Storytime for Grownups – “A Little Princess: Chapter 8”
Host: Faith Moore
Episode Date: November 24, 2025
Episode Overview
In this episode of Storytime for Grownups, Faith Moore reads and discusses Chapter 8 of Frances Hodgson Burnett’s A Little Princess. As with each installment, Faith pauses at key moments to illuminate themes and provide context. This episode follows Sara’s fall from grace after her father’s death and explores the shifting nature of true “princessness,” offering a rich examination of the chapter’s parallels with the Cinderella fairy tale. Faith also engages with listener comments and shares ways to connect with the podcast community.
Key Discussion Points and Insights
1. The “Lock-In” Moment in Classic Literature (00:54–02:40)
- Faith discusses a recurring pattern in the novels covered on the podcast: a pivotal chapter (“the lock-in”) where the story’s tone and themes crystallize.
- Faith reflects: “It's in this chapter…that we kind of suddenly go, ‘Oh, okay, this is the book we’re in. This is what is going on here.’” (01:28)
- She draws parallels with key chapters from “Jane Eyre,” “Woman in White,” “Frankenstein,” and “Pride and Prejudice,” explaining how such moments clarify the deeper nature of the narrative.
2. Announcements and Community Building (02:48–09:30)
- Faith shares upcoming events and ways for listeners to connect:
- Thanksgiving Family Livestream on Nov 28th with her father, Andrew Klavan, and brother, Spencer Klavan. Listeners can submit questions via a Google form. (03:57)
- Victorian Christmas events: including a Christmas card exchange for members of the online Drawing Room community; details and deadlines provided. (05:39)
- Book Promotion: Faith’s novel “Christmas Carol” (a Dickens retelling). Purchasing enters listeners into a prize drawing and entitles them to a personalized signed bookplate. (06:25)
- Tea Time Discussion: December 2nd, an online group call for enhanced interaction with the community. (07:33)
- Announcement: “Christmas Carol” ebook now available on platforms other than Amazon. (08:16)
- Tone: Warm, engaging, inclusive; Faith repeatedly invites listeners to participate and share in the sense of community.
3. Chapter 7 Recap and Listener Reactions (09:30–11:40)
- Faith recaps Sara’s devastating birthday: She learns from Mr. Barrow of her father’s death and financial ruin.
- “Sara is now an orphan and as poor as a beggar. Ms. Minchin is enraged and she puts a stop to the birthday party…” (09:45)
- Listener Comment – Pam Shroud:
- “‘What a heartbreaking and sudden change for Sara. And yet she is such a strong and kind person...her father would be proud of her.’” (11:01)
- Listener Comment – Christopher Mortensen:
- “‘Her father is dead and he didn’t leave her a penny? Okay, I didn’t see that coming.’” (11:06)
- Faith highlights the emotional whiplash and foreshadows the story’s moral direction.
4. Reframing A Little Princess as a Fairy Tale (11:40–16:19)
- Faith proposes reading the novel as a Cinderella story rather than strictly a “moral story,” drawing direct textual parallels with the Brothers Grimm’s “Ashputtel” (Cinderella).
- Reads: “‘They took her beautiful clothes away from her, dressed her in an old gray smock and gave her wooden shoes…’” (13:42)
- Faith: “But it could just as easily be a description of what just happened to Sara…” (14:05)
- Ms. Minchin is positioned as the “wicked stepmother”:
- “The minute Sara proves to not be the asset that Ms. Minchin thought she was, Ms. Minchin becomes the wicked stepmother.” (16:34)
- The episode deepens the analysis:
- “Princessness, fairy tale princessness anyway, exists regardless of what you have. That’s what Sara has been saying all along.” (15:10)
- Faith encourages listeners to observe and trace fairy-tale elements as the story progresses.
5. The Test of “Princessness” and Character (16:57–19:00)
- Faith zooms in on the heart of the test: Can Sara maintain her kindness, dignity, and fairy-tale “princessness” when all has been stripped away?
- Key quote:
- “A princess, a fairy tale princess, is still a princess…even when you're reduced to the lowest of the low socially.” (20:05)
- Key quote:
- Sara and Becky’s dialogue underlines this:
- Sara: “‘Just two little girls. You see how true it is. There’s no difference now. I’m not a princess anymore.’”
- Becky: “‘Yes, Miss, you are. Whatsoever happens to you, whatsoever, you’d be a princess all the same.’” (21:35–21:48)
Chapter 8: “In the Attic” – Key Moments and Timestamps
a. Sara’s First Night in the Attic (23:08–24:25)
- “The first night she spent in her attic was a thing Sara never forgot…her mind was forcibly distracted…otherwise the anguish might have been too great.” (23:08–24:25)
- Sara’s overwhelming grief over her father’s death is powerfully described.
- The harshness of the attic, with rats and cold, further compounds her suffering.
b. The Transformation of Sara’s Status (24:28–30:42)
- Everything in Sara’s life changes overnight:
- Her luxurious room is stripped and reassigned; her seat at Ms. Minchin’s table is given away.
- New responsibilities: teaching younger students, errands, chores—treated poorly by staff and students alike.
- Quote: “She worked like a drudge…was told she had better take her meals downstairs...her heart grew proud and sore. But she never told anyone what she felt.” (30:52–31:02)
c. Sara’s Relationships in Her New Life (31:02–38:10)
- Becky: Remains a quiet comfort, helping Sara with daily routines despite limited time and opportunity for conversation.
- “Throughout all that first night…she had felt a vague comfort in knowing that on the other side of the wall…there was another young human creature.” (32:12)
- Ermengarde: Their friendship suffers—misunderstandings and social barriers arise as Ermengarde awkwardly encounters the changed Sara.
- Their mutual hurt illustrated:
- Ermengarde: “‘Why don’t you like me anymore?’”
- Sara: “‘What do you think? Do you think I am very happy?’” (39:22–36:10, with flashback to earlier encounters)
- Their mutual hurt illustrated:
d. Reconciliation and Imagination as Salvation (39:20–44:33)
- Ermengarde climbs to Sara’s attic to repair their friendship in a deeply emotional scene.
- “‘I couldn’t bear it anymore…tonight when I was crying under the bedclothes, I thought all at once of creeping up here and just begging you to let us be friends again.’” (41:37–41:54)
- Sara’s resilience rekindles: she draws strength from imagination, proposing to “pretend” her suffering is like being in the Bastille.
- “If I pretend it’s quite different, I can…Or if I pretend it is a place in a story...Other people have lived in worse places. Think of the Count of Monte Cristo…Think of the people in the Bastille.” (42:27–43:27)
- Ermengarde is captivated, and they forge a plan to meet in secret, with Sara promising to share new stories to brighten their difficult days.
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
-
On the Cinderella Parallel
- Faith: “I would like to put forward…the idea that it is, in fact, a fairy tale…A Little Princess is a Cinderella story.” (13:22–15:55)
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On Princessness Despite Hardship
- Sara: “You are not kind. You are not kind and it is not a home, okay?” (21:11)
- Becky: “‘Whatsoever happens to you, whatsoever, you’d be a princess all the same.’” (21:48)
-
On Imagination as Escape
- Sara: “If I pretend it’s quite different, I can…Or if I pretend it is a place in a story…Yes, I am a prisoner in the Bastille…Ms. Minchin is the jailer and Becky…Becky is the prisoner in the next cell.” (42:27–43:32)
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On Adversity
- Sara: “Adversity tries people, and mine has tried you and proved how nice you are.” (44:33)
Important Segment Timestamps
- [00:54] – Discussion of pivotal “lock-in” chapters in classic literature
- [09:30] – Recap of Chapter 7 and listener letters
- [13:42] – Dramatic reading of the Cinderella (Ashputtel) parallel
- [21:11] – Sara’s assertion of self-worth and princessness
- [23:08] – Start of Chapter 8 reading (“In the Attic”)
- [32:12] – Becky’s small but meaningful acts of friendship
- [39:20] – Ermengarde and Sara’s reconciliation scene
- [42:27] – Sara’s imaginative reframing of her suffering
- [44:33] – Episode conclusion and affirmation of the importance of friendship through adversity
Tone & Style
- Faith’s tone is thoughtful, nurturing, and quietly passionate, guiding listeners with literary analysis that illuminates the psychological depth of the novel while also emphasizing warmth, kindness, and community.
- The language retains a narrative, intimate feel, inviting the audience to actively read between the lines and connect emotionally with Sara’s plight.
Summary Takeaways
This episode is a thoughtful, emotionally intelligent exploration of how A Little Princess transforms from a story of privilege into one about resilience, dignity, and self-definition in adversity. Faith Moore’s insights on fairy-tale motifs add rich interpretive layers, while her reading spotlights the nuanced relationships that sustain Sara through darkness. Listeners are left with an invitation—both to note Cinderella allusions in coming chapters and to engage in the podcast’s welcoming and supportive community.