Fairy Tales Told for Children (1838)
Encyclopedia
Fairy Tales Told for Children (1838) is collection of three fairy tales by Hans Christian Andersen published in Copenhagen, Denmark by C. A. Reitzel on 2 October 1838. The collection consists of "The Daisy", "The Steadfast Tin Soldier
", and "The Wild Swans
".
"The Steadfast Tin Soldier" is the story of a tin soldier who loves a paper ballerina. He falls from the parlor window, and, after sailing in a paper boat down a storm drain, is swallowed by a fish. Eventually he is returned to the parlor table where still stands the ballerina. A boy throws the soldier into the fire and a draught carries the ballerina to his side. They perish together; he is melted into a tin heart.
In "The Wild Swans", a princess mutely undergoes the most dreadful trials in order to free her eleven brothers from a spell cast by an evil queen. When suspicions are aroused that she is a witch, she is sentenced to death but rescues her brothers at the last moment. Able then to speak, she tells her story and the king marries her.
Andersen became an international celebrity with the publication of his novel The Improvisatore
(1835) and Fairy Tales Told for Children, his first collection of fairy tales published in three booklets between 1835 and 1837. The collection consists of nine tales that includes "The Tinderbox", "The Princess and the Pea
", "Thumbelina
", "The Little Mermaid
", and "The Emperor's New Clothes
". Andersen returned to the fairy tale genre in 1838 with another collection which, most importantly, included one tale that would change the genre forever.
The Steadfast Tin Soldier
"The Steadfast Tin Soldier" is a literary fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen about a tin soldier's love for a paper ballerina. After several adventures, the tin soldier perishes in a fire with the ballerina. The tale was first published in Copenhagen by C.A...
", and "The Wild Swans
The Wild Swans
"The Wild Swans" is a literary fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen about a princess who rescues her eleven brothers from a spell cast by an evil queen....
".
Contents
"The Daisy" tells of happy little daisy who is taken up with a plot of earth to line the bottom of a bird cage where a lark is held captive. When he dies and is given an elaborate funeral by the children, she is cast into the road and forgotten. She alone loved the lark, took joy in his song, and felt his suffering as her own."The Steadfast Tin Soldier" is the story of a tin soldier who loves a paper ballerina. He falls from the parlor window, and, after sailing in a paper boat down a storm drain, is swallowed by a fish. Eventually he is returned to the parlor table where still stands the ballerina. A boy throws the soldier into the fire and a draught carries the ballerina to his side. They perish together; he is melted into a tin heart.
In "The Wild Swans", a princess mutely undergoes the most dreadful trials in order to free her eleven brothers from a spell cast by an evil queen. When suspicions are aroused that she is a witch, she is sentenced to death but rescues her brothers at the last moment. Able then to speak, she tells her story and the king marries her.
Background
The Improvisatore
The Improvisatore is an autobiographical novel by Hans Christian Andersen . First published in 1835, it was an immediate success and is considered to be Andersen's breakthrough...
(1835) and Fairy Tales Told for Children, his first collection of fairy tales published in three booklets between 1835 and 1837. The collection consists of nine tales that includes "The Tinderbox", "The Princess and the Pea
The Princess and the Pea
"The Princess and the Pea" is a literary fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen about a young woman whose royal identity is established by a test of her physical sensitivity. The tale was first published with three others by Andersen in an inexpensive booklet on 8 May 1835 in Copenhagen by C.A...
", "Thumbelina
Thumbelina
"Thumbelina" is a literary fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen first published by C. A. Reitzel on 16 December 1835 in Copenhagen, Denmark with "The Naughty Boy" and "The Traveling Companion" in the second installment of Fairy Tales Told for Children. "Thumbelina" is about a tiny girl and...
", "The Little Mermaid
The Little Mermaid
"The Little Mermaid" is a popular fairy tale by the Danish poet and author Hans Christian Andersen about a young mermaid willing to give up her life in the sea and her identity as a mermaid to gain a human soul and the love of a human prince...
", and "The Emperor's New Clothes
The Emperor's New Clothes
"The Emperor's New Clothes" is a short tale by Hans Christian Andersen about two weavers who promise an Emperor a new suit of clothes that is invisible to those unfit for their positions, stupid, or incompetent...
". Andersen returned to the fairy tale genre in 1838 with another collection which, most importantly, included one tale that would change the genre forever.
Adaptations
"The Steadfast Tin Soldier" has been adapted to dramatic representation at least twice. Ballets have been composed upon the subject by Bournonville and Balanchine, and the tale has been the basis of a segment in a Disney animated film.External links
- "The Daisy". English translation by Jean HersholtJean HersholtJean Pierre Hersholt was a Danish-born actor who lived in the United States, where he was a leading film and radio talent, best known for his 17 years starring on radio in Dr. Christian and for playing Shirley Temple's grandfather in Heidi...
- “The Steadfast Tin Solder“. English translation by Jean Hersholt
- The Wild Swans. English translation by Jean Hersholt