Tom Lundskær-Nielsen, senior lecturer at the University College London, explains the importance of Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy tales beyond mere children’s stories.
PROVO, Utah (Oct. 1, 2014)—Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy tales aren’t only stories for children. At a Kennedy Center lecture on the campus of Brigham Young University, Tom Lundskær-Nielsen, senior lecturer at the University College London, explained a modern view of Andersen’s tales – that they’re not only for children.
Lundskær-Nielsen began by saying that in 2005, celebrations occurred throughout the world for the bicentennial of Andersen’s birth – the celebrations were the largest ever for a literary figure. “What has he done to deserve such fame and attention?” asked Lundskær-Nielsen. “His worldwide fame nowadays is from his fairy tales.”
While Andersen is widely read and translated, his life wasn’t all that happy.
As a boy, Andersen always felt like an outsider because he preferred reading and theater to playing with boys his age. In fact, Andersen would carry the feeling of not fitting in with him all his life, said Lundskær-Nielsen. For Andersen, “happiness and pain always went hand in hand.”
After being rejected as an actor in the local theater, Andersen decided he would write plays. But his plays were rejected. He had so little formal education that his spelling and grammar were terrible.
The local theater, recognizing Andersen’s talent funded his schooling. He hated school. He was banned from writing fiction because it distracted from his studies. But Andersen kept a journal and threw himself into writing fiction.
Andersen traveled far to get inspiration for his writing. After a few of his novels were published, Fairy Tales for Children was published. The collection was a reworkings of tales Andersen had heard from his travels.
His tales were met with mixed reviews; they were criticized by his friends and associates. One review even told him not to waste time on writing more such stories, explained Lundskær-Nielsen.
Lundskær-Nielsen said that Andersen’s tales were very different from writings of the time because he used a style and language to match that of children. He included sounds and noises – characteristics appealing especially to children.
“Andersen wanted his tales to be read at different levels,” said Lundskær-Nielsen. “It is a fundamental mistake to only see them as children literature.”
Lundskær-Nielsen said that by being an outside, Andersen was able to see more than others. “He noticed differences in social classes in minute detail and different ways. He could comment on social norms from a distance. He helped readers open their eyes to new perspectives.”
He continued, saying that Andersen was so much more than a children’s writer. “You see different layers of meaning and with several audiences in mind.”
While he grew frustrated over the years, while his stories grew darker and his nervous disposition increased, Andersen was a writer who created stories with deep meaning.
“His influence was openly acknowledged by other writers,” concluded Lundskær-Nielsen.
—Stephanie Bahr Bentley (B.A. English ’14)