Tales
by Hans Christian Andersen · Eventyr, fortalte for Børn
Assigned by 1 of the 9 reading lists, catalogue entry only
- Written
- 1835-1872
- Form
- Romance and tale
- Language
- Danish
- Length
- Medium · 300 pp120 to 300 pages
- Difficulty
- Approachable1 of 5 for a first-year reader
We recommendFairy Tales, translated by Tiina NunnallyPenguin Classics, 2005A fresh translation of thirty tales from the Danish, edited by Jackie Wullschlager, that restores Andersen's plain and ironic voice.
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Andersen published 156 tales between 1835 and 1872, some retold from Danish folklore but most invented. The best known include The Little Mermaid, who gives up her voice for a prince and is not chosen, The Emperor's New Clothes, The Ugly Duckling, The Princess and the Pea, The Snow Queen, The Little Match Girl, who freezes to death seeing visions in her matches, The Steadfast Tin Soldier and The Nightingale. Their tone is plain, colloquial and often unhappy, and their subjects are frequently outsiders and objects that come to life. The Harvard Classics selection includes twenty of them.
No reading guide yet
The catalogue entry above is complete: the dates, the form, the themes and every program that assigns Tales are verified against each program's published list.
What is missing is the part that takes real work: the summary, the key passages, and a recommended translation. The edition named below is the one most programs assign, so the buy links are useful already.
