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A 1905 novel by Frances Hodgson Burnett, also author of ''[[Little Lord Fauntleroy]]'' and ''[[The Secret Garden]]''. This was a revised and expanded version of a novelette called ''Sara Crewe'' first serialized in ''St. Nicholas Magazine'' in 1888.
Sara Crewe, the daughter of a British Army officer (so [[
Since Sara can no longer pay for her education and cannot reimburse expenses that were to be billed to her father, Miss Minchin, the owner of the boarding school, dismisses Sara's maid, confiscates her possessions (except for beloved doll Emily), moves her into a drafty attic room, and forces Sara to work as a servant. Despite these hardships, Sara continues to keep her kind and generous personality, and endures graciously, mostly through stubborn optimism and a belief that there is a magic in the world that would not let things get as bad as they could be. The only thing that saves her from being an unbearable Pollyanna is that she does finally give in to bleak despair -- only to be rescued from that despair by the kindness of a stranger.
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* [[Costume Porn]]: Some paragraphs in the book are spent describing Sara's beautiful clothes. Indeed, lengthy paragraphs are devoted to describing the wardrobe of the ''doll''.
** Almost exaggerated in the Cuaron film. You can hardly blame Miss Minchin when she says Sara can't wear her finery looking at what she's wearing in that very scene.
* [[
** His calling her "Little Missus" also, [[Have a Gay Old Time|to the modern reader]], carries a few... implications.
* [[Denied Food As Punishment]]: And smacked around a little, too.
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** Averted in the 1995 movie where at the end {{spoiler|she has lost the school and appears to be working as a chimney sweep}}.
** Also averted, somewhat, in the original story. Miss Minchin retains the ownership of her school, and apparently is still prosperous, but knows that it is only due to Sara's forgiving nature -- should Sara care to, she could ruin Minchin with a word to Carrisford. This is made worse for Minchin because Sara lives right next door, and every time Minchin sees her, she is reminded of what her vindictiveness and temper ultimately cost her.
*** Also, Miss Amelia has a huge row with her sister in one of the last chapters, and finally plucks up the courage to [["The Reason You Suck" Speech|tell her off]]. It's implied that from then on Amelia will take charge and act as a damper on Miss Minchin's baser instincts by threatening to be a very audible voice of conscience. Given the dynamic that existed between them before, this is quite a come-down and an embarrassment for Minchin.
* [[Meaningful Name]]: Sara is Hebrew for "princess." In the book of Genesis, Sarah -- wife of Abraham -- gives birth to Isaac, and is promised that she will be a princess of many nations. Becky's name is a diminution of Rebecca, Isaac's wife (Sarah's daughter-in-law), and the mother of Jacob / Israel. Maria (Miss Minchin's first name) means "bitter". Amelia means "lovable"- and she is the nicer sister, who even gets a boyfriend in the 1995 movie.
* [[Nice to The Waiter]]: One of Sara's defining traits. Even when she herself falls on hard times, she's still kind and generous to those even worse off.
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[[Category:Films of the 1990s]]
[[Category:A Little Princess]]
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