{"product_id":"ruritania-nicholas-daly-9780198836605","title":"Ruritania: A Cultural History, from the Prisoner of Zenda to the Princess Diaries","description":"This is a book about the long cultural shadow cast by a single bestselling novel, Anthony Hope's \u003cem\u003eThe Prisoner of Zenda\u003c\/em\u003e (1894), which introduced Ruritania, a colourful pocket kingdom. In this swashbuckling tale, Englishman Rudolf Rassendyll impersonates the king of Ruritania to foil a coup, but faces a dilemma when he falls for the lovely Princess Flavia. Hope's novel inspired stage and screen adaptations, place names, and even a board game, but it also launched a whole new subgenre, the \"Ruritanian romance\". The new form offered swordplay, royal romance, and splendid uniforms and gowns in such settings as Alasia, Balaria, and Cadonia. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eThis study explores both the original appeal of \u003cem\u003eThe Prisoner of Zenda\u003c\/em\u003e, and the extraordinary longevity and adaptability of the Ruritanian formula, which, it is argued, has been rooted in a lingering fascination with royalty, and the pocket kingdom's capacity to hold a looking glass up to Britain and later the United States. Individual chapters look at Hope's novel and its stage and film adaptations; at the forgotten American versions of Ruritania; at the chocolate-box principalities of the musical stage; at Cold War reworkings of the formula; and at Ruritania's recent reappearance in young adult fiction and made-for-television Christmas movies. The adventures of Ruritania have involved a diverse list of contributors, including John Buchan, P.G Wodehouse, Agatha Christie, Vladimir Nabokov, and Ian Fleming among the writers; Sigmund Romberg and Ivor Novello among the composers; Erich Von Stroheim and David O. Selznick among the film-makers; and Robert Donat, Madeleine Carroll, Peter Ustinov, Peter Sellers, and Anne Hathaway among the performers.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Nicholas Daly\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 0198836600\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780198836605\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Oxford University Press, USA\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 03\/13\/2020\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 272\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Hardcover\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 1.30lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 9.30h x 6.20w x 1.00d","brand":"Nicholas Daly","offers":[{"title":"Hardcover","offer_id":43946301489407,"sku":"9780198836605","price":49.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/products\/img_7c140e73-3b4d-4e90-933a-f774d826d7a1.jpg?v=1681512432","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/ruritania-nicholas-daly-9780198836605","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}