Inspired by Sleeping Beauty, The Light Princess by George MacDonald tells the tale of a princess that’s so light, she has to be worried about being whisked away by the wind. Her aunt, the evil Princess Makemnoit, curses her niece to have no gravity - the be light in all matters, to take nothing seriously. The only time she does find her gravity is when she’s swimming.
Meanwhile, a prince is looking for love. He finds a problem in every princess he comes across, until he happens upon her during a swim. He jumps into the water, thinking shes drowning, but they soon end up in the air with her telling him off. He falls in love with her and soon notices that she’s different in the water than she is on land.
George MacDonald is an influential, although often underrated (if not forgotten) figure of fantasy literature. While he was originally minister of Trinity Congregational Church, his sermons were not well received. His salary was quickly cut and he lasted just 3 years in the position. After leaving as minister, he turned to writing fantasy in order to provide for his family. The publication of works such as Phantastes, The Princess and the Goblin, and At the Back of the North Wind have all culminated in him being considered the founding father of modern fantasy.
“I write, not for children but for the child-like, whether they be of five, or fifty, or seventy-five.” – George MacDonald
MacDonald has been influential to the great fantasy authors that followed in his footsteps: J.R.R. Tolkien, J.K. Rowling, C.S. Lewis – even Lewis Carroll, whom he helped publish his own masterpiece, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.
