The Flying Trunk
Encyclopedia
"The Flying Trunk" is a fairy tale
by the Danish
poet
and author
Hans Christian Andersen
about a young man who has a flying trunk that carries him to Turkey where he visits the Sultan's daughter. The tale was first published 1839
.
that her marriage would be unhappy. He persuades her to marry him. When her father and mother visit her tower, he tells them a story. They are impressed and consent to the marriage. To celebrate his upcoming marriage, the young man buys fireworks and flies over the land setting them off. Returning to the earth, a spark incinerates the trunk, and the young man can no longer visit the princess in the tower. Instead, he wanders the world telling stories.
Fairy tale
A fairy tale is a type of short story that typically features such folkloric characters, such as fairies, goblins, elves, trolls, dwarves, giants or gnomes, and usually magic or enchantments. However, only a small number of the stories refer to fairies...
by the Danish
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
poet
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
and author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
Hans Christian Andersen
Hans Christian Andersen
Hans Christian Andersen was a Danish author, fairy tale writer, and poet noted for his children's stories. These include "The Steadfast Tin Soldier," "The Snow Queen," "The Little Mermaid," "Thumbelina," "The Little Match Girl," and "The Ugly Duckling."...
about a young man who has a flying trunk that carries him to Turkey where he visits the Sultan's daughter. The tale was first published 1839
1839 in literature
The year 1839 in literature involved some significant new books.-Events:*Washington Irving begins contributing regularly to The Knickerbocker, and will publish thirty new pieces in the magazine — including "The Creole Village," in which he will coin the phrase "the almighty dollar" — through March...
.
Plot summary
A young man squanders his inheritance until he has nothing left but a few shillings, a pair of slippers, and an old dressing-gown. A friend sends him a trunk with directions to pack up and be off. Having nothing to pack, he gets into the trunk himself. The trunk is enchanted and carries him to the land of the Turks. He uses the trunk to visit the sultan's daughter, who is kept in a tower because of a prophecySelf-fulfilling prophecy
A self-fulfilling prophecy is a prediction that directly or indirectly causes itself to become true, by the very terms of the prophecy itself, due to positive feedback between belief and behavior. Although examples of such prophecies can be found in literature as far back as ancient Greece and...
that her marriage would be unhappy. He persuades her to marry him. When her father and mother visit her tower, he tells them a story. They are impressed and consent to the marriage. To celebrate his upcoming marriage, the young man buys fireworks and flies over the land setting them off. Returning to the earth, a spark incinerates the trunk, and the young man can no longer visit the princess in the tower. Instead, he wanders the world telling stories.
Analysis
The trunk suggests the flying carpets of "The Arabian Nights", a collection of tales Andersen read and loved as a child.Publication
The tale was first published in Copenhagen by C.A. Reitzel 19 October 1839 as part of Fairy Tales Told for Children. New Collection. Second Booklet. 1839. (Eventyr, fortalte for Børn. Ny Samling. Andet Hefte. 1839.). "The Flying Trunk" was the second tale in the booklet with "The Garden of Paradise" (Paradisets Have) being the first, and "The Storks" (Storkene) being the third and last. "The Flying Trunk" was republished 18 December 1849 as a part of Fairy Tales. 1850. (Eventyr. 1850.), and again 15 December 1862 as a part of Fairy Tales and Stories. First Volume. 1862. (Eventyr og Historier. Første Bind. 1862.).Adaptations
- Andrew LangAndrew LangAndrew Lang was a Scots poet, novelist, literary critic, and contributor to the field of anthropology. He is best known as a collector of folk and fairy tales. The Andrew Lang lectures at the University of St Andrews are named after him.- Biography :Lang was born in Selkirk...
included the tale in The Pink Fairy Book. - Lotte ReinigerLotte ReinigerCharlotte "Lotte" Reiniger was a German silhouette animator and film director.- Early life :Lotte Reiniger was born in Berlin-Charlottenburg, German Empire, on June 2, 1899...
made an animated silhouette film based on the tale in 19211921 in film-Top grossing films :-Films released in 1921:U.S.A. unless stated*$10,000 Under a Pillow, silent film directed by Frank Moser*The Ace of Hearts, silent film directed by Wallace Worsley*Across the Divide, silent film directed by John Holloway...
. - In 1993, Copenhagen's Tivoli Gardens created an amusement ride based on "The Flying Trunk". The ride depicts 32 scenes from the fairy tales of Andersen.
See also
- List of works by Hans Christian Andersen
- Vilhelm PedersenVilhelm PedersenThomas Vilhelm Pedersen was a Danish artist best known for being the first artist to illustrate the fairy tales of Hans Christian Andersen....
, first illustrator of Andersen's fairy tales
External links
- "The Flying Trunk" Jean Hersholt's English translation
- Den flyvende Kuffert Original Danish text
- Original manuscript Odense City Museum