Chinanews client, Beijing, August 7 (Reporter Shangguanyun) "Daughter of the Sea", "Ugly Duckling"... For children, perhaps they have read a little Andersen's fairy tales when they were young, and some plots, even after they grow up. They are still fresh in memory.

　　A few days ago, the topic of "The 145th Anniversary of Andersen's Death" rushed into hot searches, triggering a wave of memories: Some people say that in "Daughter of the Sea", the experience of the mermaid princess is an eternal pain in his heart; some say that he listened to stories when he was young and grew up. After reading the truth...

　　Andersen and his fairy tales, what exactly are they like? Today, how should we read classic fairy tales?

It’s a fairy tale, but it also exposes the ugly reality

　　Born in 1805, Andersen loved creation when he was young. During his life, he created many popular fairy tale works. "The Emperor's New Clothes", "The Princess and the Pea", and "The Ugly Duckling" were all written by him and were loved by many readers.

"Andersen's Fairy Tales" (the essence of illustrations in the famous translation collection of world literary names). Published by Changjiang Literature and Art Publishing House

　　"He is considered a versatile literary creation. In addition to fairy tales, he also created 6 novels, 50 plays, 23 travels, 11 diaries, etc., and left a large number of paper-cuts, sketches, collages and a large number of letters. Etc." Li Hongye, a professor at the School of Literature, Hunan Normal University, introduced.

　　"Andersen's fairy tales are mainly personal and independent creations. "The Flower of Little Ida" is his first original fairy tale. Only seven or eight stories are rewritten from folk tales, which is different from "The Grimm's Fairy Tales". "Li Hongye said.

　　In 1835 Andersen published his first collection of fairy tales (including Tinder Box, The Princess on the Pea, etc.), and in 1836 published his second collection of fairy tales (including Thumbelina, The Emperor’s New Clothes, etc.) The Little Mermaid, etc.). Since then, Andersen will publish fairy tales almost every year, and the complete collection of fairy tales he hand-written during his lifetime includes 156.

　　Li Hongye introduced that the complete translation of domestic Andersen's fairy tales we see today is the version written by Andersen that year, and it does not directly write bloody and violent "dark" content.

　　But Andersen did not avoid the dark side of society. Many of his fairy tales exposed the ugly reality of the time. Li Hongye introduced that there is a fairy tale created by Andersen in his later period called "Shadow", which is completely different from the bright ending that readers expect good people to get rewarded.

Data map: Previously, the classic fairy tale exhibition "The Great Andersen" opened in Wuhan. The exhibition is divided into six major themes. The picture shows the cartoon image of the little tin soldier in the exhibition hall. Photo by Xu Zhenggang

Is "Daughter of the Sea" a "dwarf woman"?

　　In terms of writing characteristics, Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy tales have the unique romantic color of folk literature and are full of imagination. It's just that there are some fairy tale works, which later also sparked a wider range of discussions, such as "The Daughter of the Sea".

　　"Daughter of the Sea" is very well-known: the mermaid princess rescued the prince who fell into the water, exchanged with the sea witch on the condition of a beautiful singing voice, etc., was able to come to the prince, but found that he was going to marry a princess from a neighboring country. Finally, the little mermaid jumped into the sea.

　　Some netizens said that they would not tell children this classic fairy tale. He also mentioned "Don't learn from the Little Mermaid" "You are a human girl, you have a brain, and no one is worthy of your life."

　　There are both opponents and supporters of similar views. Li Hongye introduced the creative background of this fairy tale, "The little mermaid is actually the image of Andersen's self-expression, reflecting Andersen's complex life experience, including the pursuit of love, self and soul."

　　She does not think that "Daughter of the Sea" has a dwarfing of women. "The little mermaid is not a negative and passive image. The little mermaid is making active choices from beginning to end. She yearns for the human world and strives to break through her own limitations in order to achieve Love and an eternal soul."

　　Including at the end of the story, the little mermaid did not kill the prince, thereby allowing himself to return to the sea. Li Hongye feels that this is a kind of perfection for the prince, moreover the result of self-selection, a kind of sublimation and transcendence of life. This is completely different from passive tolerance and loss of personality.

Reading classics is not just accepting without thinking

　　Whether it is a reinterpretation of Andersen’s fairy tales or the controversy that has caused it, the core of it all points to a question: how should we read classic fairy tales today?

"Andersen's Fairytales". Published by Yunnan Fine Arts Publishing House

　　The answer given by Li Hongye is that the classics often have an open space for interpretation. We don't have to stick to the interpretation of predecessors, but the important thing is to return to the text itself.

　　"Take the image of the little mermaid as an example. She is different from the Sleeping Beauty and Snow White in folk fairy tales. The little mermaid is a symbolic figure with a conscious spiritual pursuit. In reading, parents should not underestimate the children's understanding. . What the little mermaid gives the children is touch, is the purification and cultivation of the soul." She said.

　　Andersen’s classic fairy tales do not avoid the dilemma of life: writing about the difficulty of communication between individuals and others (such as "The Ugly Duckling"), writing about the destruction of beauty (such as "Shadow"), etc. The childishness of his story goes hand in hand with humor. In it, children see all things in amazement and are guided by emotion and beauty; in it, adults see the lost childhood, the world and the complicated life experience.

　　In addition to reading, independent thinking is more important. Li Donghua, a children’s literature writer, said that, for example, the views of women and love in "The Daughter of the Sea" are worthy of discussion, rather than accepting without thinking.

　　From this perspective, any classic work is not the end of readers' thinking, but the starting point. (Finish)