Marc Backhaus

"Princess Smartypants" by Babette Cole as an example of how the child inside is the key to happiness Marc Backhaus

Essay from the year 2012 in the subject English Language and Literature Studies - Literature, grade: 1,0, Humboldt-University of Berlin (Institut für Anglistik & Amerikanistik), course: SE Writing the Term Paper, language: English, abstract: Babette Cole's Princess Smartypants is a young woman who has, according to her mother, reached the age at which she is ready for marriage. This typical fairytale theme of a young princess is contradicted and overthrown constantly by Princess Smartypants' character throughout the whole story - she seems, dresses, appears and behaves more like a child than a lady, favours pet monsters over men and tends to have more fun playing around than being responsible or at least behaving according to the position she is put into. It seems that for her, this childlike lifestyle is the key to living "happily ever after" in a world such as hers - one of responsibility - and that she stands for the message that the child inside is what leads to happiness if lived to the full with devotion. This paper aims to elaborate on this thesis and its proof given in several elements of the children's story.