📖 The Princess Bride

The Princess Bride is a romance fairy tale set in the country of Florin, written as an abridgment to a book from a fictional author. There are pirates, princesses, evil princes, swordsmen, criminals, giants, and miracles. Across the story, the author inserts footnotes to add to the story, or talk about his childhood experience of his father reading him the book, or even how he "abridged" the book. Its plot may not be as complex as most books you might read, but a simple plot can be a refreshing break from layers upon layers of plot points and details. My late 8th grade history teacher would often talk about The Princess Bride as one of his favorite books, and I can see why. Both the meta-narrative and the story blend together in a refreshing way that is humorous, entertaining, and emotional at times.

《公主新娘》是一部浪漫的童话故事,背景设定在虚构的国家弗罗林(Florin),是由一位虚构作者所写原著的节选本。故事中出现了海盗、公主、邪恶的王子、剑客、罪犯、巨人,还有奇迹。作者在故事中穿插脚注,有时用来补充情节,有时回忆童年时父亲为他朗读这本书的经历,甚至讲述他是如何"节选"原书的。虽然这本书的情节可能不如你读过的其他书那样复杂,但这种简单的情节反而能带来一种从繁复情节中脱离出来的清新感。我的已故八年级历史老师常常提到《公主新娘》,说它是他最喜欢的书之一,我现在能理解为什么了。书中的元叙事与主线故事巧妙融合,整体风格幽默、有趣,又时而令人动容,是一部令人愉悦的作品。