Hans Christian Andersen's Fairy Tales

Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy tales are literary stories that give imaginative life to people, animals, plants, and ordinary objects. The Ugly Duckling follows a painful search for belonging, while The Emperor’s New Clothes exposes the pretence sustained by fear of appearing foolish. The Snow Queen makes loyalty and perseverance central to a journey through danger and estrangement. Other tales, including The Little Match Girl, bring vulnerability and compassion into a much sadder register. Andersen’s stories do not all promise the same kind of ending: their distinctive voice can move from playfulness to grief while retaining the immediacy of a story told aloud.