The Princess Bride
by William Goldman
English 9
Part One: It’s Fake
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That’s Right!
The novel is all made up
 Nothing is what it seems
 There was no S. Morgenstern
 Pretty clever, huh!
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Why do you think he wrote a story like this?
Part Two: Terms
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Allusion - a reference to a person, place, poem, book,
event, etc., which is not part of the story, that the
author expects the reader will recognize.
Frame Narrative or Frame Story - a story that has
another story or stories within it
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Hero - the central character, usually one who
possesses noble qualities such as self-sacrifice,
courage, wisdom, etc.
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Examples: The Canterbury Tales
Examples: Tarzan, King Arthur, Frodo.
Intrusive Narrator (authorial intrusion)- an omniscient
narrator, who frequently interrupts the plot with
comments on the story, characters, or life in general.
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Examples: Tom Jones (18th century British story)
More Terms…
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Motivation - the reasons behind a character’s actions.
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Satire - using humor to expose something or someone
to ridicule.
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Example: Huckleberry Finn travels down the Mississippi
River in order to escape the Widow Douglas, who wants to
“sivililize” him.
Examples: A Modest Proposal; SNL
Willing Suspension of Disbelief - the deliberate putting
aside of the audience’s or reader’s critical beliefs in
order to accept the unreal world the author creates.
Even in the most realistic novels, this technique must
be used.
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Example: Modern readers must accept Hamlet’s father
roaming the Earth as a ghost seeking revenge, or the play
cannot succeed. Another example is “Spongebob”.
Irony
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When the last thing you think will happen,
happens…or the last thing you think would be
said is said.
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Example: The firehouse burned down.
Dramatic Irony-the words and actions of the
characters, unbeknownst to them, betray the real
situation, which the spectators fully realize.
 Romeo and Juliet
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Verbal Irony - a discrepancy between what is
said and what is really meant; sarcasm.
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Example: A large man whose nickname is “Tiny.”