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Розата и пръстенът
или историята на принц Глупендрино и принц Кискио
Представление за големи и малки деца, насядали вечер край камината
"Най-сетне доведоха принцесата само по нощница, а великолепната й коса падаше надолу по гърба и тя изглеждаше толкова красива, че дори телохранителите и прислугата, която се грижеше за дивите животни, се разридаха неудържимо. Когато лъвовете се приближиха до Розалба, вместо да я разкъсат с яките си челюсти, те се хвърлиха да я целуват. Близнаха хубавото й лице, потриха носовете си о скута й и замъркаха..."
КНИГАТА Е ИЗДАДЕНА С КОНКУРС НА НАЦИОНАЛНИЯ ЦЕНТЪР ЗА КНИГАТА
Представление за големи и малки деца, насядали вечер край камината
"Най-сетне доведоха принцесата само по нощница, а великолепната й коса падаше надолу по гърба и тя изглеждаше толкова красива, че дори телохранителите и прислугата, която се грижеше за дивите животни, се разридаха неудържимо. Когато лъвовете се приближиха до Розалба, вместо да я разкъсат с яките си челюсти, те се хвърлиха да я целуват. Близнаха хубавото й лице, потриха носовете си о скута й и замъркаха..."
КНИГАТА Е ИЗДАДЕНА С КОНКУРС НА НАЦИОНАЛНИЯ ЦЕНТЪР ЗА КНИГАТА
144 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1855
66 people are currently reading
1637 people want to read
About the author
William Makepeace Thackeray
5,174 books1,310 followersWilliam Makepeace Thackeray was an English novelist, satirist, and journalist, best known for his keen social commentary and his novel Vanity Fair (1847–1848). His works often explored themes of ambition, hypocrisy, and the moral failings of British society, making him one of the most significant literary figures of the Victorian era.
Born in Calcutta, British India, he was sent to England for his education after his father’s death. He attended Charterhouse School, where he developed a distaste for the rigid school system, and later enrolled at Trinity College, Cambridge. However, he left without earning a degree, instead traveling in Europe and pursuing artistic ambitions.
After losing much of his inheritance due to bad investments, Thackeray turned to writing for a living. He contributed satirical sketches, essays, and stories to periodicals such as Fraser’s Magazine and Punch, gradually building a reputation for his sharp wit and keen observational skills. His breakthrough came with Vanity Fair, a panoramic satire of English society that introduced the enduring character of Becky Sharp, a resourceful and amoral social climber.
Thackeray’s later novels, including Pendennis (1848–1850), The History of Henry Esmond (1852), and The Newcomes (1853–1855), continued to explore the lives of the English upper and middle classes, often focusing on the contrast between personal virtue and social ambition. His historical novel Henry Esmond was particularly praised for its detailed 18th-century setting and complex characterization.
In addition to his fiction, Thackeray was a noted public speaker and essayist, delivering lectures on the English humorists of the 18th century and on The Four Georges, a critical look at the British monarchy.
Despite his literary success, he lived with personal struggles, including the mental illness of his wife, Isabella, which deeply affected him. He remained devoted to his two daughters and was known for his kindness and generosity among his friends and colleagues.
His works remain widely read, appreciated for their incisive humor, rich characterizations, and unflinching critique of social pretensions.
Born in Calcutta, British India, he was sent to England for his education after his father’s death. He attended Charterhouse School, where he developed a distaste for the rigid school system, and later enrolled at Trinity College, Cambridge. However, he left without earning a degree, instead traveling in Europe and pursuing artistic ambitions.
After losing much of his inheritance due to bad investments, Thackeray turned to writing for a living. He contributed satirical sketches, essays, and stories to periodicals such as Fraser’s Magazine and Punch, gradually building a reputation for his sharp wit and keen observational skills. His breakthrough came with Vanity Fair, a panoramic satire of English society that introduced the enduring character of Becky Sharp, a resourceful and amoral social climber.
Thackeray’s later novels, including Pendennis (1848–1850), The History of Henry Esmond (1852), and The Newcomes (1853–1855), continued to explore the lives of the English upper and middle classes, often focusing on the contrast between personal virtue and social ambition. His historical novel Henry Esmond was particularly praised for its detailed 18th-century setting and complex characterization.
In addition to his fiction, Thackeray was a noted public speaker and essayist, delivering lectures on the English humorists of the 18th century and on The Four Georges, a critical look at the British monarchy.
Despite his literary success, he lived with personal struggles, including the mental illness of his wife, Isabella, which deeply affected him. He remained devoted to his two daughters and was known for his kindness and generosity among his friends and colleagues.
His works remain widely read, appreciated for their incisive humor, rich characterizations, and unflinching critique of social pretensions.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 117 reviews
April 19, 2015
According to the author's introduction, this was intended to be put on as a dramatic presentation, or pantomime, at Christmastime, for children.
It was indeed published at Christmas (1854), but I'm not at all convinced that the main intended audience was children. This is, technically, a fairy tale, but it's mainly a political and social satire, caricaturing the events and personalities of the day. I'm quite certain that quite a lot of the humor flew past me, but it seems that it was quite timely.
The titular rose and ring are magical objects that makes the bearer seem irresistibly beautiful to those around them. They originate with the Fairy Blackstick, who is quite unpopular after wishing some infants 'misfortune' at their christenings, rather than magical blessings. However, sometimes a bit of misfortune is good for the character.
The plot is a rather slapstick romantic comedy, with quite a lot of lampooning of the upper crust. It's entertaining - but was probably even funnier 150 years ago.
It was indeed published at Christmas (1854), but I'm not at all convinced that the main intended audience was children. This is, technically, a fairy tale, but it's mainly a political and social satire, caricaturing the events and personalities of the day. I'm quite certain that quite a lot of the humor flew past me, but it seems that it was quite timely.
The titular rose and ring are magical objects that makes the bearer seem irresistibly beautiful to those around them. They originate with the Fairy Blackstick, who is quite unpopular after wishing some infants 'misfortune' at their christenings, rather than magical blessings. However, sometimes a bit of misfortune is good for the character.
The plot is a rather slapstick romantic comedy, with quite a lot of lampooning of the upper crust. It's entertaining - but was probably even funnier 150 years ago.
December 22, 2020
Inspired by a Christmas story devised for his daughters, Thackeray’s The Rose and The Ring is an old favourite. First published in 1854, subtitled “a fireside pantomime for great and small children,” it’s a wonderful parody of a traditional fairy tale, with a thinly-veiled satirical edge and a dash of macabre, gothic melodrama. The actions of disgruntled Fairy Blackstick, fed up with her royal godchildren growing up to be vain and frivolous, spark a complex chain of events across the kingdoms of Paflagonia and Crim Tartary, in which a princess is lost, a prince displaced, an ill-tempered princess gets her comeuppance, magical items transform the unlikeliest of individuals, and a pair of lions comes in handy. Thackeray’s plot machinations rival Shakespeare’s, and, as with Shakespeare’s comedies, all’s well that ends well. I love this one, it’s a marvellously entertaining, surprisingly gripping but light-hearted piece, enhanced by Thackeray’s delightful, humorous, original illustrations.
April 23, 2010
Hilarious biting satire about monarchies, heroes, heroines and Victorian mores, all in a faux-fairytale wrapper with illustrations and footnotes on each page, that when read in succession, make a poem describing the story's events.
I LOVE my 1934 Macmillan & Co edition with its red hardback cover embossed with Mr Gruffanuff as a doorknocker.
I LOVE my 1934 Macmillan & Co edition with its red hardback cover embossed with Mr Gruffanuff as a doorknocker.
December 7, 2019
I used to love this book as a child & still found it entertaining, especially the tongue-in-cheek approach to fairy tales.
October 26, 2024
Parts of this ring of a mock-Shakespearean comedy. Being a fairy tale, it is playfully light. Thackeray messes around with the superficiality of appearances, and how eagerly susceptible to them we are. It would be a spoiler to reveal his more explicit moral since he just comes right out and tells it to the reader; but my reviews are all about the messages in the books I read so I’ll just hide this one with a spoiler command:
Fairy tales are fairy tales, I guess. Just because Thackery can create Vanity Fair does not necessarily mean he can create an exceptional fairy tale. This is more a curiosity than a mindblow.
Fairy tales are fairy tales, I guess. Just because Thackery can create Vanity Fair does not necessarily mean he can create an exceptional fairy tale. This is more a curiosity than a mindblow.
January 9, 2015
Written initially by Thackeray as a 'fireside pantomime' in order to entertain some children while he was holidaying in Rome during the Christmas of 1854, 'The Rose and the Ring' is a mock fairy tale of misplaced heirs, malignant tyrants and magical amulets - an affable ancestor to the likes of The Princess Bride and Stardust. if you will.
The fictional and very ancient (the story is set 'ten or twenty thousand years ago'!) kingdoms of Paflagonia and Crim Tartary, always at war, have both been usurped by illegitimate monarchs, but an opportunity to unite the crowns presents itself when the (seemingly) valiant Prince Bulbo comes to visit the (seemingly) talented Princess Angelica.
So what of the legitimate monarchs? Well, Prince Giglio, a good but unambitious lad, had the crown of Paflagonia taken from him when young by his uncle Valoroso XXIV, and now languishes at court.
Princess Rosalba was last seen as a child, wondering into a lion-infested forest after Duke Padella overthrew her father. She somehow made it to Paflogonia, became the maid to Princess Angelica, and has been renamed Betsinda.
Got that?
It's a classic muddle, one only enhanced by the rose and ring of the title, magical charms once furnished by a witch named Fairy Blackstick, which render the wearers irresistible.
It was Blackstick who caused the mix-ups in the first place, cursing the heirs to suffer 'a little misfortune' after a fit of pique with their parents.
This is a mere trifle for Thackeray, but a fun and timeless one, with some excellent comedic ideas, such as an abusive porter who gets turned into a door knocker!
It does run out of steam a little near the end though.
The fictional and very ancient (the story is set 'ten or twenty thousand years ago'!) kingdoms of Paflagonia and Crim Tartary, always at war, have both been usurped by illegitimate monarchs, but an opportunity to unite the crowns presents itself when the (seemingly) valiant Prince Bulbo comes to visit the (seemingly) talented Princess Angelica.
So what of the legitimate monarchs? Well, Prince Giglio, a good but unambitious lad, had the crown of Paflagonia taken from him when young by his uncle Valoroso XXIV, and now languishes at court.
Princess Rosalba was last seen as a child, wondering into a lion-infested forest after Duke Padella overthrew her father. She somehow made it to Paflogonia, became the maid to Princess Angelica, and has been renamed Betsinda.
Got that?
It's a classic muddle, one only enhanced by the rose and ring of the title, magical charms once furnished by a witch named Fairy Blackstick, which render the wearers irresistible.
It was Blackstick who caused the mix-ups in the first place, cursing the heirs to suffer 'a little misfortune' after a fit of pique with their parents.
This is a mere trifle for Thackeray, but a fun and timeless one, with some excellent comedic ideas, such as an abusive porter who gets turned into a door knocker!
It does run out of steam a little near the end though.
February 28, 2023
Two kingdoms: Paflagonia and Crim Tartary.
Two rulers who have stolen the kingdom from the rightful heir.
A magical fairy who is weary of begifting newborns, disgusted with the results of earlier gifts of a magical rose and a magical ring which make the bearer appear the most beautiful of all, now presenting gifts to new babies of "misfortune."
That's the setup.
The Rose and the Ring is a laugh-out-loud comedy of errors, the delightful result of the dropping of the magical rose or the exchanging of the magical ring, with people instantly falling in love with others and the consequences of that.
'Oh, divine Betsinda,' says the Prince, 'how have I lived fifteen years in thy company without seeing thy perfections? What woman in all Europe, Asia, Africa, and America, nay, in Australia, only it is not yet discovered, can presume to be thy equal?'
Were I engaged in fighting for my country, I should like such a suit of armour as Prince Giglio wore; but, you know, he was a Prince of a fairy tale, and they always have these wonderful things.
Wonderful fun.
A 1001 Children's Book You Must Read.
Two rulers who have stolen the kingdom from the rightful heir.
A magical fairy who is weary of begifting newborns, disgusted with the results of earlier gifts of a magical rose and a magical ring which make the bearer appear the most beautiful of all, now presenting gifts to new babies of "misfortune."
That's the setup.
The Rose and the Ring is a laugh-out-loud comedy of errors, the delightful result of the dropping of the magical rose or the exchanging of the magical ring, with people instantly falling in love with others and the consequences of that.
'Oh, divine Betsinda,' says the Prince, 'how have I lived fifteen years in thy company without seeing thy perfections? What woman in all Europe, Asia, Africa, and America, nay, in Australia, only it is not yet discovered, can presume to be thy equal?'
Were I engaged in fighting for my country, I should like such a suit of armour as Prince Giglio wore; but, you know, he was a Prince of a fairy tale, and they always have these wonderful things.
Wonderful fun.
A 1001 Children's Book You Must Read.
September 10, 2017
I've given this four stars based on its potential, which I missed out on due to listening to the Librivox audiobook instead of reading the text with illustrations.
I would love to find an illustrated hardcopy one day. It's the sort of book that begs to be presented as a glossy hardcover. I enjoyed all the nonsense of this story, and wish that I had a better understanding of the times in which it was written. And I'd love to have some children to read it to (mine are sadly all grown up). This actually says a lot about the book, as I'm not a fan of fairy tales. But this was too much fun to resist.
I would love to find an illustrated hardcopy one day. It's the sort of book that begs to be presented as a glossy hardcover. I enjoyed all the nonsense of this story, and wish that I had a better understanding of the times in which it was written. And I'd love to have some children to read it to (mine are sadly all grown up). This actually says a lot about the book, as I'm not a fan of fairy tales. But this was too much fun to resist.
December 24, 2014
From BBC Radio 4 Extra:
Unable to find any Christmas entertainment, Thackeray invents his own fireside pantomime - a story of kings, princesses, lions and battles. Stars Prunella Scales and Maureen Lipman.
Unable to find any Christmas entertainment, Thackeray invents his own fireside pantomime - a story of kings, princesses, lions and battles. Stars Prunella Scales and Maureen Lipman.
April 20, 2021
Powrót po latach tylko ugruntował moją entuzjastyczną opinię o tej książce i o tym przekładzie - pani Rogoszówna robi z językiem niesamowite rzeczy, z taką lekkością, wdziękiem i humorem, że trudno mi nie posiadać się z zachwytu.
March 5, 2009
This is a novelette and it's very funny. I read it when in 8th grade first, then later as an adult. Thackeray at his most playful. Tons of fun.
July 16, 2012
loved it...still do! :)
December 8, 2025
This book is Thackeray at his most mischievous — a fairy-tale parody that winks so hard at its readers you can practically hear it. If Barry Lyndon is all swagger and self-delusion, this one is pure comic chaos served with velvet gloves, magic trinkets, and an author who keeps poking fun at every fairy-tale convention like a kid who’s found the “reset” button on the genre.
The plot spins around enchanted objects — a rose and a ring that make their wearers appear irresistibly beautiful — and Thackeray gleefully uses this gimmick to roast vanity, power, and the fragile egos of royalty.
Beauty becomes a literal illusion, and everyone behaves like fools because of it. Honestly, it feels shockingly modern: the whole thing could double as a satire of Instagram filters and delusional self-confidence. Thackeray was accidentally predicting 21st-century behaviour long before it became mainstream.
But beneath the absurdity, there’s real storytelling warmth. The humour is playful, never mean. The characters — clumsy princes, fainting princesses, scheming courtiers — are drawn with the affectionate exaggeration of a sly uncle telling bedtime stories he knows aren’t meant to be taken seriously. And the illustrations (Thackeray’s own) add another layer of charm, like doodles in the margins of a very sophisticated joke.
What stays with you is the combination of whimsy and wisdom: a fairy tale that refuses to be noble, magic that exposes human silliness, and a narrator who keeps breaking the fourth wall with perfect comic timing.
Short, sweet, silly, and secretly sharp — The Rose and the Ring is Thackeray letting loose and reminding us that fairy tales can be fun, irreverent, and delightfully self-aware.
The plot spins around enchanted objects — a rose and a ring that make their wearers appear irresistibly beautiful — and Thackeray gleefully uses this gimmick to roast vanity, power, and the fragile egos of royalty.
Beauty becomes a literal illusion, and everyone behaves like fools because of it. Honestly, it feels shockingly modern: the whole thing could double as a satire of Instagram filters and delusional self-confidence. Thackeray was accidentally predicting 21st-century behaviour long before it became mainstream.
But beneath the absurdity, there’s real storytelling warmth. The humour is playful, never mean. The characters — clumsy princes, fainting princesses, scheming courtiers — are drawn with the affectionate exaggeration of a sly uncle telling bedtime stories he knows aren’t meant to be taken seriously. And the illustrations (Thackeray’s own) add another layer of charm, like doodles in the margins of a very sophisticated joke.
What stays with you is the combination of whimsy and wisdom: a fairy tale that refuses to be noble, magic that exposes human silliness, and a narrator who keeps breaking the fourth wall with perfect comic timing.
Short, sweet, silly, and secretly sharp — The Rose and the Ring is Thackeray letting loose and reminding us that fairy tales can be fun, irreverent, and delightfully self-aware.
February 12, 2011
It would have been fun to be a child who got to listen to Thackeray's fireside tales! I've been wanting to get my hands on this book for years, thank you paperbackswap!! Delightful little satirical "fairy tale" that I think I'll be reading to my children sometime in the near future. This copy (perhaps all of them?) has illustrations by Thackeray himself, which I find so fun--especially when he says things like "...and it looked just like this..." above one of his drawings. I just think that adds so much to the story--not to mention that his drawings are delightful. My 3yo was intrigued with them as I tried to read last night while he "tried" to go to sleep.
Not sure if this is one for every palate (it doesn't read like a variation on a Sleeping Beauty or anything), but already being a big Thackeray fan, I loved it.
Not sure if this is one for every palate (it doesn't read like a variation on a Sleeping Beauty or anything), but already being a big Thackeray fan, I loved it.
July 19, 2020
This book is a Renaissance fairy tale written by an author who lived in the Victorian era. I would place this story up with Peter Pan and The Wizard of Oz. It is well-written, completely clean, and suitable for all who can read. The plot consists of a prince who has lost his kingdom to his uncle, a maid taken into the castle, a spoiled princess, a well-meaning fairy, an ugly prince, a horrid old hag, and a rose and a ring, both of which are enchanted to make the owners of them extraordinarily beautiful to members of the opposite gender. All these things come together in a delightful tale.
January 3, 2017
I do love some cynical Thackeray satire, and nobody does it quite like him. This story is written for children as a holiday-time pageant (probably complete with puppets), so it's simple and has a happy ending with a morally-sound conclusion, but it is full of clever commentary and portraiture for the characters. And they are dreadfully funny characters. I enjoyed the lions, and the fairy Blackstick who has to put up with so much nonsense, and the way the final chapter echoed the Merchant of Venice on a somewhat more child-friendly level. I'd love for my kids to be entertained through Twelfth Night with fare such as this!
May 21, 2021
Thackeray's Christmas pantomime for children follows the general tropes of other books of this ilk written in the 1800s: there's silliness for the kiddos, but it's also filled with social and political quips clearly intended for adults. Neither have aged well and the whole thing just didn't land for me. I think I have a low tolerance for this particular genre: the plot is flimsy, and the feeling that the author/narrator is constantly wink-winking and nudge-nudging you with his jokes becomes tiresome fairly quickly. *shrug*
July 21, 2014
I couldn't finish Vanity Fair and I couldn't finish this. The satire was too carefully spelled out, the fairy tale aspects just reminded me of how many fairy tales I've read, and the characters couldn't keep my attention. I'm glad he's out there for other people, but dang. I give up on Thackeray.
May 3, 2012
A ridiculous, enchanting parody of a fairy tale that I really quite enjoyed. It was silly but charming and overall a good, humerous read for the fairy-tale lover.
January 8, 2018
weird little library sale treasure. political and fairy tale satire by Thackeray. parts of it were good but I felt like even the "heroes" didn't really deserve the happy endings they got.
June 14, 2020
"Wszyscy sądzili, że Czarna Wróżka, którą zaproszono w kumy, ofiaruje swemu chrześniakowi przynajmniej czapkę-niewidkę, siwka złotogrzywka, bułkę niedojadkę lub jakiś inny wartościowy podarunek, świadczący o jej łasce i dobrym smaku. Ale gdy wszyscy podziwiali noworodka i składali powinszowania matce i ojcu, wróżka, pochyliwszy się nad małym królewiczem Lulejką, rzekła tylko:
— Moje biedne maleństwo, nie mogę ci ofiarować cenniejszego upominku nad odrobinę cierpienia.
To było wszystko, co powiedziała, ku oburzeniu rodziców Lulejki".
Uważaj na wróżki chrzestne, one bywają czasami dziwne.
Wróżka wykonała kiedyś magiczny pierścień, jeden, by wszystkimi rządzić, jeden, by wszystkie odnaleźć... a nie, to nie ta historia. Wracając - wróżka podarowała kiedyś w prezencie swoim chrześniaczkom zaczarowaną przez siebie różę i pierścień - ten, kto je nosił, był piękny i wręcz ubóstwiany. Efekty działania tych przedmiotów okazały się być jednak trochę bardziej rozległe, niż można było w pierwszej chwili przypuszczać, zwłaszcza kiedy nagle zmieniały właścicieli.
Książęta, księżniczki, magiczne przedmioty -brzmi jak świetna historia dla dzieci. I tak jest w rzeczywistości, "Pierścień i Róża" to zabawna baśń, którą czytałam jako dziecko i mi się bardzo podobała. Pamiętam też film, ale widziałam go baaardzo dawno temu.
7/10
— Moje biedne maleństwo, nie mogę ci ofiarować cenniejszego upominku nad odrobinę cierpienia.
To było wszystko, co powiedziała, ku oburzeniu rodziców Lulejki".
Uważaj na wróżki chrzestne, one bywają czasami dziwne.
Wróżka wykonała kiedyś magiczny pierścień, jeden, by wszystkimi rządzić, jeden, by wszystkie odnaleźć... a nie, to nie ta historia. Wracając - wróżka podarowała kiedyś w prezencie swoim chrześniaczkom zaczarowaną przez siebie różę i pierścień - ten, kto je nosił, był piękny i wręcz ubóstwiany. Efekty działania tych przedmiotów okazały się być jednak trochę bardziej rozległe, niż można było w pierwszej chwili przypuszczać, zwłaszcza kiedy nagle zmieniały właścicieli.
Książęta, księżniczki, magiczne przedmioty -brzmi jak świetna historia dla dzieci. I tak jest w rzeczywistości, "Pierścień i Róża" to zabawna baśń, którą czytałam jako dziecko i mi się bardzo podobała. Pamiętam też film, ale widziałam go baaardzo dawno temu.
7/10
October 2, 2025
A fun faux fairy tale, the main point of which is that people who never face any challenge or difficulty (such as the children of the rich and powerful) seldom develop the good qualities that a bit of hardship produces. The Fairy Blackstick attends the christenings of two royal babies, and "blesses" them with difficulties in life. Both of their kingdoms come under the rule of usurpers, and the female child gets lost in the forest and is believed to have been eaten by lions. But eventually, it all works out, after numerous shenanigans by the foolish and self-regarding usurpers and their families and supporters.
Anachronisms (deliberately) abound; although it's supposed to take place many years ago, in entirely fictional countries, there are a lot of contemporary British cultural references that readers of today will have to look up.
It's written for children, but there are plenty of sly winks to adult readers, not only in the satirical take on the powerful and their base motivations, but also in genre-savviness. At one point, the author lampshades a particularly predictable twist as being something that no reader could possibly have anticipated, and it's not the last such twist.
Still, even if we can see what's coming next, it's enjoyable to take the journey.
Anachronisms (deliberately) abound; although it's supposed to take place many years ago, in entirely fictional countries, there are a lot of contemporary British cultural references that readers of today will have to look up.
It's written for children, but there are plenty of sly winks to adult readers, not only in the satirical take on the powerful and their base motivations, but also in genre-savviness. At one point, the author lampshades a particularly predictable twist as being something that no reader could possibly have anticipated, and it's not the last such twist.
Still, even if we can see what's coming next, it's enjoyable to take the journey.
February 25, 2023
A very robust fairytale storyline that I found consistently entertaining.
I really liked this book. I was expecting something very archaic that I would struggle to connect with, but that was not the case, quite the opposite. Thackeray calls this book a 'fireside pantomime' and that shows in how humorously the book is written, and how we, the readers, are sometimes addressed directly.
I thought all the characters in this book where really good, with Betsinda definitely having the best story (I will say nothing more for fear of spoilers). The dialogue between characters was organic and believable which made the world feel pleasingly immersive. Furthermore, seeing how the fairytale items interfere with the characters' lives and feelings made for an exciting driving force in this story.
I found myself smiling all throughout this seemingly simple fairytale and for that reason I would definitely recommend this book.
I really liked this book. I was expecting something very archaic that I would struggle to connect with, but that was not the case, quite the opposite. Thackeray calls this book a 'fireside pantomime' and that shows in how humorously the book is written, and how we, the readers, are sometimes addressed directly.
I thought all the characters in this book where really good, with Betsinda definitely having the best story (I will say nothing more for fear of spoilers). The dialogue between characters was organic and believable which made the world feel pleasingly immersive. Furthermore, seeing how the fairytale items interfere with the characters' lives and feelings made for an exciting driving force in this story.
I found myself smiling all throughout this seemingly simple fairytale and for that reason I would definitely recommend this book.
May 8, 2025
Ulubiona książka z dzieciństwa, cudownie było poczuć nostalgię podczas czytania. Brawa dla tłumacza za świetne słowotwórstwo w nazwiskach i nazwach własnych. Mniejsze brawa (czy też ich brak) za użycie rasitowskiego określenia, ale rozumiem że w tamtych czasach nie miało jeszcze aż tak negatywnego nacechowania (a przynajmniej mam taką ogromną nadzieję!).
December 5, 2020
Очарователна викторианска история, пълна със странни обрати тип Сън в лятна нощ, но много британски изящна, поучителна, и признавам - доста глуповата на моменти. За четене по Коледа с усмивка и пълно стомахче :)
August 25, 2023
the black fairy <3
November 25, 2015
I first read this when I was about 9 or 10. Many of the images have stuck with me, and have influenced some of my own writing. To find it again, I did a search, and was rewarded by a few electronic editions that were downloadable for free -- however, without the illustrations. This particular book loses a lot if it doesn't include illustrations. The very first line reads, "This is Valoroso XXIV., King of Paflagonia, seated with his queen and only child at their royal breakfast-table..." In the accompanying illustration we see the king reading the letter alluded to in the second half of the opening line, with the plump queen and the teen-age daughter. Before the queen are a whole dozen eggs in their egg cups.
Thackeray's first choice of a career, BTW, was that of an illustrator. It was because he was turned down by Charles Dickens to illustrate his book "The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club", that he embarked on his second choice, that of a writer. He still did a lot of his own illustrations, as he did for The Rose and the Ring.
Another unforgatable illustration is that of the governess, Countess Gruffanuff. If your edition, like this one, doesn't contain illustrations you can at least make do with some of the names Thakeray chooses for his characters, like Prime Minister Glumboso, Count Hogginarmo (there's an illustration of him booting a couple of servants down the garden stairs), the Captain of the Guards Count Kutasoff Hedzoff, not to forget the country name, Krim Tartary. If you do want the illustrations, then for a minimum financial outlay, you could download the Delphi Complete Works of W. M. ThackerayDelphi Complete Works of W. M. Thackeray (Illustrated).
Another character I must mention is Fairy Blackstick. For the last few thousand years of blessing young royals and granting wishes, she realises she has only produced spoiled brats. To King Salvo's queen (who then reigned over Paflagonia), she had given a ring, and to Duke Padella's wife (of the Kingdom of Krim Tartary) a rose. Both gifts had a magical property of rendering the wearer charming and desirable. However, it only turned the two ladies "capricious, lazy, ill-humoured, absurdly vain..." etc. So finally, she changed tack. On her next two invitations to attend as the fairy god-mother, she simply approached the cradle and said, "My poor child, the best thing I can send you is a little misfortune." After that, people stopped inviting her. But the babies didn't become spoiled brats.
The two who were blessed with "misfortune" were Prince Giglio of Paflagonia, and Princess Rosalba of Krim Tartary. Giglio's father, King Salvo died shortly afterwards, leaving his brother, Valoroso as Lord Regent. Instead, Valoroso had himself crowned king. Orphaned Giglo went on living in the palace, though he had inherited his mother's ring.
Princess Rosalba, as a toddler, disappeared into the forest about the same time as Duke Padella staged his revolution and grabbed the crown of Krim Tartary for himself. Rosalba was taken care of by a lionness as one of her own, with a lion cub for a brother. Meanwhile, the son of the new king, Prince Bulbo, inherited his mother's rose. As the title of the story indicates, the rose and the ring are significant.
The main character of the story is Giglio, and the heroine, of course, Rosalba. Fairy Blackstick, though no longer the life of the party, still gives things a push in the right direction, and the result is a pleasing story with a most satisfactory ending. It's brilliant fantasy -- long before the likes of C.S.Lewis and Tolkien.
Thackary proves himself the master of humour and satire. I already mentioned the the way he names his characters. If you like that sort of thing, I plan to do a review of Vanity Fair at a later time.
Thackeray's first choice of a career, BTW, was that of an illustrator. It was because he was turned down by Charles Dickens to illustrate his book "The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club", that he embarked on his second choice, that of a writer. He still did a lot of his own illustrations, as he did for The Rose and the Ring.
Another unforgatable illustration is that of the governess, Countess Gruffanuff. If your edition, like this one, doesn't contain illustrations you can at least make do with some of the names Thakeray chooses for his characters, like Prime Minister Glumboso, Count Hogginarmo (there's an illustration of him booting a couple of servants down the garden stairs), the Captain of the Guards Count Kutasoff Hedzoff, not to forget the country name, Krim Tartary. If you do want the illustrations, then for a minimum financial outlay, you could download the Delphi Complete Works of W. M. ThackerayDelphi Complete Works of W. M. Thackeray (Illustrated).
Another character I must mention is Fairy Blackstick. For the last few thousand years of blessing young royals and granting wishes, she realises she has only produced spoiled brats. To King Salvo's queen (who then reigned over Paflagonia), she had given a ring, and to Duke Padella's wife (of the Kingdom of Krim Tartary) a rose. Both gifts had a magical property of rendering the wearer charming and desirable. However, it only turned the two ladies "capricious, lazy, ill-humoured, absurdly vain..." etc. So finally, she changed tack. On her next two invitations to attend as the fairy god-mother, she simply approached the cradle and said, "My poor child, the best thing I can send you is a little misfortune." After that, people stopped inviting her. But the babies didn't become spoiled brats.
The two who were blessed with "misfortune" were Prince Giglio of Paflagonia, and Princess Rosalba of Krim Tartary. Giglio's father, King Salvo died shortly afterwards, leaving his brother, Valoroso as Lord Regent. Instead, Valoroso had himself crowned king. Orphaned Giglo went on living in the palace, though he had inherited his mother's ring.
Princess Rosalba, as a toddler, disappeared into the forest about the same time as Duke Padella staged his revolution and grabbed the crown of Krim Tartary for himself. Rosalba was taken care of by a lionness as one of her own, with a lion cub for a brother. Meanwhile, the son of the new king, Prince Bulbo, inherited his mother's rose. As the title of the story indicates, the rose and the ring are significant.
The main character of the story is Giglio, and the heroine, of course, Rosalba. Fairy Blackstick, though no longer the life of the party, still gives things a push in the right direction, and the result is a pleasing story with a most satisfactory ending. It's brilliant fantasy -- long before the likes of C.S.Lewis and Tolkien.
Thackary proves himself the master of humour and satire. I already mentioned the the way he names his characters. If you like that sort of thing, I plan to do a review of Vanity Fair at a later time.
March 30, 2018
Prześmieszna i mądra bajka Williama Makepeace'a Thackeraya, pełnymi garściami czerpiąca z klasycznych - choć sama się przecież do pocztu klasyki literatury wlicza! - baśni i komedii omyłek, która bawi na nowo - a może nawet bardziej, bowiem dorosły czytelnik z łatwością wyłapie nawiązania, smaczki i co bardziej rubaszne dwuznaczne żarciki - czytana po latach.
"Pierścień i róża" to powiastka skrząca się humorem, spisana przeuroczym gawędziarskim stylem, urzekająca narracją i krotochwilnym dialogiem. Fabuła, zgodnie z "odwiecznym prawem baśni" dąży do wielu szczęśliwych zakończeń - czym, owszem, nie zaskakuje - ale drogi do nich są wyjątkowo pokrętne i pełne zwrotów akcji. Z miejsca zdobywający sobie serca czytelnika bohaterowie - nawet ci źli, gnuśni i zepsuci - snują, bądź wpadają w sieci intryg tkanych przez innych, którzy przebiegłością i podłością mogliby zawstydzić niektóre postaci z kart "Pieśni Lodu i Ognia" George'a R.R. Martina.
Jakkolwiek, każdemu w finale dostaje się to, co mu się należy - jednym więzienna cela, albo li z dawna zaginiony mąż - niekoniecznie wypatrywany z tęsknotą - innym uprzednio zagrabione podstępem "dwieście siedemnaście tysięcy milionów dziewięćset siedemdziesiąt osiemkroć sto tysięcy czterysta dwadzieścia dziewięć dukatów, trzynaście złotych i sześćdziesiąt sześć groszy", oraz królestwo i ręką umiłowanej królewny.
"Pierścień i róża" to wspaniała, dowcipna i ponadczasowa opowiastka - nienachalnie wskazująca wzniosłość dobrych cech i uczynków nad tym, co w ludziach podłe, powierzchowne i okrutne - dla dużych i małych czytelników, którą na język polski - z trwale zapadającymi w pamięć rymowankami - wspaniale przetłumaczyła poetka i pisarka Zofia Rogoszówna. Gorąco polecam!
Książka dostępna w domenie publicznej w licznych formatach, w tym w formie słuchowiska pod adresem: https://wolnelektury.pl/katalog/lektu... Niestety, do tego wydania nie dołączono - stanowiących według mnie nierozłączną całość z resztą dzieła - ilustracji wykonanych ręka autora.
"Pierścień i róża" to powiastka skrząca się humorem, spisana przeuroczym gawędziarskim stylem, urzekająca narracją i krotochwilnym dialogiem. Fabuła, zgodnie z "odwiecznym prawem baśni" dąży do wielu szczęśliwych zakończeń - czym, owszem, nie zaskakuje - ale drogi do nich są wyjątkowo pokrętne i pełne zwrotów akcji. Z miejsca zdobywający sobie serca czytelnika bohaterowie - nawet ci źli, gnuśni i zepsuci - snują, bądź wpadają w sieci intryg tkanych przez innych, którzy przebiegłością i podłością mogliby zawstydzić niektóre postaci z kart "Pieśni Lodu i Ognia" George'a R.R. Martina.
Jakkolwiek, każdemu w finale dostaje się to, co mu się należy - jednym więzienna cela, albo li z dawna zaginiony mąż - niekoniecznie wypatrywany z tęsknotą - innym uprzednio zagrabione podstępem "dwieście siedemnaście tysięcy milionów dziewięćset siedemdziesiąt osiemkroć sto tysięcy czterysta dwadzieścia dziewięć dukatów, trzynaście złotych i sześćdziesiąt sześć groszy", oraz królestwo i ręką umiłowanej królewny.
"Pierścień i róża" to wspaniała, dowcipna i ponadczasowa opowiastka - nienachalnie wskazująca wzniosłość dobrych cech i uczynków nad tym, co w ludziach podłe, powierzchowne i okrutne - dla dużych i małych czytelników, którą na język polski - z trwale zapadającymi w pamięć rymowankami - wspaniale przetłumaczyła poetka i pisarka Zofia Rogoszówna. Gorąco polecam!
Książka dostępna w domenie publicznej w licznych formatach, w tym w formie słuchowiska pod adresem: https://wolnelektury.pl/katalog/lektu... Niestety, do tego wydania nie dołączono - stanowiących według mnie nierozłączną całość z resztą dzieła - ilustracji wykonanych ręka autora.
July 4, 2017
Ok, being 22 I made up my mind to read a children's book. Considering the vocabulary, I could as well have been 122 instead and would've understood the writing better.
The plot and magical attributes - the rose, the ring and the fairy - all seem quite banal (but maybe they weren't so when the book was written; all these time dimensions make it hard for me to be objective).
What makes The Rose and the Ring special - at least in my eyes - is the form, or even the layout. Thackeray's illustrations create a wonderful atmosphere of presence. The gap between my imagination and his is immense - the author uglified the characters hilariously.
In the middle of reading this prosaic tale, it struck me: in patches it wasn't prose at all! Out of the blue characters can utter verses, and then go on mumbling in prose.
Short rhyming lines on top of each page and italized phrases add a finishing touch to the story, also drawing attention to what's important (most of the times funny as well).
By the way, I thought Giglio was called so because he giggled, but Wikipedia claims that it comes from Italian and means lily... Not so exciting.
All in all, I devoured the book quickly and found it delicious!
The plot and magical attributes - the rose, the ring and the fairy - all seem quite banal (but maybe they weren't so when the book was written; all these time dimensions make it hard for me to be objective).
What makes The Rose and the Ring special - at least in my eyes - is the form, or even the layout. Thackeray's illustrations create a wonderful atmosphere of presence. The gap between my imagination and his is immense - the author uglified the characters hilariously.
In the middle of reading this prosaic tale, it struck me: in patches it wasn't prose at all! Out of the blue characters can utter verses, and then go on mumbling in prose.
Short rhyming lines on top of each page and italized phrases add a finishing touch to the story, also drawing attention to what's important (most of the times funny as well).
By the way, I thought Giglio was called so because he giggled, but Wikipedia claims that it comes from Italian and means lily... Not so exciting.
All in all, I devoured the book quickly and found it delicious!
June 20, 2021
This is a sort of satirical fairy tale, recommended to be presented as a Christmas pantomime. It's centered around the royal families of Paflagonia and Crim Tartary, and the effects of a rose and ring given by a fairy that make their bearers irresistible. While I didn't find it laugh-out-loud funny, it was amusing enough, and I noticed a few types of humor at play. One prominent one was the preponderance of jokey names, often giving an uncanny description of a character (Lady Gruffanuff, Count Kutzoff Hedzoff) or being based on food. Noble families in Crim Tartary include Spinachi, Broccoli, Articiocci, and Sauerkraut. While the version I read didn't include Thackeray's illustrations, I was able to find them on the Library of Congress site. Another recurring joke is that the noble, stately descriptions of the royals don't match the drawings of them, which are cartoonish caricatures.
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