The Princess Bride

Why did The Princess Bride have such an impact on the fictional Goldman’s childhood? How does his view of the story change when he rereads, and rewrites, it as an adult?

How does the novel’s framing device affect your experience of the story? Do Goldman’s interjections and abridgement choices support the themes of the story? If so, how? If not, what does that detraction itself tell you about the novel’s meaning?

The fictional Goldman’s relationships with his father and son significantly impact his personal story. In The Princess Bride, however, parent-child relationships are generally portrayed in a negative light. Why do you think the author made this choice?

The Princess Bride is primarily a love story between Westley and Buttercup. In what sense does the novel suggest that theirs is a “true love”? Is their love story meant to be taken at face value?

Prince Humperdinck reserves the fifth floor of the Zoo of Death for the creature that can finally defeat him. Why do you think he puts an already defeated Westley in this space?

The novel has three potential endings: Morgenstern’s original endings, Goldman’s father’s ending, and Goldman’s own. How does each of these represent a culmination of the novel’s themes? 

Goldman claims Morgenstern’s original book was a satire of Florinese history. Is this version of The Princess Bride a satire? If so, what does the author satirize?

Consider the friendship between Inigo and Fezzik and the friendship between Prince Humperdinck and Count Rugen. What do these relationships have in common, and how are they different? Does the novel suggest one is healthier than the other?