Hans Christian Anderson Research Paper

Hans Christian Anderson was a Danish poet that was born on April 2, 1805 in Odense, Denmark. He was an author who wrote many short stories and today’s movies, although he lived in the 19th century many of his works influenced today. Some stories like Frozen, The Little Mermaid, and the Ugly Duckling. His mother Anne Marie Anderson who cleaned other people’s clothes for a living and his father, Hans Anderson Sr., was a cobbler. Throughout his life he published and produced many books and plays based on his life and how he grew up. Hans Christian Anderson was a very influential writer in the 1820’s and in today’s society.
His father was responsible for Hans Christian Anderson’s interest in stories and built his imagination through the theater, making a puppet theater, and books. Hans Christian Anderson grew up in poverty but it did not really affect him, but his parents love for him and the atmosphere he lived in made him a very passionate and affectionate person, which is why so many people loved him and his stories. Hans Christian Anderson started creating tales and stories when he was young. His life was soon turned upside down when his father died in 1816, when Hans Christian Anderson was 11 years old. Although life got harder
mentally and economically, that didn’t stop him from creating his stories and building his imagination. In 1829, his work started to gain recognition with a short story entitled “A Journey on Foot from Holmen's Canal to the East Point of Amager.” He then followed this publication with a play and a book of poetry and travelogue. In 1819, Anderson left home because he wanted to write plays for the theatre in Copenhagen. He was denied admittance to the Royal Theater because he had no talent and his appearance was not suitable. He was then taken under the wing of Jonas Collin, who was a director of the Royal Theater and a prominent government official. Collin arranged for Anderson to obtain some basic schooling, including instruction at elite private schools during the mid-1820s, and by the late 1820s Anderson had passed the entrance exams for the University of Copenhagen. Despite his social class, Hans Christian Anderson was warmly welcomed into the high social classes of society and became well liked by the people. Jonas Collin was like a father to Anderson. 10 years later in 1829, one of his original plays was performed at the theatre: “Love on St.
Nicholas Tower, or What Says the Pit,” and in that same year his mock travel book “Journey on Foot from Holmens Canal to the East Point of Amager was then published and seen by the public. His real success was in 1833, when he traveled to Italy and wrote a novel called, The Improvisatore and this novel is considered his literary breakthrough. This trip marked his rebirth because he then started composing poetry and writing fairy tales. Anderson begun his first fairytale collection during his stay in Italy. Originally they were intended to be for children and adults he then changed it to the title “tales for children” which got a lot of
criticism. Most of his writings focused on his life and the things that happened around him. He incorporated his mother into one of his stories, “The Little Match Girl.” This story talks about a little girl and how she was forced to go into begging. He reflects on his own personal experiences. The Ugly Duckling points out that everyone is different in their own ways but sometimes having those qualities can make someone shine and be who they are.
Tales that are popular to English speaking readers is, "The Princess on the Pea" (1835), Thumbelina (1835), The Steadfast Tin Soldier (1838), The Snow Queen (1844), The Darning Needle (1845), The Little Match Girl (1845), and The Shirt Collar (1848). A lot of his tales had a happy ending, but he also included tragic endings. Anderson's heroes and heroines get consumed by fire or die of a cold. The characters he created either suffered from painful ordeals or if they succeeded it’s not through their doing. As said before, The Ugly Duckling is a prime example of a character that is going through a tough ordeal and a personal struggle.
In 1835 his first collection of fairy tales was published, Told for Children. This broke a new background in Danish literature with his style in word choice, the use of idioms, irony and humor. He wrote these books so someone can see through the eyes of a child; “Thousands of lights were burning on the green branches, and gaily-colored pictures, such as she had seen in the shop-windows, looked down upon her. The little maiden stretched out her hands towards them when--the match went out. The lights of the Christmas tree rose higher and higher, she saw them now as stars in heaven; one fell down and formed a long trail of fire.” from The Little Match Girl. Anderson used imagery so the person reading felt like they were apart of the fairytale and can see the eyes of the person that was telling the story (Kaye).
Anderson's fairy tales of fantasy that included moral lessons are extremely popular with children and adults all over the world, and they also contain autobiographical details of himself. It was very important that he included information about himself because he wanted the audience to feel connected with him and he wanted them to know things about him. The way he incorporated details about himself was phenomenal. He knew that he could add details about himself and still be successful.
Anderson always had people critiquing his work but that never stopped him. One critic was Søren Kierkegaard, and he had different viewpoints and thought of things in a different aspect. However, Dane Georg Brandis wrote many of Anderson praises into his essays since he thought his ideas were interesting. In 1846 he received the Knighthood of the Red Eagle from King Friedrich Wilhelm IV of Prussia and the Maximilian Order of Art and Science from King Maximilian II of Bavaria in 1859. Then in 1867 he was made an Honorary Citizen of Odense. His work helped him accomplish and gain so much recognition (Hans Christian).
In today’s society Anderson is considered to be a cultural influence. His stories laid the groundwork for other children's stories such as, “The Wind in the WIllows” by Kenneth Grahame and “Winnie the Pooh” by A.A. Milne. As writers they enjoyed the way Anderson made inanimate objects come to life. As a matter of fact there is an award that is named after him, Hans Christian Andersen Award. Receiving this award means that an author or illustrator who completes their story is contributing to children’s literature. Also, he has different places that are named after him. One would be, Hans Christian Andersen Airport, which is a small airport in the city of Odense, Denmark. In Japanese city Funabashi, they named a childrens theme park after Anderson. These are examples that show Hans Christian Anderson’s impact on the World.