The Princess and the Goblin · Chapters

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Chapter companions for The Princess and the Goblin by George MacDonald.

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Chapter 1
Why the Princess Has a Story About Her
The chapter introduces Princess Irene, an eight-year-old princess living in a mountain palace. It explains the history of goblins who once lived above ground but were driven underground by the king's harsh taxes and laws. Over generations, they became grotesque and cunning, living in subterranean caverns and harboring a grudge against the king's descendants. The goblins now have their own king and government, and their chief aim is to torment the surface-dwellers. This is why Irene is never allowed outside at night, for fear of goblin attacks.
Chapter 2
The Princess Loses Herself
On a rainy day, Princess Irene, bored and restless, ventures beyond her nursery up an old stairway and through a maze of passages and doors. She becomes lost, panics, but then composes herself and attempts to find her way back. She discovers a narrow stair leading upward, which she begins to climb.
Chapter 3
III: The Princess and—We Shall See Who
Princess Irene, lost in the passages, discovers a hidden room where she meets her great-great-grandmother, a very old but beautiful lady who spins. The old lady explains she gave Irene her name and has been there since Irene arrived. She shows Irene her pigeons, which she calls her poultry, and explains how she gets eggs from them. After washing Irene's face, she leads her partway back to the nursery, and Irene promises to tell her nurse everything.
Chapter 4
What the Nurse Thought of It
Princess Irene returns from visiting her great-grandmother and tells her nurse about the experience. The nurse refuses to believe her, accusing her of making up stories. Irene is deeply hurt by the lack of trust, but eventually the nurse apologizes and promises to go with her to see the old lady.
Chapter 5
The Princess Lets Well Alone
Princess Irene wakes to another rainy day and decides not to ask her nurse to take her to the tower lady, fearing the lady might not want visitors. She sneaks away to find the tower herself but gets lost again. After crying, she remembers she found the stair before after crying, so she wipes her eyes and searches anew. She finds a stair going down instead of up, which leads her to the kitchen. The nurse retrieves her but does not suspect how she got there, and Irene keeps her secret. Her failure to find the old lady makes her thoughtful, and she sometimes wonders if she dreamed the encounter, but she never fully believes that.

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Why the Princess Has a Story About Her

The Princess Loses Herself

III: The Princess and—We Shall See Who

What the Nurse Thought of It

The Princess Lets Well Alone