Storytime for Grownups – “A Little Princess: Chapters 11-12”

Host: Faith Moore
Episode Date: December 4, 2025

Episode Overview

This episode of Storytime for Grownups continues the Christmas Spectacular series, with host Faith Moore reading and discussing chapters 11 and 12 of A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett. Faith weaves in her signature commentary, answering listener questions and exploring themes of loneliness, resilience, and compassion within the story, while highlighting Victorian traditions and engaging the community in a participatory holiday singalong for the show’s finale.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

[00:48] Community Interaction & Announcements

• Faith reflects on the joy this podcast brings her and expresses gratitude towards her listeners, especially those attending “tea time” chats.
  • “This podcast brings me joy and you bring me joy. And that’s why the podcast brings me joy, because you’re out there.” (01:07)
• Ongoing Christmas-themed activities: Listeners can enter a prize drawing for a "Landed Gentry" membership by buying Faith’s book Christmas Carol: a modern retelling of Dickens’ story (with signed bookplates available). Merch and past podcast guest spots (notably on "Wisdom in the Best Books and Films") are mentioned.
• Final Victorian Christmas activity: A virtual communal singalong of "We Wish You a Merry Christmas." Faith encourages participation, regardless of singing ability, emphasizing community and togetherness.
  • “We are not trying to create a beautiful, concert-worthy rendition... We are just trying to sing together because that is something people do in community—they make music together.” (09:28)

[14:08] Recap & Listener Letters on Chapter 10

• Sara’s increasing hardship: Sara’s loneliness and poverty deepen, with visits from friends limited and her only comfort coming from observing a loving neighboring family ("the Large Family").
• Listener responses:
  • Mariam (17): Notes the realism of Sara's emotional collapse, appreciating that her struggles make her a compelling character.
  • Corinthia: Highlights the blend of sorrow and humor, especially Sara’s whimsical naming of the Large Family, making the story relatable.
  • Ellen Hook: Observes that some outdated racial terms were omitted in a modern edition of the text.

[19:00] Addressing Outdated Ideas in Literature

• Faith’s approach:
  • She explains her view on reading classics that contain outdated perspectives, distinguishing between a book’s setting and its author’s intent.
  • “My policy... is to ask myself whether the book itself is malicious... or is it a book that operates within a world where people believed racist things, but the book itself isn’t promoting racism. And if that’s it... then I’m okay with reading that book and just pointing out that obviously Lottie’s geography book is wrong or whatever.” (19:44)

[21:45] Deep Dive: Sara’s Struggles and Strengths

• Sara’s “rock bottom”: Faith explores Sara’s faltering courage and imagination, underlining the impact of relentless hardship.
• Yearning for connection:
  • The Large Family represents the love Sara lacks, creating a poignant “outsider looking in” motif.
  • Faith quotes the text: “He thought her eyes looked hungry because she had perhaps had nothing to eat for a long time. He did not know that they looked so because she was hungry for the warm, merry life his home held…” (23:00)
• Sara’s internal fairy tale: Despite the grim reality, she strives to hold onto her “princess” identity, performing small kindnesses even at personal cost.

Chapter 11: Ram Dass ([23:39]–[42:37])

• Setting:
  • Sara retreats to her attic’s window for solace in the sunsets—a rare source of beauty in her harsh life.
• Key moment:
  • She encounters Ram Dass, the Indian gentleman’s servant, and his mischievous monkey. Her use of Hindustani surprises and delights Ram Dass, forging a brief, heartfelt connection.
  • “She spoke to him in the language he knew. ‘Will he let me catch him?’ She thought she had never seen more surprise and delight than the dark face expressed when she spoke in the familiar tongue.” (27:05)
• Sara’s interior life:
  • The visit reminds Sara of her privileged past in India, contrasting painfully with her current reality.
  • Despite her circumstances, Sara resolves: “If I am a princess in rags and tatters, I can be a princess inside… It is a great deal more of a triumph to be one all the time when no one knows it.” (34:15)
• Confrontation with Miss Minchin:
  • Sara is physically punished for her distant, dignified attitude but maintains her composure and self-worth through imagination (the “secret princess” motif).
  • “I will beg your pardon for laughing. It was rude,’ she said, ‘but I won’t beg your pardon for thinking.’” (39:55)
  • “I was thinking that if I were a princess and you boxed my ears, what I should do to you… And I was thinking how surprised and frightened you would be if you suddenly found out.” (41:10)

Chapter 12: The Other Side of the Wall ([42:37]–[59:09])

• Sara’s empathy:
  • She watches the Indian gentleman next door (now identified as Mr. Carrisford) with fondness and concern, “adopting” him as a friend from afar due to his loneliness.
  • “You can do that with people you never speak to at all. You can just watch them and think about them and be sorry for them until they seem almost like relations.” (43:15)
• Mr. Carrisford’s backstory revealed:
  • Once a wealthy partner of Sara’s father in Indian diamond mines, Mr. Carrisford lost everything—then regained it after great illness and breakdown. He is haunted by guilt over Sara’s fate.
  • Dialogue with Carmichael (the Large Family’s father):
    • “Do you suppose… that the other child… could possibly be reduced to any such condition as the poor little soul next door?” (50:11)
  • As Carmichael reassures him, Carrisford’s anguish at failing to care for Sara intensifies:
    • “I must find her. If she is alive, she is somewhere. If she is friendless and penniless, it is through my fault.” (53:00)
    • “Sometimes I dream of him at night, and he always stands before me and asks the same question... ‘Tom, where is the little missus?’” (56:01)
• Parallel hardships:
  • As Carrisford despairs, Sara is in her attic, struggling to uphold her “princess” dignity despite suffering:
    • “It has been hard to be a princess today, Melchisedec… It gets harder as the weather grows colder…” (57:54)
  • The episode closes with poignant symmetry: both Carrisford and Sara, on opposite sides of a wall, battling isolation and longing for connection.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• [01:07] Faith Moore: “This podcast brings me joy and you bring me joy.”
• [09:28] On the singalong: “We are not trying to create a beautiful, concert-worthy rendition... We are just trying to sing together because that is something people do in community—they make music together.”
• [19:44] On outdated attitudes: “My policy... is to ask myself whether the book itself is malicious... or is it a book that operates within a world where people believed racist things, but the book itself isn’t promoting racism.”
• [23:00] Text quote: “He thought her eyes looked hungry because she had perhaps had nothing to eat for a long time. He did not know that they looked so because she was hungry for the warm, merry life his home held…”
• [34:15] Sara’s internal resolve: “If I am a princess in rags and tatters, I can be a princess inside… It is a great deal more of a triumph to be one all the time when no one knows it.”
• [41:10] Sara to Miss Minchin: “I was thinking that if I were a princess and you boxed my ears, what I should do to you… And I was thinking how surprised and frightened you would be if you suddenly found out.”
• [43:15] Sara on adopted friendship: “You can do that with people you never speak to at all. You can just watch them and think about them and be sorry for them until they seem almost like relations.”
• [53:00] Mr. Carrisford: “I must find her. If she is alive, she is somewhere. If she is friendless and penniless, it is through my fault.”

Important Timestamps

• [00:48] Community reflections and prize drawing announcements
• [09:28] Victorian Christmas Singalong activity announcement
• [14:08] Chapter 10 recap and letters from listeners
• [19:44] Discussion on outdated racial and social attitudes in classics
• [21:45] Analysis of Sara’s internal journey and resilience
• [23:39] Reading and commentary, Chapter 11 "Ram Dass"
• [34:15] Sara’s “princess in rags” speech, pivotal character moment
• [39:55] Sara refuses to apologize for her thoughts, confrontation with Miss Minchin
• [42:37] Reading and commentary, Chapter 12 "The Other Side of the Wall"
• [53:00] Mr. Carrisford’s revelation of guilt, mission to find Sara
• [57:54] Sara’s struggle to hold onto her inner princess

Final Thoughts

Faith closes by encouraging listeners to check out her book, share feedback, and participate in upcoming activities before launching into the next chapters. The selected chapters explore the deepening hardships facing Sara, juxtaposed with glimmers of hope and the possibility of rescue. Through commentary, Faith highlights the humanity in classic stories and fosters a warm, interactive community spirit—especially fitting for the holiday season.

For new listeners:
This episode masterfully balances a cozy read-aloud experience with sharp literary insight and community participation, making the classic story both accessible and deeply engaging—especially for readers revisiting the text or encountering it for the first time.