In our common perception of fairy tales, it is often the beautiful picture of princes and princesses living happily ever after. However, there is one person who has completely changed this inherent impression. He is Andersen, a great writer closely connected to the country of Denmark. His influence transcends national boundaries and is deeply engraved in the long river of world literature.
The Little Mermaid Statue: The Symbolic Connection between Denmark and Andersen
In the Langelinie Park in Copenhagen, Denmark, stands a world-famous bronze statue - the Little Mermaid. This is not a statue of a general or a great man, but a fictional character from the pen of a writer. This image has not only become one of Denmark's cultural symbols but also closely links Denmark with Andersen. Rarely in the world can a country be so directly equated with the name of a writer.
Andersen's Miserable Childhood: The Germination of Poverty and Dreams
In 1805, Andersen was born into a shoemaker's family in the town of Odense, Denmark. At that time, the town of Odense, like many European towns, was relatively closed. The residents here believed in God and were also deeply convinced of witches and various mysterious stories. Under the influence of the magical and ghostly stories passed down from generation to generation by the elders, a seed full of imagination and curiosity about the world was planted in Andersen's young heart.
Andersen's family was extremely poor. In 1813, in order to earn more money, his shoemaker father joined the army. At that time, Denmark was an ally of France. Andersen's father became a member of Napoleon's army. Although Napoleon's empire was showing signs of decline at this time. Unfortunately, two years later, his father returned home with a serious illness and soon passed away. From then on, the burden of life fell on Andersen's mother. His mother had no other skills and could only make a living by doing laundry for others. In the cold winter, the biting wind and icy river made her have to drink alcohol to keep warm. This behavior was considered vulgar in the eyes of "decent people" at that time. People in the town began to talk about her and call her a woman who was addicted to alcohol. This childhood experience became the prototype of Andersen's later fairy tale "She Is a Useless Person". In this fairy tale, the laundry woman finally dies in the icy river. The weeping son asks his mother's friend, "People say she is a useless person. Is this true?" The answer he gets is: "No, she is a very useful person!"
The pressure of life forced 11-year-old Andersen to become a child laborer in a factory. In the factory, he was weak and had neither strength nor skills. But during breaks, his clear and loud voice amazed his co-workers who were much older than him. Andersen's singing made him famous in the factory and also changed his aspiration. Originally, his mother wanted him to become a tailor, but he was determined to become an opera singer. After a fierce argument, at the age of 14, Andersen set off for the capital Copenhagen alone with 30 silver pennies and a puppet made by his father, chasing his dream. At that time, he was full of confidence in the future and made a vow: In some geography books, under the name of Odense, there will be such a line - A tall and thin Danish poet, Andersen, was born here. He never thought that his name would not only be remembered by Copenhagen and Denmark in the future but would spread all over the world.
Setbacks in Copenhagen: The Turning Point of Dreams and the Beginning of the Literary Road
Andersen's development in Copenhagen was far from as smooth as he expected. He was eager to show his talent on the opera stage, but no opera house manager was willing to accept him. He wanted to learn ballet but was rejected again and again. After finally entering the singing training class run by the famous Italian singer Professor Siboni, a sudden serious illness ruined his voice and he could no longer sing.
However, the turning point of fate is always full of drama. In distress, Andersen decided to start writing. Although he had not received a good education, he had been familiar with Shakespeare's works since childhood and had a unique perception of words. In 1822, his play "Alfsol" attracted the attention of Copenhagen critics. Although this work was rough and had many mistakes in rhythm and grammar, the novel ideas and thoughts in it were like shining spots in the darkness. With this play, 17-year-old Andersen obtained the opportunity to study Latin for free at a church school and was admitted to the University of Copenhagen in 1828.
In 1835, Andersen's famous work "The Improvisatore" was published. This novel became his representative work of adult literature and also won him a national non-public service subsidy. Also in this year, Andersen published a collection of fairy tales, which became an important turning point in his life. Now, few people remember the content of "The Improvisatore", but almost everyone is familiar with the four works in Andersen's first collection of fairy tales - "The Tinderbox", "Little Claus and Big Claus", "The Princess and the Pea", "Little Ida's Flowers". This is undoubtedly a blessing because these four fairy tales let Andersen find his true life direction. He bid farewell to adult literature creation and officially started his career as a fairy tale writer.
The Three Stages of Fairy Tale Creation: From Tradition to Realism and then to Deep Life Reflection
Andersen's fairy tale creation process can be clearly divided into three stages.
The first stage is from 1835 to 1845, which is his period from 30 to 40 years old. Although the fairy tales in this stage still have the shadow of traditional fairy tales, they have already shown uniqueness. Works such as "The Tinderbox", "Little Ida's Flowers", and "Thumbelina" combine various elements such as adventure, heroes, fantasy, and anthropomorphism of animals and plants. Andersen's fairy tales in this stage are refreshing. One important factor is that he added some descriptions that are rare in other fairy tales. For example, in works such as "The Emperor's New Clothes" and "The Princess and the Pea", the moral is obvious. And stories like "The Tinderbox" and "Little Claus and Big Claus" that focus on adventure and 奇遇 also contain satirical strokes, such as the portrayal of soldiers who have friends only when they have money and no friends when they have no money, and the description of Big Claus who is carrying a large bag to sink people into the river but thinks that going to church to read a holy poem will bring good fortune.
The second stage is from 1845 to 1852. At this time, Andersen's writing style gradually became realistic. In works such as "The Shadow" and "The Story of a Mother", the romantic elements decrease and the realistic techniques increase. The representative work "The Little Match Girl", although it is a fairy tale, is extremely realistic. It has magnificent descriptions but a extremely desolate ending, cleverly fusing the cruelty of reality with the form of fairy tales, showing Andersen's profound insight into life.
The third stage is after 1852. At this time, Andersen is not so much creating fairy tales as telling stories. Works such as "Under the Willow Tree" and "The Bachelor's Nightcap" are more like the presentation of life fragments. Works like "She Is a Useless Person" can hardly be simply defined as "fairy tales" anymore. This series of changes are closely related to Andersen's life experiences. His childhood full of hardships, his youth full of struggles, and the love he has never had have all become the source of his creation and given his works deeper connotations.
Andersen's Love and Self: Complex Emotions behind Loneliness
Andersen never married throughout his life. This fact once made people doubt his sexual orientation. However, various signs indicate that he actually always longed for love with the opposite sex. From the age of 25 to 38, Andersen had a crush on many women from good families, including the daughter of the director of the Royal Danish Theatre, the daughter of a famous physicist, the daughter of a Swedish count, and a famous Swedish female singer.
So, what is the reason that Andersen never married? He himself thought it was because he was "ugly and poor". People have different views on Andersen's appearance. Some people think he is ugly, but others think he is not bad-looking and even "becomes more and more beautiful as he grows older". Danish painter Christian Sartmann mentioned in his memoirs that Andersen "had an impressive and beautiful appearance", and he was 186 centimeters tall and very tall. In terms of economic situation, from the age of 30, Andersen became famous with "The Improvisatore" and his collection of fairy tales and enjoyed a national subsidy. The annual royalties from his fairy tales were enough for him to live a comfortable life.
Some people also guess that an experience in Andersen's childhood left a huge shadow on him. When he was a child, when he was playing in the old people's shelter where his grandmother worked, he was greatly frightened by a naked woman who was mentally ill. In his autobiography written at the age of 27, he mentioned that he had an indescribable disgust for girls over 20 years old. When he was with them, he would tremble. This may be one of the reasons why the objects of his admiration were all 10 or even 15 years younger than him. Before his death, Andersen once said: "I have paid a huge, even inestimable price for my fairy tales. For the sake of fairy tales, I have rejected my own happiness and missed such a period of time. At that time, no matter how powerful and glorious imagination is, it should still give way to reality." The real reason why he rejected happiness is still unclear, but we can see his views, expectations and fears about love from "The Little Mermaid". In this work, he may not be the prince but the little, unknown mermaid.
Self-Projection in Works: From "The Ugly Duckling" to "The Lucky Peer"
Many of Andersen's works project his own shadow. "The Ugly Duckling" is one of the widely known examples. And the work that shows his life more completely and thoroughly is his late work "The Lucky Peer". This 183-page (original version) fairy tale was published as a single volume in 1870. In this fairy tale, the protagonist Peer was born into a poor family. His father is a warehouse keeper and his mother is a laundry woman. Peer finally realizes his dream of becoming a singer through tenacious struggle and hard work. However, after a performance that won the applause and recognition of everyone, he dies on the stage. The last description of the fairy tale reads: "Dead!" This is an echo. Died in the joy of victory, just like Sophocles at the Olympics, just like Thorvaldsen when listening to Beethoven's symphony in the theater. An artery in his heart burst; like lightning, his days here are over - ended without any pain after enjoying the joys of the world and fulfilling his mission to the world. He is luckier than thousands of people! This is undoubtedly Andersen's profound projection of his own life. He thinks Peer's end is the most perfect ending of life.
Andersen's Departure: Peace and Unique Expectation for Funeral
On August 4, 1875, after having morning tea at a merchant friend's house, Andersen lay quietly on the bed and passed away (some say he died of lung cancer). Shortly before his death, he told the musician who was preparing to compose a funeral march for him that most of the people who would attend his funeral would be children, and the rhythm of the march should be best coordinated with the small steps of children.
Andersen's life, like his fairy tales, is full of twists and turns and profound connotations. His works bring completely different feelings to readers at different ages. When we were young, he opened a window to the adult world for us with fairy tales. After we grow up and face the real society, his fairy tales leave a door for us to keep our original intentions. His works are not only entertainment for children but also profound reflections on life, love, and social reality, allowing us to draw strength and wisdom from them at different stages of life.
Opinion
"When I was a child, I had a question. Why did the queen die in many fairy tales, and then the tragedy of the little princess began. In fact, fairy tales are all lies. Reality may be cruel, but it is not invincible! Andersen's sacrifice lies in his almost deliberately rejecting happiness and writing so many thought-provoking stories. Fairy tales that can only be understood when we grow up! I like the faint sadness and strong love in his stories. I love "The Little Mermaid" and "The Marsh King's Daughter" the most. Like our own lives, filled with sadness and helplessness, but we cannot give up our love for life. Cheer for ourselves who are in a low period!"