Hans Christian Andersen: The Creator of Modern Fairy Tales
Hans Christian Andersen was an author and poet who is best known for writing the many fairy tales that we know and love today. He was from Denmark and lived from 1805-1875. Andersen did not begin his work as a writer. He began going to school for many different apprenticeships but was kicked out or did not feel welcome (Andersen, 2006). It was not until he went to The Royal Theatre in Copenhagen where the director sent him off to obtain more schooling. The director saw potential in Andersen’s writing (Mylius, 2013). Once Andersen had begun to receive some schooling, his writing began to be published in 1828, when the author was 23 years old. He began his writing career by writing travelogues. It wasn’t until 1835 when Andersen began writing fairy tales. He wrote approximately 130 fairy tales in all (Bjørnsten, 2002). Since Andersen did not feel accepted by many in his youth, many of his works reflect that attitude.
The Ugly Duckling is a great book to use in a classroom if is struggling with bullying issues. This is an excellent story about how a young duckling hatches late and is teased relentlessly for the way he looks. His own mother begins to say hurtful things to the duckling so he feels his only choice is to run away. The Ugly Duckling is a story of how one small duckling begins his journey for acceptance and finds it in the least likely of places. One way to help relate this book to students is to tell them that Hans Christian Andersen wrote this book about his very own life (Andersen, 2006).
Hans Christian Andersen also wrote the popular children’s tale Thumbelina. This story is about a young girl who was about the size of your thumb. She was living a happy life until she was taken in the middle of the night. Different creatures help Thumbelina move from place to place. She never quite feels accepted and gets lonely because she can never find anyone like her. Thumbelina is another great story by Andersen about being proud of where you come from.
The Little Match Girl is an excellent book that can be used to teach many lessons. Teachers can use this book in the classroom if there had been a death, to teach about kindness and compassion, or even acceptance. Hans Christian Andersen wrote in his tale about a poor young girl in the dead of winter who felt that she could not return home because she had not made any money out on the streets. She began to light her matches to keep her warm at night when she began to see glorious visions that she longed to be a part of. This is an excellent tale to use in various lessons in a classroom.
The Princess and the Pea is a classic fairy tale that has been adapted in many different versions. My favorite loose adaptation is the comedic play adaptation Once Upon a Mattress. However, The Princess and the Pea is about a prince who is in search of a princess. On a stormy night, a princess comes knocking on the palace doors but the royal family must test her to make sure that she is in fact a true princess. The queen made up the princesses bed, but underneath a pile of mattresses she placed one pea. This story can be used in lessons when students must test to prove a hypothesis because the story can be interpreted as one family’s need to discover the truth.
The Fir Tree is one of very few pessimistic tales by Hans Christian Andersen. The story begins around Christmas time when the tree is cut down to be sold. The tree is very upset about his because he fears he will never see his friends again. A happy family comes to buy this Fir tree and decorates it in the living room. The tree is also upset by this because he is afraid of what is happening to him. However, he wishes the next morning that the same thing would occur but his wish never came true. Although this story is very pessimistic, it can be used to teach children to look for the positives in a rough situation.
In many of Hans Christian Andersen’s tales, I noticed the recurring theme of acceptance. The relationships that are built in these stories often begin with the main character feeling unwelcome by others and in The Ugly Duckling’s case, relentlessly teased. Andersen does an excellent job of expressing the mood of this book throughout his word choice. For example, I found that at the beginning of the book when the duckling first hatched, many words were very negative, such as ‘miserable’ and ‘horribly.’ The mood shifts towards the end of the tale when Andersen begins using words such as ‘magnificent’ and ‘beautiful.’ Words have the power to capture the audience and have the audience experience what the main character experiences throughout the story. I believe that Andersen in The Ugly Duckling does an excellent job of portraying the hurt and then sudden feeling of acceptance felt by the duckling.
Hans Christian Andersen portrays the need for belonging in Thumbelina through excellent use of imagery throughout the tale. Andersen points out the noticeable differences between each of the creatures she meets so that you, as the audience, can fully understand the emotions felt by Thumbelina. The Little Match Girl can be seen as a tale that can have many lessons. One of these lessons also shows how things will work out for the best and we will always be accepted somewhere. The illustrations created by Jerry Pinkney do a great job of portraying the story and emotions that Andersen conveyed in his writing. The illustrations begin with dark and gray colors while the girl is lonely. The colors and the images begin to portray happiness as the little girl begins to feel accepted.
Hans Christian Andersen uses an interesting method to convey acceptance in The Princess and the Pea. I found that through his use of comedy, he made the royal family sound really silly for testing to see if someone should be accepted into their family. I feel like he was trying to send a message that you should accept someone as who they are instead of testing them to make sure they fit your standards. In The Fir Tree, it is interesting to see how Andersen portrays acceptance in this story. Instead of creating a story with a happy ending, the ending is very sad and leaves you with a feeling of hopelessness. In this story, the tree never does feel happy and accepted like he once was. As sad as the ending is, I think that it is exactly what Andersen meant to happen because it helps you to remember the pain and suffering that someone might feel if they are seen as a cast out of society.
It is interesting to find that each of the books that I read by Hans Christian Andersen deal in some way with acceptance. In my research, I found that Andersen felt like he was accepted in any of the career paths he followed. This is why when he was later asked to write an autobiography he replied by saying something similar to, “I already have.” The work that he was referring to was in fact The Ugly Duckling. (Andersen, 2006)
In conclusion, the life and works of Hans Christian Andersen is very influential to the many fairy tales that we grow up to learn and love. Many of his tales have been adapted into movies, musicals, and skits. By learning about Andersen, students will have the opportunity to not only touch on important subjects like bullying, but they will be able to connect what they have learned to things that they will come across in their everyday life. This is what will help make learning exciting for them.
Works Cited:
Andersen, H.C. (1994). Twelve Tales. New York, New York
Andersen, H.C. (2004) Thumbelina. New York: Dial Books for Young Readers
Andersen, H. C. (2006): The True Story of My Life. Echo Library
Bjørnsten, L. (2002). Hans christian andersen. H.C Andersen Information Odense, Retrieved from http://www.hcandersen-homepage.dk/?page_id=14071
Mylius, J. (2013). Hans christian andersen. Hans Christian Andersen Center, Retrieved from http://www.andersen.sdu.dk/liv/minibio/index_e.html
The Ugly Duckling is a great book to use in a classroom if is struggling with bullying issues. This is an excellent story about how a young duckling hatches late and is teased relentlessly for the way he looks. His own mother begins to say hurtful things to the duckling so he feels his only choice is to run away. The Ugly Duckling is a story of how one small duckling begins his journey for acceptance and finds it in the least likely of places. One way to help relate this book to students is to tell them that Hans Christian Andersen wrote this book about his very own life (Andersen, 2006).
Hans Christian Andersen also wrote the popular children’s tale Thumbelina. This story is about a young girl who was about the size of your thumb. She was living a happy life until she was taken in the middle of the night. Different creatures help Thumbelina move from place to place. She never quite feels accepted and gets lonely because she can never find anyone like her. Thumbelina is another great story by Andersen about being proud of where you come from.
The Little Match Girl is an excellent book that can be used to teach many lessons. Teachers can use this book in the classroom if there had been a death, to teach about kindness and compassion, or even acceptance. Hans Christian Andersen wrote in his tale about a poor young girl in the dead of winter who felt that she could not return home because she had not made any money out on the streets. She began to light her matches to keep her warm at night when she began to see glorious visions that she longed to be a part of. This is an excellent tale to use in various lessons in a classroom.
The Princess and the Pea is a classic fairy tale that has been adapted in many different versions. My favorite loose adaptation is the comedic play adaptation Once Upon a Mattress. However, The Princess and the Pea is about a prince who is in search of a princess. On a stormy night, a princess comes knocking on the palace doors but the royal family must test her to make sure that she is in fact a true princess. The queen made up the princesses bed, but underneath a pile of mattresses she placed one pea. This story can be used in lessons when students must test to prove a hypothesis because the story can be interpreted as one family’s need to discover the truth.
The Fir Tree is one of very few pessimistic tales by Hans Christian Andersen. The story begins around Christmas time when the tree is cut down to be sold. The tree is very upset about his because he fears he will never see his friends again. A happy family comes to buy this Fir tree and decorates it in the living room. The tree is also upset by this because he is afraid of what is happening to him. However, he wishes the next morning that the same thing would occur but his wish never came true. Although this story is very pessimistic, it can be used to teach children to look for the positives in a rough situation.
In many of Hans Christian Andersen’s tales, I noticed the recurring theme of acceptance. The relationships that are built in these stories often begin with the main character feeling unwelcome by others and in The Ugly Duckling’s case, relentlessly teased. Andersen does an excellent job of expressing the mood of this book throughout his word choice. For example, I found that at the beginning of the book when the duckling first hatched, many words were very negative, such as ‘miserable’ and ‘horribly.’ The mood shifts towards the end of the tale when Andersen begins using words such as ‘magnificent’ and ‘beautiful.’ Words have the power to capture the audience and have the audience experience what the main character experiences throughout the story. I believe that Andersen in The Ugly Duckling does an excellent job of portraying the hurt and then sudden feeling of acceptance felt by the duckling.
Hans Christian Andersen portrays the need for belonging in Thumbelina through excellent use of imagery throughout the tale. Andersen points out the noticeable differences between each of the creatures she meets so that you, as the audience, can fully understand the emotions felt by Thumbelina. The Little Match Girl can be seen as a tale that can have many lessons. One of these lessons also shows how things will work out for the best and we will always be accepted somewhere. The illustrations created by Jerry Pinkney do a great job of portraying the story and emotions that Andersen conveyed in his writing. The illustrations begin with dark and gray colors while the girl is lonely. The colors and the images begin to portray happiness as the little girl begins to feel accepted.
Hans Christian Andersen uses an interesting method to convey acceptance in The Princess and the Pea. I found that through his use of comedy, he made the royal family sound really silly for testing to see if someone should be accepted into their family. I feel like he was trying to send a message that you should accept someone as who they are instead of testing them to make sure they fit your standards. In The Fir Tree, it is interesting to see how Andersen portrays acceptance in this story. Instead of creating a story with a happy ending, the ending is very sad and leaves you with a feeling of hopelessness. In this story, the tree never does feel happy and accepted like he once was. As sad as the ending is, I think that it is exactly what Andersen meant to happen because it helps you to remember the pain and suffering that someone might feel if they are seen as a cast out of society.
It is interesting to find that each of the books that I read by Hans Christian Andersen deal in some way with acceptance. In my research, I found that Andersen felt like he was accepted in any of the career paths he followed. This is why when he was later asked to write an autobiography he replied by saying something similar to, “I already have.” The work that he was referring to was in fact The Ugly Duckling. (Andersen, 2006)
In conclusion, the life and works of Hans Christian Andersen is very influential to the many fairy tales that we grow up to learn and love. Many of his tales have been adapted into movies, musicals, and skits. By learning about Andersen, students will have the opportunity to not only touch on important subjects like bullying, but they will be able to connect what they have learned to things that they will come across in their everyday life. This is what will help make learning exciting for them.
Works Cited:
Andersen, H.C. (1994). Twelve Tales. New York, New York
Andersen, H.C. (2004) Thumbelina. New York: Dial Books for Young Readers
Andersen, H. C. (2006): The True Story of My Life. Echo Library
Bjørnsten, L. (2002). Hans christian andersen. H.C Andersen Information Odense, Retrieved from http://www.hcandersen-homepage.dk/?page_id=14071
Mylius, J. (2013). Hans christian andersen. Hans Christian Andersen Center, Retrieved from http://www.andersen.sdu.dk/liv/minibio/index_e.html