Ursula Le Guin once observed of George MacDonald’s masterpiece:
“A princess is a girl who behaves nobly; a girl who behaves nobly is a princess. Curdie the miner…is a prince. The king is king because he’s a good man. No other definition is allowed. This is radically moral democracy.”
Le Guin’s assessment holds because MacDonald is uncompromising in his expectations. Throughout the novel, he intersperses definitions of character by stating what a “true princess” does or never does. He leaves little room for speculation, placing the weight of moral teaching squarely on the symbolic shoulders of his protagonists.
The Two Monarchies
In this world, we encounter two distinct types of royalty:
- The True Royalty: Represented by the King-papa, the Great-Grandmother, Princess Irene, and Curdie (who earns his “royal” status through noble behavior).
- The False Royalty: Represented by the Goblins, whose monarchy is a subterranean mockery born from a rejection of the light.
To understand what MacDonald accepts as “moral and good,” we must look at what he defines as “truly royal.” While this can be examined through many lenses—including the physical positioning of characters (the Grandmother in the high tower versus the Goblins in the low mines)—this post focuses specifically on dialogue and direct character references.
The Royal Record: Key Evidence
- On Wisdom and Action: When Irene is lost, she doesn’t just cry; “like a true princess, she resolved on going wisely to work to find her way back” (9).
- On the Sacredness of a Promise: The King-papa reinforces that integrity outweighs social propriety. He would rather his daughter kiss a miner-boy than “break her word for all the goblins in creation” (43).
- On Household Sanctity: Mrs. Peterson, though a miner’s wife, is described as keeping “a little heaven in that poor cottage” (93). Her “royal” nature is found in her ability to create a sanctuary of love that rivals the Great-Grandmother’s tower.
- On Faith and Leadership: During the flood, the King shows that true wisdom knows when to stop questioning and start acting: “He had faith in Curdie, and rose instantly, with Irene in his arms” (234).
The Essential Virtues of the Royal Soul
If we accept that these fairy tales are built on symbolism, MacDonald’s “True Royalty” becomes a composite sketch of essential goodness. A True Royal is:
- Virtuous by Nature, Not Just Name: Position is a symbol of internal merit.
- Unwavering in Truth: Honesty is the bedrock of their authority.
- Courageous and Knowledgeable: They possess the discernment to distinguish right from wrong.
- Servant-Leaders: They are willing to lead, but equally willing to be led by a “higher light.”
- Humble and Trusting: They possess the “second childhood” necessary to have faith in things unseen.
In my third and final post, I will explore how this royalty is recognized by a character’s position to the light—specifically, the Great-Grandmother’s lamp—and why the Goblins’ self-constructed monarchy is a grotesque failure of this structure.
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