The tale of Buttercup and Westley, known as the princess bride and the Dread Pirate Roberts, is presented as a fairy tale initially chronicled by S. Morgenstern and adapted for a modern audience by William Goldman. This novel is a "modern" fairy tale that includes all the elements today's audience anticipates in a story. However, similar to traditional fairy tales, the setting and time period of the events remain unspecified.

The Princess Bride mirrors the chaos and absurdities of contemporary life, featuring fistfights, sword duels, torture devices, poisonings, disfigurements, and mortality. Beyond these aspects, the novel's universe is filled with outcasts: a giant possessing immense strength, a highly intelligent hunchback, a scarred Spaniard driven solely by his father's vengeance, an albino, and an improbable princess paired with an equally unlikely savior.

The novel's theme revolves around the challenges and hardships of genuine love. Love is portrayed as enduring rather than perfect. Buttercup's love for Westley remains unwavering, despite her belief at one time that he is dead. Even when they argue right after she discovers he's alive, her love never falters.