[JenB]

Actually that's been done. Unfortunately the woodcutter's son turns out to also be a long-lost prince. What we really need is real heroes again, not these stupid anti-heroes that keep popping up... am thinking particularly of The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever, Philip Pullman's books, and to some extent Ursula LeGuin... we need knights again, and kings who rule well, and princesses who aren't feminists and pig-keepers who dream of glory...

[The_Expatriate]

Thanks for the recommendations! :-) The title The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever sounds familiar, though I don't recall ever having read it.

Yes, we certainly need some real heroes. If only Ayn Rand had turned her pen to fantasy...