The Tales of Hans Christian Andersen

Flow of the Course:
Let me give you a sense of the flow--the term structure is too rigid--of this course: I will start with some glimpses of Hans Christian Andersen's childhood--and, of course, show how it is reflected in the famous tale "The Ugly Duckling". Then I shall stress how much Hans Christian Andersen retained from the folktales he heard as a child and that he retold, very freely, for years to come. In those tales the main characters are engaging upon their journey through life and that journey--whether successful or not--is the subject of many of the tales Hans Christian Andersen wrote.

All along, but especially in the beginning, I will clue you in on Hans Christian Andersen's life. It was a remarkable life, for this boy, born into poverty, managed to rise in society and become a famous author in his own time. Of course the young Hans Christian Andersen longed for love and marriage, but they were not to be realized.

Nevertheless, in some tales he deals with the issue of sexuality and gender-ized roles, and it is quite clear that this man, who came from the proletariat, had a keen eye for the sexual ideology of the bourgeoisie and saw that women were forced into playing certain roles.

Hans Christian Andersen also depicted the political and social changes in his lifetime: it was an age that saw the rise of technology--a placid, static world was transformed by the industrial revolution--and in many of his tales Hans Christian Andersen captured both that old world which was left behind and the new turbulent society. In some of these tales the anger of the proletarian is voiced. Although Hans Christian Andersen relished his reputation of being a great writer--and having the salons of Europe open to him--his proletarian consciousness remained with him.

And, then--when two-thirds of the course has passed--I turn to Hans Christian Andersen's concern with what he was doing all his life: What does it mean to be an artist? In quite a few tales Hans Christian Andersen dealt with the position of the artist in society and the function of art. Some of Hans Christian Andersen's most intricate tales are devoted to his complicated relationship to his own career and to his audience.

I deal, next, with Hans Christian Andersen's religious beliefs--was he or was he not a Christian? And that topic is most clearly brought forward in the stories in which Hans Christian Andersen confronts the issue of mortality.

And then--as the course winds down--some of Hans Christian Andersen's last, complicated, ambiguous tales will be analyzed. In those he seems to bid his audience--us--goodbye.


Welcome Lessons How to Take This Course Supplementary Materials Glossary Learn@UW Tools Quizzes Bulletin Board Chat Grades Classlist Email Course Evaluation		Flow of the Course: Let me give you a sense of the flow--the term structure is too rigid--of this course: I will start with some glimpses of Hans Christian Andersen's childhood--and, of course, show how it is reflected in the famous tale "The Ugly Duckling". Then I shall stress how much Hans Christian Andersen retained from the folktales he heard as a child and that he retold, very freely, for years to come. In those tales the main characters are engaging upon their journey through life and that journey--whether successful or not--is the subject of many of the tales Hans Christian Andersen wrote. All along, but especially in the beginning, I will clue you in on Hans Christian Andersen's life. It was a remarkable life, for this boy, born into poverty, managed to rise in society and become a famous author in his own time. Of course the young Hans Christian Andersen longed for love and marriage, but they were not to be realized. Nevertheless, in some tales he deals with the issue of sexuality and gender-ized roles, and it is quite clear that this man, who came from the proletariat, had a keen eye for the sexual ideology of the bourgeoisie and saw that women were forced into playing certain roles. Hans Christian Andersen also depicted the political and social changes in his lifetime: it was an age that saw the rise of technology--a placid, static world was transformed by the industrial revolution--and in many of his tales Hans Christian Andersen captured both that old world which was left behind and the new turbulent society. In some of these tales the anger of the proletarian is voiced. Although Hans Christian Andersen relished his reputation of being a great writer--and having the salons of Europe open to him--his proletarian consciousness remained with him. And, then--when two-thirds of the course has passed--I turn to Hans Christian Andersen's concern with what he was doing all his life: What does it mean to be an artist? In quite a few tales Hans Christian Andersen dealt with the position of the artist in society and the function of art. Some of Hans Christian Andersen's most intricate tales are devoted to his complicated relationship to his own career and to his audience. I deal, next, with Hans Christian Andersen's religious beliefs--was he or was he not a Christian? And that topic is most clearly brought forward in the stories in which Hans Christian Andersen confronts the issue of mortality. And then--as the course winds down--some of Hans Christian Andersen's last, complicated, ambiguous tales will be analyzed. In those he seems to bid his audience--us--goodbye.