 stretches of 900 words or more with no speech at all. These are where description, summary or backstory pile up.
| Starts at | Words | Paragraphs |
|---|---|---|
| c1p1 | 25084 | 623 |
| c19p25 | 10889 | 297 |
| c24p15 | 9616 | 212 |
| c15p93 | 5517 | 105 |
Chapter 13 is a pure info dump explaining goblin creatures with no action or speech. Chapter 1 summarises goblin history and the princess's confinement. Chapter 32 summarises the repairs and goblin departure. These are rare; most chapters mix summary with scene.
Chapters: Ch 1, Ch 13, Ch 32
Its body might have been that of a dog or wolf, he thought, but he declared on his honour that its head was twice the size it ought to have been (Ch 13, para 2)
They had altered--that is, their descendants had altered--into such creatures as I have not attempted to describe except in the vaguest manner (Ch 13, para 4)
D14. Reading time per chapter. Count
About 3.4 hours to read at 250 words a minute. The longest chapter takes 13.6 minutes.
Minutes per chapter, chapter by chapter
D15. Micro tension in quiet scenes. AI
Quiet scenes gain tension through doubt and disbelief. Chapter 4 shows Irene hurt by the nurse's scepticism. Chapter 22 creates tension as Curdie cannot see the grandmother. Chapter 24 shows Irene asserting authority against Lootie's accusations. Emotional stakes replace action stakes.
Chapters: Ch 4, Ch 11, Ch 15, Ch 22, Ch 24
You don't believe me, then!' exclaimed the princess, astonished and angry, as she well might be. (Ch 4, para 23)
I don't see any grandmother,' answered Curdie rather gruffly. (Ch 22, para 14)
I do not think my papa would wish me to have a nurse who spoke to me as Lootie does. If she thinks I tell lies, she had better either say so to my papa, or go away. (Ch 24, para 22)
D16. Section breaks per chapter. Count
0 section breaks marked in the text, in 0 of 32 chapters.
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