The Prince and the Dressmaker by Jen Wang
Published 2018 · 76,175 words · about 3 hours at an average pace · Graphic Novel, Young Adult, LGBTQ+ Fiction
How hard is The Prince and the Dressmaker to read?
The Prince and the Dressmaker scores 19 out of 100 for difficulty on ReadingRate, making it relatively accessible. The score is a weighted composite of nine measures: four of how hard the prose is to parse, five of how hard the meaning is to extract.
- Vocabulary: 15 out of 100
- Wang writes short, plain dialogue in a graphic novel format aimed at teens, with only a few fashion terms for gowns and fabrics. It sits near Judy Blume's accessible register.
- Sentence structure: 14 out of 100
- Speech bubbles hold short, direct sentences, and the images carry much of the narrative. Nothing demands parsing, like the diary-style simplicity of Anne Frank.
- Abstraction: 22 out of 100
- The story follows concrete events, fittings, parties and confrontations, with its ideas about identity shown through clothes. It is as concrete as a coming-of-age tale like Margaret.
- Information density: 20 out of 100
- Panels move at an easy pace, with one plot thread, a few characters and little background to track. It is lighter than Beach Read.
- Narrative indirection: 22 out of 100
- Emotions are shown clearly through facial expressions and gowns, and the plot tells you what Sebastian and Frances want. Little must be inferred, as in Asterix.
- Symbolic density: 30 out of 100
- The dresses stand for self-expression and hidden identity, and the meaning is plainly signposted. It is lighter than 1984's allegory.
- Ironic distance: 14 out of 100
- The tone is earnest and warm, with sincere emotion throughout and only mild humor at court manners. It is as sincere as Margaret.
- Resolution withholding: 15 out of 100
- The conflicts between Sebastian, Frances and the king resolve with a hopeful, clear ending. Like Beach Read, it delivers closure.
- Structural complexity: 14 out of 100
- The story moves linearly through episodes of dressmaking, secret outings and family pressure. It is as simple as Beach Read's structure.
How The Prince and the Dressmaker is regarded
The Prince and the Dressmaker holds a literary regard score of 38 out of 100, weighing its place in the canon, its critical reception, its influence on other writers, and the standing of its author. Regard is measured separately from difficulty: a demanding book is not necessarily an admired one.