Article #496-1 | Gutenberg Articles

Excerpt

Excerpt from The Little Lame Prince, by Dinah Maria Mulock Craik

When he was twenty years old his mother and his people wished him to
marry. They procured for him the likenesses of many princesses, but the
one he preferred was Princess Darling, daughter of a powerful monarch
and heiress to several kingdoms. Alas! with all her beauty, this
princess had one great misfortune, a little turned-up nose, which,
every one else said made her only the more bewitching. But here, in the
kingdom of Prince Wish, the courtiers were thrown by it into the utmost
perplexity. They were in the habit of laughing at all small noses; but
how dared they make fun of the nose of Princess Darling? Two unfortunate
gentlemen, whom Prince Wish had overheard doing so, were ignominiously
banished from the court and capital.

After this, the courtiers became alarmed, and tried to correct their
habit of speech; but they would have found themselves in constant
difficulties, had not one clever person struck out a bright idea. He
said that though it was indispensably necessary for a man to have
a great nose, women were very different; and that a learned man had
discovered in a very old manuscript that the celebrated Cleopatra, Queen
of Egypt, the beauty of the ancient world, had a turned-up nose. At this
information Prince Wish was so delighted that he made the courtier a
very handsome present, and immediately sent off ambassadors to demand
Princess Darling in marriage.

She accepted his offer at once, and returned with the ambassadors. He
made all haste to meet and welcome her, but when she was only three
leagues distant from his capital, before he had time even to kiss her
hand, the magician who had once assumed the shape of his mother's cat,
Minon, appeared in the air and carried her off before the lover's very
eyes.

Explanation

**Detailed Explanation of the Excerpt from The Little Lame Prince by Dinah Maria Mulock Craik**

Context of the Source

The Little Lame Prince (1875) is a fairy tale by Dinah Maria Mulock Craik, a Victorian-era British author known for her moralistic and sentimental children’s stories. The tale follows Prince Dolor, a disabled prince who overcomes adversity with resilience and kindness. The excerpt provided, however, focuses on Prince Wish, a secondary character whose story contrasts with Dolor’s. While Dolor embodies perseverance, Prince Wish represents superficiality, vanity, and the dangers of unchecked desire.

This passage satirizes courtly vanity, societal beauty standards, and the absurdity of royal etiquette, themes common in Victorian fairy tales that critiqued aristocratic pretensions.

Themes in the Excerpt

Superficiality and Vanity
- The courtiers and Prince Wish are obsessed with appearances, particularly noses—a symbol of status and beauty.
- The princess’s "turned-up nose," which others find charming, is initially a source of ridicule in Prince Wish’s court, where large noses are prized.
- The sudden reversal (claiming Cleopatra had a similar nose) shows how arbitrary and manipulable beauty standards are.
Power and Hypocrisy
- The courtiers mock the princess’s nose until they realize it belongs to their future queen, exposing their hypocrisy and fear of authority.
- The two banished gentlemen highlight how royal whims dictate morality—what was once funny becomes taboo when it offends the prince.
Fate and Disruption of Desire
- Just as Prince Wish is about to attain his heart’s desire (marrying Princess Darling), the magician intervenes, snatching her away.
- This abrupt twist reinforces a fairy-tale trope: happiness is fragile, and external forces (magic, fate) can shatter human plans.
Satire of Courtly Life
- The absurdity of the courtiers’ sudden admiration for turned-up noses mocks how fashion and opinion shift based on power.
- The "old manuscript" about Cleopatra is likely fabricated, showing how history and beauty are rewritten to suit the powerful.

Literary Devices & Stylistic Choices

Irony & Satire
- The courtiers’ sudden reverence for turned-up noses is ironic—they once mocked it but now praise it to flatter the prince.
- The claim about Cleopatra’s nose is mock-scholarly, poking fun at how elites use pseudo-intellectual justifications for their preferences.
Symbolism (The Nose)
- The nose symbolizes social status and beauty norms.
  - A large nose = masculine, powerful (expected of men).
  - A turned-up nose = initially ridiculed, then revered when convenient.
- The nose’s significance is arbitrary, showing how society imposes meaningless standards.
Foreshadowing & Sudden Twist
- The magician’s abrupt intervention (kidnapping the princess) is a classic fairy-tale disruption, reinforcing that happiness is never guaranteed.
- The mention of the magician assuming the shape of the prince’s mother’s cat (Minon) hints at deception and hidden threats lurking beneath appearances.
Exaggeration & Absurdity
- The overreaction to the princess’s nose (banishments, sudden scholarly claims) is hyperbolic, emphasizing the pettiness of court life.
- The speed of the marriage proposal and kidnapping creates a whirlwind effect, making the prince’s desires seem fleeting and insignificant.

Significance of the Passage

Critique of Aristocratic Frivolity
- The excerpt mockingly portrays nobility as shallow, easily manipulated, and obsessed with trivialities (like nose shapes).
- This reflects Victorian-era critiques of the upper class, which Craik often addressed in her moralistic tales.
Contrast with Prince Dolor’s Story
- While The Little Lame Prince is ultimately about overcoming disability with inner strength, this subplot about Prince Wish highlights the folly of those who chase superficial desires.
- Prince Wish’s instant infatuation and loss serve as a warning against vanity and entitlement.
Fairy-Tale Morality
- The magician’s intervention acts as a divine or karmic punishment—Prince Wish’s superficial desires are denied at the last moment, reinforcing that true happiness comes from virtue, not appearances.
- The abrupt ending (no resolution to the kidnapping) leaves the reader with a sense of justice served—Prince Wish does not get what he wants because he wanted it for the wrong reasons.
Gender & Beauty Standards
- The passage critiques double standards:
  - Men must have big noses (strong, dominant).
  - Women’s noses can be small and "bewitching"—but only if society decrees it.
- The rewriting of history (Cleopatra’s nose) shows how beauty ideals are constructed, not natural.

Line-by-Line Breakdown & Interpretation

Text	Analysis
"When he was twenty years old his mother and his people wished him to marry."	Introduces social pressure—marriage is a duty, not necessarily love.
"They procured for him the likenesses of many princesses, but the one he preferred was Princess Darling..."	Superficial choice—he picks based on a portrait, not personality.
"Alas! with all her beauty, this princess had one great misfortune, a little turned-up nose..."	Irony—her "misfortune" is actually seen as charming by others, but not in his court.
"They were in the habit of laughing at all small noses; but how dared they make fun of the nose of Princess Darling?"	Hypocrisy exposed—they mock until it affects their social standing.
"Two unfortunate gentlemen... were ignominiously banished..."	Tyranny of power—the prince’s whims dictate punishment.
"One clever person struck out a bright idea... that the celebrated Cleopatra... had a turned-up nose."	Manipulation of history—a false justification to flatter the prince.
"Prince Wish was so delighted that he made the courtier a very handsome present..."	Reward for flattery—truth is less important than pleasing the prince.
"He immediately sent off ambassadors to demand Princess Darling in marriage."	Entitlement—he doesn’t court her; he demands her.
"She accepted his offer at once..."	Passive princess trope—she has no agency, reinforcing gender roles.
"Before he had time even to kiss her hand, the magician... carried her off before the lover's very eyes."	Divine justice? His superficial desire is denied at the last moment.

Conclusion: Why This Passage Matters

This excerpt from The Little Lame Prince is a sharp satire of vanity, power, and societal absurdity. Through exaggeration, irony, and sudden twists, Craik critiques:

The fickleness of beauty standards.
The hypocrisy of the elite.
The fragility of human desires in the face of fate.

Unlike the moral resilience of Prince Dolor, Prince Wish’s story serves as a cautionary tale—those who chase superficial rewards may find them snatched away by forces beyond their control. The passage remains relevant as a commentary on how society constructs and enforces arbitrary ideals, often at the expense of genuine happiness.

Questions

Question 1

The passage’s depiction of the courtiers’ reversal in attitude toward Princess Darling’s nose most strongly suggests that:

A. societal beauty standards are inherently unstable because they rely on the subjective tastes of the powerful.
B. the courtiers’ initial ridicule of the nose was a sincere expression of their aesthetic values.
C. the discovery of Cleopatra’s nose shape represents a genuine historical revelation that reshaped cultural norms.
D. Prince Wish’s authority is so absolute that even physiological traits can be redefined by his decrees.
E. the courtiers’ behavior exposes how moral and aesthetic judgments are often instrumentalized to serve self-interest.

Question 2

The magician’s abrupt intervention in the narrative primarily functions as:

A. a deus ex machina that resolves the tension between Prince Wish’s desire and societal expectations.
B. a narrative punishment that underscores the futility of pursuing desires rooted in vanity and superficiality.
C. an arbitrary plot device intended to introduce conflict without deeper thematic significance.
D. a symbolic representation of the princess’s own agency in rejecting the prince’s advances.
E. a literal manifestation of the courtiers’ collective guilt over their hypocrisy regarding beauty standards.

Question 3

The claim that Cleopatra had a turned-up nose is best understood as:

A. a fabricated justification that reveals how elites manipulate historical narratives to legitimize their preferences.
B. an objective historical fact that the courtiers genuinely believed would resolve their dilemma.
C. a metaphor for the cyclical nature of beauty trends across different civilizations.
D. evidence of the courtiers’ scholarly rigor in researching aesthetic ideals.
E. a satirical comment on how ancient beauty standards were more progressive than Victorian ones.

Question 4

The passage’s tone toward Prince Wish’s infatuation with Princess Darling is most accurately described as:

A. sympathetic, emphasizing his vulnerability in the face of societal pressure to marry.
B. ironic, highlighting the absurdity of his superficial attachment and its consequences.
C. neutral, presenting his actions without implicit judgment or commentary.
D. admiring, portraying his decisiveness as a virtue in courtly romance.
E. tragic, framing his loss as an inevitable result of fate rather than his own flaws.

Question 5

The structural contrast between the courtiers’ initial ridicule of the nose and their later reverence for it primarily serves to:

A. illustrate the natural evolution of cultural tastes over time.
B. critique the malleability of moral and aesthetic judgments when influenced by power and convenience.
C. demonstrate that beauty is ultimately subjective and resistant to societal consensus.
D. suggest that Prince Wish’s personal preferences are more enlightened than those of his courtiers.
E. foreshadow the princess’s eventual rejection of the prince due to his shallow values.

Solutions and Explanations

1) Correct answer: E

Why E is most correct: The courtiers’ abrupt shift—from mocking the nose to praising it once it belongs to their future queen—reveals their opportunism. Their "aesthetic judgment" is not principled but instrumental: they adapt their views to curry favor with Prince Wish and avoid punishment. This aligns with E’s emphasis on moral and aesthetic judgments as tools for self-interest, a core satirical target of the passage.