This was published by the author at Christmas 1854 and I found it referred to as a classic Christmas work in my annotated Dickens "Christmas Carol". I was confused when I read it because it has nothing to do with Christmas at all.
It is actually a pantomime play created by Thackeray and a friend for children. These pantomime plays were, apparently, a great Christmas tradition in England.
This one is silly and fun and a little bloodthirsty, which is, I suppose, a combination that generally does appeal to children. We get all weird about violence in TV and games today (and don't get me wrong, I am one of those who "gets all weird" to a degree and I don't have plans to change that), but it seems that children throughout the ages have always had a taste for violence. Why is that, I wonder?
Anyway, it was a fluffy little piece of nonsense that I won't return to but for one little jewel which I really liked. The fairy godmother in this story, who by this time has tired of the godmotherly gifts always demanded of her and has grown jaded in her belief that these magical gifts are good for her grandchildren, takes a backseat role. She blesses her godchildren in this story with a "little misfortune" which, she says, will be good for them. And by the end of the story you can see that she's right! Her godchildren, Giglio and Rosalba, do indeed have difficult lives, but those difficulties only make them stronger and more virtuous and even more deserving of the good fortune that lies in store for them.
The ring and the rose, by the way, make their wearers irresistibly attractive. Just so you know.
It was a quick read, an effervescent little story and--it was written by Thackeray (he wrote "Vanity Fair"), so you know there has to be a satirical element in there--about beauty and royalty--and if you are really interested, there are plenty of others who have offered their interpretations on that score. And there have been several TV/ film adaptations too! Interesting....
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