The Goblin and the Grocer
Encyclopedia
"The Goblin and the Grocer" is a fairy tale
by Danish
poet
and author
Hans Christian Andersen
about a goblin who must choose between poetry or a Christmas treat from a grocer. The tale was first published November 30, 1852, and republished several times during the author's lifetime. Andrew Lang
included it in The Pink Fairy Book. The title is sometimes mistakenly translated into English
as "The Goblin and the Huckster".
, the goblin belonged to the grocer. One day, the student came to buy cheese and candles; then he realized that his cheese was wrapped in a page from a poetry book, so he bought the book instead of the cheese, and spoke rudely of the grocer's ability to understand poetry. The goblin, offended, used magic to make everything in the room speak and they all agreed that poetry was useless. The goblin went to tell the student, but he saw a light and a marvelous tree in the room. He kept going back, but could not give up the jam. One day there was a fire. The goblin ran to save the poetry book and realized that he thought the book the greatest treasure in the house. Still, it decided to divide its time between the grocer and the student, because of the jam.
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 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 goblin who must choose between poetry or a Christmas treat from a grocer. The tale was first published November 30, 1852, and republished several times during the author's lifetime. Andrew Lang
Andrew Lang
Andrew 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 it in The Pink Fairy Book. The title is sometimes mistakenly translated into English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
as "The Goblin and the Huckster".
Synopsis
Once, a student lived in an attic while a grocer lived on the first floor. Because the grocer gave him a lump of jam and butter at ChristmasChristmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
, the goblin belonged to the grocer. One day, the student came to buy cheese and candles; then he realized that his cheese was wrapped in a page from a poetry book, so he bought the book instead of the cheese, and spoke rudely of the grocer's ability to understand poetry. The goblin, offended, used magic to make everything in the room speak and they all agreed that poetry was useless. The goblin went to tell the student, but he saw a light and a marvelous tree in the room. He kept going back, but could not give up the jam. One day there was a fire. The goblin ran to save the poetry book and realized that he thought the book the greatest treasure in the house. Still, it decided to divide its time between the grocer and the student, because of the jam.