Hans Christian Andersen: The Misunderstood Storyteller [Paperback]

Jack Zipes (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 041597433X | ISBN-13: 978-0415974332 | Publication Date: August 20, 2005 | Edition: 1st

The 2005 bicentenary of Hans Christian Andersen's birth is an opportunity to re-evaluate the achievement of one of the great figures of the fairy tale and storytelling tradition, a beloved writer famous for The Snow Queen and The Little Mermaid, The Ugly Duckling and The Red Shoes and many other now classic tales. Jack Zipes broadens our understanding of Andersen by exploring the relation of the Danish writer's work to the development of literature and of the fairy tale in particular. Based on thirty-five years of researching and writing on Andersen, this new book is a welcome reconsideration of Andersen's place and of his reception in English-speaking countries and on film.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Following an introduction to Andersen's life and personality, Zipes explores his subject's prodigious output of works including travel books, essays, novels, plays, autobiographies, and 156 fairy tales, only a few of which were actually written for children. Two further chapters, The Discourse of the Dominated (a discussion of Andersen's deep ambivalence about class issues) and The Discourse of Rage and Revenge: Controlling Children (a discussion of Andersen's attitudes toward children and childhood) are revised versions of essays previously published elsewhere. A final chapter, The Cinematic Appropriation of Andersen's Heritage: Trivialization and Innovation, looks at both American and European films made from his works. Zipes compares those that build on Andersen's own messages and those that simply use his motifs and characters as commodities to be repackaged and sold. The book is illustrated with prints from 19th- and early-20th-century editions of his works that help to place Andersen in a historical context. A bibliography, film bibliography, and extensive notes are included. This book belongs in libraries with readers who are interested in critical interpretations of folklore and film, and those with collections of critical biographies or extensive collections of Andersen's works. Readers interested in Andersen's contributions to the literature of Denmark, to the modern fairy tale, and a more authentic look at a less-than-happy life, as presented for children in Hjørdis Varmer's Hans Christian Andersen: His Fairy Tale Life (Groundwood, 2005), will find this volume valuable.–Barbara Chatton, College of Education, University of Wyoming, Laramie
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Review

"This work is recommended for larger academic libraries and those with Germanic or Scandinavian studies departments." -Martha Stephenson, University of Wisconsin Library, Library Journal Reviews

"Fans of Andersen and any who would study his works would do well to include Jack Zipes’ Hans Christian Andersen: The Misunderstood Storyteller."- Scandinavian Studies

"[T]he book is useful to anyone who wants to understand the dynamics and interconnections of fairy tales and literature." -Maria Kaliambou, University of Lille 3, France

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 171 pages
• Publisher: Routledge; 1st edition (August 20, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 041597433X
• ISBN-13: 978-0415974332
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.6 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,877,670 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Based on over thirty years of researching and writing on Andersen, November 8, 2005

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Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Hans Christian Andersen: The Misunderstood Storyteller (Paperback)

Fans of Andersen and any who would study his works would do well to include Jack Zipes' Hans Christian Andersen: The Misunderstood Storyteller on their lists of supplemental reading material: it's based on over thirty years of researching and writing on Andersen and explores his writings and their reception in the English-speaking world. Chapters discuss posthumous recognition, themes of childhood and children in his tales, and his ability to portray role reversals to make readers think. A scholarly, quite insightful study evolves.