Fairy Tales

This collection of fairy tales by Hans Christian Andersen was recently translated by Tiina Nunnally from the original Danish texts. I was thrilled to finally reread some of my childhood favourites such as Thumbelina and the Steadfast Tin Soldier undiluted by translations which strove to make them more "child friendly".

After months of slowly making my way through this collection I finished, finding myself with plenty of food for thought. I found his works to be far more complex and thought provoking than before (as in when I was a child) and that I truly appreciate them fully now. As a child my favourite was definitely Thumbelina, who doesn't want to imagine marrying a fairy prince? After rereading all of them I have chosen a new favourite, drum roll please, The Most Incredible Thing which I had never read before but found quite amusing.

In reading the fairy tales there were many without happy endings, but I have to wonder if it would have been better as a child not to always have seen/heard happy endings. It is more realistic that things will not always come up roses and traditional fairy tales tend to stick to their guns when it comes to morals over happiness. Although I love Disney with all my heart, maybe children should not be made to believe that for every story there is a happy ending.

The following fairy tales can be found in this anthology: The Tinderbox, Little Claus and Big Claus, The Princess on the Pea, Thumbelina, The Traveling Companion, The Little Mermaid, The Emperor's New Clothes, The Steadfast Tin Soldier, The Wild Swans, The Flying Trunk, The Nightingale, The Sweethearts, The Ugly Duckling, The Fir Tree, The Snow Queen, The Red Shoes, The Shepherdess and the Chimney Sweep, The Shadow, The Old House,The Little Match Girl, The Story of a Mother, The Collar, The Bell, The Marsh King's Daughter, The Wind Tells of Valdemar Daae and His Daughters, The Snowman, The Ice Maiden, The Wood Nymph, The Most Incredible Thing, and Auntie Toothache.

Hans Christian Andersen