Fairy Tales

Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tales are like exquisite jewels, drawing from us gasps of recognition and delight. Writing in the midst of a Europe-wide rebirth of national literature, Andersen broke new ground with his fairy tales in two important ways. First, he composed them in the vernacular, mimicking the language he used when telling them aloud to children. Second, he set his tales in his own land and time, giving rise to his loving descriptions of the Danish countryside. In contrast to folklorists such as the Brothers Grimm, Andersen's tales are grounded in the real and often focus on the significance of small or overlooked things.

Tinderbox, Little Claus and Big Claus, The Princess and 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, Auntie Toothache.