1. Survey the cast of characters in the story to determine which ones believe Grandmother exists, which do not, and the reasons for their belief or disbelief.

2. MacDonald's stories are difficult to classify. "What he does best," C. S. Lewis has observed, "is fantasy—fantasy that hovers between the allegorical and the mythopoeic." Look up definitions of the terms "fantasy," "myth," "allegory," and "fairy tale." Which best applies to The Princess and the Goblin?

3. The Princess and the Goblin has many of the same characters as its sequel, The Princess and Curdie, but the stories seem quite different in tone and emphasis. Compare the two, paying particular attention to the importance of the townspeople, the reduced importance of Irene, and the ending of The Princess and Curdie.

4. The Princess and the Goblin traces a character's development from a state of...