“Fairy Tales of Hans Christian Andersen”
by Hans Christian Andersen, compiled by Neil Philip, illustrated by Isabelle Brent
Viking, N.Y., 1995, 140 pages, elementary school through adult.
Fairy tales are stories that instruct and entertain readers. In these stories, we meet kind and brave people, as well as evil beings such as witches and heartless individuals.
Until the Disney Studio abandoned the concepts of ultimate good and evil, fairy tales were always based on the concept of a universal truth. This truth, based on God, didn’t change just because it was inconvenient or disagreeable to current value systems. This resulted in traditional fairy tales teaching children the value of leading virtuous lives, while demonstrating the consequences of choosing sin and evil.
One of the great masters of fairy tales is Hans Christian Andersen. Born in Denmark in 1805, he wrote plays, novels and fairy tales until his death in 1875. A number of his fairy tales, such as “The Ugly Duckling,” are most likely autobiographical. Andersen was a homely man with few close friends. However, in his own mind, his brilliant writing turned him into a beautiful swan.
The corpus of his writing is lengthy, but the 150 or so fairy tales has established itself into the literary canon of western culture. While today we tend to think of fairy tales always having a happy ending, Andersen wrote some tales that end in sadness and death. It isn’t that Andersen wanted readers to be morbid, but rather that life is unpredictable. Sometimes things don’t work out as well as we hope.
This edition of the fairy tales was compiled by Neil Philip. From Andersen’s abundance of riches, he has chosen 11 of the most famous fairy tales. In the book, among others, we meet “Thumbelina,” “The Nightingale,” “The Ugly Duckling,” “The Snow Queen” and the humorous “Father’s Always Right.”
Since by their nature, fairy tales are meant for young children as well as adults who are young, they speak to some of the most basic needs people have. We want to be loved and cherished. We desire peaceful lives. We ask God for help when we are having trials in life. We hope for the goodness that God wants us to have. Even in Andersen’s fairy tales ending in sadness, we are instructed. The sadness is caused by people not choosing good over evil. These choices have created problems. Evil is not an accident; it is deliberately chosen.
Fairy tales give powerful explanations to people. When we read them, we are entertained, educated and morally formed. Children are enchanted by them and grownups will be very surprised how delightful they are when read in adulthood. If you want to share some delightful moments with the younger members of your families, or just need a pick-me-up, go to the library and read this excellent compilation, “Fairy Tales of Hans Christian Andersen,” compiled by Neil Philip.
