The Paper Bag Princess
Encyclopedia
The Paper Bag Princess is a children's book
written by Robert Munsch
and illustrated by Michael Martchenko
. It was first published on 1 May 1980 by Annick Press. The book reverses the princess and dragon
stereotype. As a result, it has won critical acclaim from feminists, including an endorsement from the National Organization for Women
, which sells the book on its website.
The Paper Bag Princess 25th Anniversary Edition: The Story Behind the Story (2005), a full-color hardback, reveals the inspiration behind the book. It features an interview and behind-the scenes with the author, and offers a look at the book's impact around the world.
Children's literature
Children's literature is for readers and listeners up to about age twelve; it is often defined in four different ways: books written by children, books written for children, books chosen by children, or books chosen for children. It is often illustrated. The term is used in senses which sometimes...
written by Robert Munsch
Robert Munsch
Robert Norman Munsch, CM is an American-born Canadian children's author.-Personal life and career:Robert Munsch was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania...
and illustrated by Michael Martchenko
Michael Martchenko
Michael Martchenko is a Canadian illustrator best known for illustrating many of the stories of Robert Munsch.Born in France, he moved to Canada when he was seven, where he graduated from the Ontario College of Art...
. It was first published on 1 May 1980 by Annick Press. The book reverses the princess and dragon
Princess and dragon
Princess and dragon is a generic premise common to many legends and fairy tales. It is not a fairy tale itself, but along with Prince Charming, is a repeated cliché...
stereotype. As a result, it has won critical acclaim from feminists, including an endorsement from the National Organization for Women
National Organization for Women
The National Organization for Women is the largest feminist organization in the United States. It was founded in 1966 and has a membership of 500,000 contributing members. The organization consists of 550 chapters in all 50 U.S...
, which sells the book on its website.
The Paper Bag Princess 25th Anniversary Edition: The Story Behind the Story (2005), a full-color hardback, reveals the inspiration behind the book. It features an interview and behind-the scenes with the author, and offers a look at the book's impact around the world.
Plot
Princess Elizabeth plans on marrying Prince Ronald, who is practically perfect. However, a dragon arrives who destroys her kingdom, kidnaps Ronald, and burns all her clothes so that she has no choice but to wear a paper bag. Elizabeth follows the dragon and Ronald, and seeking to rescue her fiancé, challenges the dragon to burn forests with fire and to fly around the world. The dragon completes the tasks but after flying around the world a second time becomes tired and falls asleep. Elizabeth rescues Ronald, who is ungrateful and tells her to return when she looks more like a princess. Elizabeth realizes that she is better off without Ronald and sets off into the sunset to live her own life.Characters
- Princess Elizabeth: A brave, smart and resilient young woman, Elizabeth's quest to save Ronald from the dragon shows her how unworthy Ronald is of her loyalty and affection.
- Prince Ronald: Ronald is revealed to be a narcissistic and selfish prince. He has picked Elizabeth for his queen, even though he does not really love her. When the dragon attacks the castle and kidnaps him, Elizabeth goes to great lengths to rescue him, but he does not appreciate the love she has shown him. Elizabeth realizes that he is a shallow, conceited jerk and they part waysRelationship breakupA relationship breakup, often referred to simply as a breakup, is the termination of a usually intimate relationship by any means other than death. The act is commonly termed "dumping [someone]" in slang when it is initiated by one partner...
.
- Dragon: He is the typical depiction of the European dragonEuropean dragonEuropean dragons are legendary creatures in folklore and mythology among the overlapping cultures of Europe.In European folklore, a dragon is a serpentine legendary creature. The Latin word draco, as in constellation Draco, comes directly from Greek δράκων,...
, with green scaly skin, an alligator belly, two small wings, and four scaly feet with eagle talons. He can breathe fire, which puts him at the very top of the animal food chain and makes him superior even to mankind in the medieval time period in which the story is set. His flames are extremely powerful. In the plot, he attacks Princess Elizabeth's castle and kidnaps Prince Ronald.