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The Chronicles of Pantouflia #1
Prince Prigio
Prince Prigio is a literary and comic fairy tale written by Andrew Lang in 1889, and illustrated by Gordon Browne. It draws in Lang's folklorist background for many tropes.
A sequel was published in 1893, Prince Ricardo of Pantouflia: Being the Adventures of Prince Prigio's Son. The two were issued in one 1895 volume as My Own Fairy Book: Namely, Certain Chronicles of Pantouflia, As Notably the Adventures of Prigio, Prince of That Country, and of His Son, Ricardo, with an Excerpt from the Annals of Scotland, As Touching Ker of Fairnilee, His Sojourn with the Queen of Faery.
The plot of Prince Prigio begins with the introduction of a queen who does not believe in fairies. After many childless years, she and the king finally had a boy, Prigio. When the queen refused to invite the fairies to the christening, none of the nobles would attend, and so the king and queen were alone when the fairies arrived and presented the child with gifts.
A sequel was published in 1893, Prince Ricardo of Pantouflia: Being the Adventures of Prince Prigio's Son. The two were issued in one 1895 volume as My Own Fairy Book: Namely, Certain Chronicles of Pantouflia, As Notably the Adventures of Prigio, Prince of That Country, and of His Son, Ricardo, with an Excerpt from the Annals of Scotland, As Touching Ker of Fairnilee, His Sojourn with the Queen of Faery.
The plot of Prince Prigio begins with the introduction of a queen who does not believe in fairies. After many childless years, she and the king finally had a boy, Prigio. When the queen refused to invite the fairies to the christening, none of the nobles would attend, and so the king and queen were alone when the fairies arrived and presented the child with gifts.
Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1889
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About the author
Andrew Lang
2,939 books563 followersTales of the Scottish writer and anthropologist Andrew Lang include
The Blue Fairy Book
(1889).
Andrew Gabriel Lang, a prolific Scotsman of letters, contributed poetry, novels, literary criticism, and collected now best folklore.
The Young Scholar and Journalist
Andrew Gabriel Lang, the son of the town clerk and the eldest of eight children, lived in Selkirk in the Scottish borderlands. The wild and beautiful landscape of childhood greatly affected the youth and inspired a lifelong love of the outdoors and a fascination with local folklore and history. Charles Edward Stuart and Robert I the Bruce surrounded him in the borders, a rich area in history. He later achieved his literary Short History of Scotland .
A gifted student and avid reader, Lang went to the prestigious Saint Andrews University, which now holds a lecture series in his honor every few years, and then to Balliol College, Oxford. He later published Oxford: Brief Historical and Descriptive Notes about the city in 1880.
Moving to London at the age of 31 years in 1875 as an already published poet, he started working as a journalist. His dry sense of humor, style, and huge array of interests made him a popular editor and columnist quickly for The Daily Post, Time magazine and Fortnightly Review. Whilst working in London, he met and married Leonora Blanche Alleyne Lang, his wife.
Interest in myths and folklore continued as he and Leonora traveled through France and Italy to hear local legends, from which came the most famous The Rainbow Fairy Books . In the late 19th century, interest in the native stories declined and very few persons recounting them for young readers. In fact, some educationalists attacked harmful magical stories in general to children. To challenge this notion, Lang first began collecting stories for the first of his colored volumes.
Lang gathered already recorded stories, while other folklorists collected stories directly from source. He used his time to collect a much greater breadth over the world from Jacob Grimm, his brother, Madame d'Aulnoy, and other less well sources.
Lang also worked as the editor, often credited as its sole creator for his work despite the essential support of his wife, who transcribed and organised the translation of the text, to the success.
He published to wide acclaim. The beautiful illustrations and magic captivated the minds of children and adults alike. The success first allowed Lang and Leonora to carry on their research and in 1890 to publish a much larger print run of The Red Fairy Book , which drew on even more sources. Between 1889 and 1910, they published twelve collections, which, each with a different colored binding, collected, edited and translated a total of 437 stories. Lang, credited with reviving interest in folklore, more importantly revolutionized the Victorian view and inspired generations of parents to begin reading them to children once more.
Last Works
Lang produced and at the same time continued a wide assortment of novels, literary criticism, articles, and poetry. As Anita Silvey, literary critic, however, noted, "The irony of Lang's life and work is that although he wrote for a profession... he is best recognized for the works he did not write," the folk stories that he collected.
He finished not the last Highways and Byways of the Border but died.
Andrew Gabriel Lang, a prolific Scotsman of letters, contributed poetry, novels, literary criticism, and collected now best folklore.
The Young Scholar and Journalist
Andrew Gabriel Lang, the son of the town clerk and the eldest of eight children, lived in Selkirk in the Scottish borderlands. The wild and beautiful landscape of childhood greatly affected the youth and inspired a lifelong love of the outdoors and a fascination with local folklore and history. Charles Edward Stuart and Robert I the Bruce surrounded him in the borders, a rich area in history. He later achieved his literary Short History of Scotland .
A gifted student and avid reader, Lang went to the prestigious Saint Andrews University, which now holds a lecture series in his honor every few years, and then to Balliol College, Oxford. He later published Oxford: Brief Historical and Descriptive Notes about the city in 1880.
Moving to London at the age of 31 years in 1875 as an already published poet, he started working as a journalist. His dry sense of humor, style, and huge array of interests made him a popular editor and columnist quickly for The Daily Post, Time magazine and Fortnightly Review. Whilst working in London, he met and married Leonora Blanche Alleyne Lang, his wife.
Interest in myths and folklore continued as he and Leonora traveled through France and Italy to hear local legends, from which came the most famous The Rainbow Fairy Books . In the late 19th century, interest in the native stories declined and very few persons recounting them for young readers. In fact, some educationalists attacked harmful magical stories in general to children. To challenge this notion, Lang first began collecting stories for the first of his colored volumes.
Lang gathered already recorded stories, while other folklorists collected stories directly from source. He used his time to collect a much greater breadth over the world from Jacob Grimm, his brother, Madame d'Aulnoy, and other less well sources.
Lang also worked as the editor, often credited as its sole creator for his work despite the essential support of his wife, who transcribed and organised the translation of the text, to the success.
He published to wide acclaim. The beautiful illustrations and magic captivated the minds of children and adults alike. The success first allowed Lang and Leonora to carry on their research and in 1890 to publish a much larger print run of The Red Fairy Book , which drew on even more sources. Between 1889 and 1910, they published twelve collections, which, each with a different colored binding, collected, edited and translated a total of 437 stories. Lang, credited with reviving interest in folklore, more importantly revolutionized the Victorian view and inspired generations of parents to begin reading them to children once more.
Last Works
Lang produced and at the same time continued a wide assortment of novels, literary criticism, articles, and poetry. As Anita Silvey, literary critic, however, noted, "The irony of Lang's life and work is that although he wrote for a profession... he is best recognized for the works he did not write," the folk stories that he collected.
He finished not the last Highways and Byways of the Border but died.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
December 31, 2018
I don't think I properly understood how funny this book was when I read it as a child. I just found the Gutenberg edition here and couldn't stop until I'd reached the end, laughing out loud at least three times. Strongly recommended to all the other people here on Goodreads who are cleverer than is good for them; start reading and you'll soon see why.
Happy New Year!
Happy New Year!
April 25, 2015
Like generations of other children, I grew up loving Andrew Lang's 'Fairy Books.' However, I don't think I ever had the opportunity to read 'Prince Prigio.' It's too bad; I think that not only would I have enjoyed it, I might've learned some valuable life tips from it. However, there are some bits that might've flown right over my head at that time.
The story is humorous, clever and satirical... but not to such a degree that it detracts from the pure enjoyability of the story.
Prince Prigio is an oldest son who was gifted by the fairies with a number of magical gifts at his christening - not least the gift of being 'too clever.' However, Prigio takes after his pragmatic and scientific-minded mother, and doesn't believe in fairies - or anything magical at all. Therefore, when his father insists that he go on a quest to defeat the notorious fabulous beast, the Firedrake - he doesn't take the request seriously at all. After all, the beast doesn't exist!
However, the way events play out may requires that several characters rethink their basic outlooks...
The story is humorous, clever and satirical... but not to such a degree that it detracts from the pure enjoyability of the story.
Prince Prigio is an oldest son who was gifted by the fairies with a number of magical gifts at his christening - not least the gift of being 'too clever.' However, Prigio takes after his pragmatic and scientific-minded mother, and doesn't believe in fairies - or anything magical at all. Therefore, when his father insists that he go on a quest to defeat the notorious fabulous beast, the Firedrake - he doesn't take the request seriously at all. After all, the beast doesn't exist!
However, the way events play out may requires that several characters rethink their basic outlooks...
August 14, 2020
Just reread this today, sparked by an article in the WaPo about Andrew Lang. Ahh. Simpler times. A lovely fairy tale.
January 5, 2021
Funny in a smart way, engaging, in a public domain,... Glad I read it :)
September 30, 2015
It is a fairy tale about disbelieving fairies, and the conflict between realistic and imaginative way of thinking. It is about cleverness; and how people dislike those who are cleverer than they are. The story shows a great influence of Arabian nights in Lang’s thought, and he mentioned its name many times in the story. It shows how Prince Prigio defeated the two horrible beasts, namely the Firedrake and the Remora, by plotting to let them fight each other instead of fighting them alone by himself. It is a story of jealousy, magic, love, and betrayal. The story shows how kings keep their own words when they want to avoid giving what they had promised, still cleverness proved to be the strongest weapon ever, and Prince Prigio could achieve all what he wants when his father – who hates him for his being so smart – tried to get rid of him and execute him. The story indicated the eagerness of people to gain immortality as Prince Prigio got the magical drops from the fountain of lions with the help of which he helped his younger brothers, Enrico and Alphonso, to return to life. He helped reviving the bodies of many of Roman, Greek, and Knight Templers to life too. At last, Prigio’s lover, the daughter of the English ambassador, asked him to wish to be no smarter than everyone else to be loved by all the people. However, Prigio proved to be smart by pretending to do such a wish for his wishing cap, but he kept his lie as a secret from his wife. He remained as smart as he was, but people started loving him thinking that he has abandoned that gift given to him by the fairies he was not believing in their existence. As for the queen, the intelligent woman fond of books, she still denying all those miracles and refusing to believe in them. The story, despite its comic and legendary style, depicts the conflict between logic and metaphysics so clearly, and how smart people could never despise their mind’s power by believing in unbelievable things.
Quote:
If you are clever, you will find it best not to let people know it – if you want them to like you.
Quote:
If you are clever, you will find it best not to let people know it – if you want them to like you.
December 12, 2015
A lightsome comic fairy tale retelling.
A mash-up, mostly drawing on the best known tales. Though there are a few jokes that will pass right by a reader who doesn't know some unfamiliar tales.
It's the tale of the firstborn son of a queen who does not believe in fairies or magic and refuses to invite the fairies to the christening, despite the king's pleas. They come anyway. And shower him with presents. And the final one wishes that he will be too clever. Which makes him -- rather unpleasant. And also as adament at his mother that magic does not exist.
A tale involving a firedrake, a ambassador's daughter, a flying carpet, a magic telescope, a wishing hat, and quite a bit more.
A mash-up, mostly drawing on the best known tales. Though there are a few jokes that will pass right by a reader who doesn't know some unfamiliar tales.
It's the tale of the firstborn son of a queen who does not believe in fairies or magic and refuses to invite the fairies to the christening, despite the king's pleas. They come anyway. And shower him with presents. And the final one wishes that he will be too clever. Which makes him -- rather unpleasant. And also as adament at his mother that magic does not exist.
A tale involving a firedrake, a ambassador's daughter, a flying carpet, a magic telescope, a wishing hat, and quite a bit more.
December 14, 2023
This is a comic story written by the collector of folk tales in his Fairy Books of various colors, an original creation of his, although it does make a lot of references. The story starts in the Kingdom of Pantouflia, with the typical king with three sons whom he sends off to accomplish a difficult task, only the oldest one won't go at all. This titular prince is an obnoxious know-it-all who doesn't believe in fairies or magic, and is very unpopular with just about everyone, especially his father. After his brothers are killed by a firedrake, Prigio is exiled, but falling in love with the daughter of the English Ambassador makes him much humbler and less self-satisfied. He's able to use his wits to get the drake and another monster to kill each other. The other creature is referred to as a Remora, traditionally a fish, but here it seems to be a kind of ice monster, as Cyrano de Bergerac had described it. Prigio has access to magic from many different stories, including water that brings his brothers back to life, said to come from the Fountain of Lions. It's from the Arabian Nights, specifically a tale that also involves a magic carpet and a glass that can see anything. The fountain might be the one at the Alhambra in Spain. There's also a reference to another satirical fairy tale, The Rose and the Ring, with the King of Pantouflia mentioning that Giglio of Paflagonia was an ancestor of his.
February 6, 2019
Desconocía a este autor que es un clásico de los “cuentos de hadas” en GB.
Bebiendo de muchas fuentes, especialmente de Las mil y una noches, y con la sátira como base principal, nos habla de presión social, percepciones, desprecio por el que destaca y conformidad.
Muy entretenido.
Bebiendo de muchas fuentes, especialmente de Las mil y una noches, y con la sátira como base principal, nos habla de presión social, percepciones, desprecio por el que destaca y conformidad.
Muy entretenido.
June 13, 2018
A classic comic fairytale.
Pantouflia has a stupid king and a smart queen who nonetheless refuses to believe in the existence of fairies, even when they come to dinner. Prigio grows up to be so smart he becomes insufferable. His younger brothers go off to fight a Firedrake and are never seen again.
Using his wits and some magical birthday presents from the fairies, most of which Lang pleasingly appropriated from the Arabian Nights Prigio comes to the rescue. I always wanted a pair of seven-league boots!
Lang has some good advice for any young smarty pants: 'If you are clever, you will find it best not to let people know it—if you want them to like you.' Perhaps better yet, if you're going to have an adventure best have some cold tongue and sausage on hand in case you get hungry.
I really loved this. There was one wee wobble when a cat was hideously misused near the end (it was all for the best!) but the ending itself was perfect.
If you liked The Princess Bride you'll like Prince Prigio.
Pantouflia has a stupid king and a smart queen who nonetheless refuses to believe in the existence of fairies, even when they come to dinner. Prigio grows up to be so smart he becomes insufferable. His younger brothers go off to fight a Firedrake and are never seen again.
Using his wits and some magical birthday presents from the fairies, most of which Lang pleasingly appropriated from the Arabian Nights Prigio comes to the rescue. I always wanted a pair of seven-league boots!
Lang has some good advice for any young smarty pants: 'If you are clever, you will find it best not to let people know it—if you want them to like you.' Perhaps better yet, if you're going to have an adventure best have some cold tongue and sausage on hand in case you get hungry.
I really loved this. There was one wee wobble when a cat was hideously misused near the end (it was all for the best!) but the ending itself was perfect.
If you liked The Princess Bride you'll like Prince Prigio.
September 17, 2013
Interesting. I had never heard of this book.
December 30, 2021
If you like fairytales, fantastical creatures, clever protagonists, and bumbling kings, do yourself a favor and read this witty and whimsical tale.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews