Hans Christian Andersen : European Witness / Paul Binding.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Binding, Paul, author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Andersen, H. C. (Hans Christian), 1805-1875.

Andersen, H. C.

Authors, Danish--19th century--Biography.

Authors, Danish.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (496 p.)

Place of Publication:

New Haven, Connecticut : Yale University Press, 2014.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

A new account of the brilliant and prolific Danish writer whose works captivated readers across Europe Rarely does an American or European child grow up without an introduction to Hans Christian Andersen’s ";The Ugly Duckling,"; ";The Princess and the Pea,"; or ";Thumbelina."; Andersen began publishing his fairy tales in 1835, and they brought him almost immediate acclaim among Danish and German readers, followed quickly by the French, Swedes, Swiss, Norwegians, British, and Americans. Ultimately he wrote more than 150 tales. And yet, Paul Binding contends in this incisive book, Andersen cannot be confined to the category of writings for children. His work stands at the very heart of mainstream European literature. The author considers the entire scope of Andersen’s prose, from his juvenilia to his very last story. He shows that Andersen’s numerous novels, travelogues, autobiographies, and even his fairy tales (notably addressed not to children but to adults) earned a vast audience because they distilled the satisfactions, tensions, hopes, and fears of Europeans as their continent emerged from the Napoleonic Wars. The book sheds new light on Andersen as an intellectual, his rise to international stardom, and his connections with other eminent European writers. It also pays tribute to Andersen’s enlightened values—values that ensure the continuing appeal of his works.

Contents:

""Text""; ""Contents""; ""Acknowledgements""; ""Introductory: Europe, Denmark, the World""; ""William Christian Walter""; ""Germany 1831 and After""; ""Kun en Spillemand (Only a Fiddler) and �Den Standhaftige Tinsoldat� (�The Steadfast Tin Soldier�)""; ""The Canonical Stories""; ""Britain, Dickens, Revolutions and Wars""; ""What the Wind Tells: Stories 1858�59""; ""�Iisjomfruen�, �The Ice Maiden�, 1861""; ""Beginnings and Endings.""; ""Chronology""; ""Notes""; ""Index""

Notes:

Includes index.

Description based on print version record.

ISBN:

0-300-20615-1

OCLC:

878149104