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Excerpt ​

Excerpt from The Light Princess, by George MacDonald

The king tried to have patience, but he succeeded very badly. It was
more than he deserved, therefore, when, at last, the queen gave him a
daughter--as lovely a little princess as ever cried.

The day drew near when the infant must be christened. The king wrote
all the invitations with his own hand. Of course somebody was
forgotten. Now it does not generally matter if somebody is forgotten,
only you must mind who. Unfortunately, the king forgot without
intending to forget; and so the chance fell upon the Princess
Makemnoit, which was awkward. For the princess was the king's own
sister; and he ought not to have forgotten her. But she had made
herself so disagreeable to the old king, their father, that he had
forgotten her in making his will; and so it was no wonder that her
brother forgot her in writing his invitations. But poor relations
don't do anything to keep you in mind of them. Why don't they? The
king could not see into the garret she lived in, could he?

She was a sour, spiteful creature. The wrinkles of contempt crossed
the wrinkles of peevishness, and made her face as full of wrinkles as a
pat of butter. If ever a king could be justified in forgetting
anybody, this king was justified in forgetting his sister, even at a
christening. She looked very odd, too. Her forehead was as large as
all the rest of her face, and projected over it like a precipice. When
she was angry, her little eyes flashed blue. When she hated anybody,
they shone yellow and green. What they looked like when she loved
anybody, I do not know; for I never heard of her loving anybody but
herself, and I do not think she could have managed that if she had not
somehow got used to herself. But what made it highly imprudent in the
king to forget her was that she was awfully clever. In fact, she was a
witch; and when she bewitched anybody, he very soon had enough of it;
for she beat all the wicked fairies in wickedness, and all the clever
ones in cleverness. She despised all the modes we read of in history,
in which offended fairies and witches have taken their revenges; and
therefore, after waiting and waiting in vain for an invitation, she
made up her mind at last to go without one, and make the whole family
miserable, like a princess as she was.

Explanation ​

Detailed Explanation of the Excerpt from The Light Princess by George MacDonald ​

Context of the Source ​

The Light Princess (1864) is a fairy tale by George MacDonald, a Scottish author, poet, and Christian minister who heavily influenced later fantasy writers like C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien. The story is a blend of whimsy, moral allegory, and dark humor, exploring themes of gravity (both literal and metaphorical), love, sacrifice, and the consequences of pride and spite.

The excerpt introduces the backstory of the titular princess’s curse, setting up the central conflict: the king’s forgetfulness leads to the exclusion of his wicked sister, Princess Makemnoit, a powerful witch who curses the baby princess with weightlessness—a lack of both physical and emotional gravity.

Themes in the Excerpt ​

  1. The Consequences of Neglect and Forgetfulness

    • The king’s unintentional but careless omission of his sister from the christening invitations triggers the curse. This reflects the idea that small oversights can have massive repercussions, especially when dealing with prideful or vengeful individuals.
    • The narrator’s sarcastic tone ("It was more than he deserved") suggests that the king’s neglect is not entirely blameless—he should have remembered his sister, despite her unpleasantness.

  2. The Nature of Evil and Spite

    • Princess Makemnoit is not just wicked but creatively wicked—she scorns traditional fairy-tale curses (like Sleeping Beauty’s spindle) and instead devises something unique and psychologically cruel.
    • Her selfishness and lack of love ("I never heard of her loving anybody but herself") make her a purely destructive force, contrasting with the later redemptive themes in the story.

  3. Appearance vs. Reality

    • The witch’s grotesque physical description (wrinkled face, bulging forehead, color-changing eyes) mirrors her inner deformity.
    • The narrator’s darkly humorous observations ("she could not have managed [loving herself] if she had not somehow got used to herself") highlight how self-obsession distorts perception.

  4. Power and Justification

    • The king’s justification for forgetting his sister ("she made herself so disagreeable") is weak—the narrator undercuts it by pointing out that poor relations don’t remind you of their existence, implying that the king chose to ignore her.
    • The witch’s cleverness makes her dangerous—she doesn’t just punish the king but ensures the whole family suffers, showing how resentment spreads beyond its original target.

Literary Devices & Stylistic Choices ​

  1. Irony & Sarcasm

    • The opening line ("The king tried to have patience, but he succeeded very badly") sets a mocking tone, suggesting the king is not as virtuous as he thinks.
    • The narrator’s false sympathy ("poor relations don’t do anything to keep you in mind of them") blames the victim, reinforcing the king’s selfishness.

  2. Grotesque Imagery

    • The witch’s physical description is exaggerated and repulsive:
      • "Her forehead was as large as all the rest of her face, and projected over it like a precipice."
      • "The wrinkles of contempt crossed the wrinkles of peevishness, and made her face as full of wrinkles as a pat of butter."
    • This visual grotesquerie reinforces her moral ugliness.

  3. Dark Humor & Understatement

    • "If ever a king could be justified in forgetting anybody, this king was justified in forgetting his sister"—the narrator pretends to defend the king while actually highlighting his flaw.
    • "I do not think she could have managed [loving herself] if she had not somehow got used to herself"—a witty jab at narcissism.

  4. Foreshadowing

    • The witch’s refusal to use "common" curses hints that her revenge will be unconventional and severe (the princess’s weightlessness).
    • Her determination to make the whole family miserable foreshadows the collective suffering that follows.

  5. Direct Address & Narratorial Intrusion

    • The narrator breaks the fourth wall ("What they looked like when she loved anybody, I do not know") to engage the reader, making the story feel conversational and intimate.
    • This technique also undermines the witch’s humanity—even the narrator can’t imagine her capable of love.

Significance of the Passage ​

  1. Sets Up the Central Conflict

    • The curse of weightlessness is not just a magical quirk but a metaphor for emotional detachment—the princess will later struggle with seriousness, love, and gravity (in both senses).
    • The witch’s motivation (spite) contrasts with the later redemptive love that ultimately saves the princess.

  2. Critique of Royalty & Privilege

    • The king’s carelessness reflects how power often ignores the marginalized (his sister, living in a garret).
    • The witch’s bitterness is partly a product of being forgotten, suggesting that neglect breeds resentment.

  3. Moral & Philosophical Depth

    • The story questions whether suffering is justified—the king does have reasons to dislike his sister, but his negligence still has consequences.
    • The witch’s lack of love makes her a foil to the princess, who must learn to feel weight (emotionally and physically) to be whole.

  4. Fairy-Tale Subversion

    • Unlike traditional fairy tales where forgetting a fairy is a simple mistake, MacDonald explores the psychology behind it—the king’s willful ignorance and the witch’s deep-seated malice.
    • The curse is not just punishment but a thematic device—the princess’s lack of gravity mirrors the emotional lightness of those around her.

Conclusion: Why This Excerpt Matters ​

This passage is more than just setup—it establishes the story’s tone, themes, and moral complexity. Through dark humor, grotesque imagery, and sharp social commentary, MacDonald:

  • Critiques neglect and privilege (the king’s forgetfulness).
  • Explores the roots of evil (the witch’s self-loathing and spite).
  • Foreshadows the princess’s struggle with emotional and physical weight.

The narrator’s witty, intrusive voice makes the story feel both timeless and deeply personal, inviting readers to question who is truly at fault—the forgetful king or the vengeful witch. Ultimately, the excerpt sets the stage for a fairy tale that is as much about psychology as it is about magic.

Would you like a deeper dive into any specific aspect, such as the symbolism of weightlessness or comparisons to other fairy tales?