A Classic: The Princes Bride By William Goldman

Some elements that make a book a classic are its history, its theme, its relevance, its longevity, its artistic quality, and its universal appeal. In the book, The Princes Bride by William Goldman, a girl named Buttercup and a farm boy named Westley fall in love, but he must sail to the new world. On the trip he gets captured by pirates. Various adventures and problems prevent them from getting back together permanently until the end of the story. The Princes Bride is a classic because of its universal appeal and its style in which it was written. One reason it is a classic is because of its universal appeal to adventure and romance. The book is full of adventure. Westley fights giant rat creatures while dodging bursts of flames and quicksand scattered all over the floor. He also survives an attack from pirates.

One style, in the story, is it is told from two perspectives. It is told in the perspective of the author reflecting back on when her father read her the story. He has added side notes to make the story more clear. The perspective of the story is constantly changing from a girl from medieval times to a man from current times, which gives this book a unique element. Another style is its ability to change the reader’s emotions frequently from laughing, to being scared, to being sad, to wanting to know what happens next. For example, in the fire swamp, Westley is telling Buttercup a funny story. Next, Buttercup notices giant rat creatures coming towards them, which makes the reader scared of what's going to happen next. Then, Westley beats the giant rat creatures, which makes the reader relieved. Later, Prince Humperdinck traps Buttercup and Westley. Buttercup reluctantly chooses to go with Prince Humperdinck to spare Westley’s life, which makes the reader feel sad. These artistic qualities make the reader more involved and makes them want to continue reading the