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I got into my warped mind this summer, since my work schedule gets halved to read the complete Andersen fairy tales. Does anyone want to come with?

If you don't have a complete edition, try




I've read up to and including "The Little Mermaid" so far. There is something strange I've started to notice. Andersen, so far, keeps using weak kings. Not to mention, there is something very strange about "Mermaid".

I haven't read a biography, but yes, I'd say there's 'something strange' about Hans. :-)

Yep- sounds fun.

Just reserved the complete works (edited by Lily Owens). Wow; 800+ pages!

I think what gets me about "Mermaid" is that despite the fact that it is always shown to be a love story; it's not a love story. I think the mermaid loves the idea of a soul more than the idea of the prince. Perhaps, she fears death.

It also has more female characters than male. Something that Disney changed when they adapted it.

Just started this morning. Finished "The Fir-Tree" (do not remember this one from before) and am in the middle of "Thumbelina".

How do you want to do this, Chris? Are we commenting on each story, only the stories that "jump out" at us, general themes.....?

Mawgojzeta wrote: "Just started this morning. Finished "The Fir-Tree" (do not remember this one from before) and am in the middle of "Thumbelina".

How do you want to do this, Chris? Are we commenting on each story..."

I don't know. How about themes and stories that jump out? Different editions are going to have the stories in different orders.

Have you noticed how passive some of the characters are?

Mawgojzeta wrote: "Just started this morning. Finished "The Fir-Tree" (do not remember this one from before) and am in the middle of "Thumbelina".

How do you want to do this, Chris? Are we commenting on each story..."

The Fir Tree really is Andersen's Cult of Suffering, isn't it? What I don't remember is how alike Thumbelina and Ugly Duckling are.

That poor tree! I just kept thinking, "when is this tree going to get a break?"

Chris wrote: Have you noticed how passive some of the characters are?

So far, yes. I wonder why that was?

Finished "The Brave Tin Soldier", so that one immediately comes to mind.

I did annotations for Tin Soldier, Ugly Duckling, and Tinderbox. Many of Andersen's tales have an autobiographical overtone (in particular UD). The bit about money, for instance, which appears in many of the tales, applied to him. Maybe he saw himself as passive.

Chris wrote: "...Maybe he saw himself as passive. "

I was just looking him up online and definitely think that is the case. Passive, and I think, often socially inept.

If anyone has read "The Rose Elf", you should know that the story was also used by John Keats in his "Pot of Basil". It comes from a Giovanni Boccaccio story.

Andersen also mentions Thovaldsen. Here's a link to the museum in Copenhague.




Andersen also got mention in today's World Cup match!

Mawgojzeta wrote: "Chris wrote: "...Maybe he saw himself as passive. "

I was just looking him up online and definitely think that is the case. Passive, and I think, often socially inept."

Zipes believes that Andersen was terrified of women, both in terms of society and sex. Andersen was a bit of odd duck in terms of that. He alway wanted acceptable, especially from the Collins family.

OK- I just finished "The Storks". What a terrible story! Not in quality of writing, but in the substance!

Wow.

So, the moral is: if you are naughty you will get a dead baby brother or sister. Oh, yeah... and all storks are named Peter.

That's the next one in my edition. I'll read it today. Now, you have me thinking of that Pixar short.

Have you read "The Marsh King's Daughter" yet?

I just finished "The Money Box" in the book I am reading. That had followed "The Storks". Not sure if we are reading the same book or not.

Nope, we're not. But that's okay. I read "The Storks". It's one of the few tales where Andersen punishes a boy.

At the same time, of course, he punishes his mother.

"The Marsh King's Daughter" is next on my list - had to return the book for now, so I will be reading the stories online (thank you for links). Let you know what I think in a day or two.

Finally finished the above mentioned story. A bit to Christian for me, but it was interesting how he tries to show the old gods making way for Christ (in a dream). The ending was a shocker! Got to give him credit for that. And, the storks quite a bit friendlier.

The Marsh King story has always fasinated me, not so much of because of the Christian aspects, but because of the rape. I always felt the Egyptian princess' story really wasn't being told. Then when I reread it this year, I wonder if the rage is tied into that rape.

When reading it I did think that the rage was directly tied to the rape.

Oh, and I recently read "The Tinder-Box". What a moral that story has - haha!

I actually quite like the tale despite the fact that it advocates violence against old women, theft, kidnapping sleeping ladies, and mass slaughter. I think it is because I feel like I am sitting around a story-teller hearing it from his lips. I feel like he is bending forward at all the right places, raising and lowering his voice to emphasis, etc. I especially got the feeling when the story says "And now we shall see what happened."

I love the Tinderbox too. I think its because of the dogs. I love those eyes. I even did annotations for Surlalunefairytales.com for it.

Yes, those eyes!

Clicked on the link and read that annotations. Good job! Very interesting.

Fun!