The Angel
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| The Angel | |
 Vilhelm Pedersen illustration |
|
| Author | Hans Christian Andersen |
|---|---|
| Original title | Engelen |
| Country |  Denmark |
| Language | Danish |
| Genre(s) | Fairy tale |
| Publisher | C. A. Reitzel |
| Publication date | 11 November 1843 |
| Media type | |
"The Angel" (Danish: Engelen) is a fairy tale by Danish poet and author Hans Christian Andersen about an angel and a dead child gathering flowers to carry to Heaven where one flower will sing when kissed by God. The tale was first published in 1843 and dedicated to Jenny Lind, a Swedish opera singer whom Andersen loved platonically.
Contents |
[edit] Plot summary
A child has died, and an angel is escorting him to Heaven. They wander over the earth for a while, visiting the child's favorite places. Along the way they gather flowers to transplant into the gardens of Heaven. The angel takes the child to a poverty-stricken area where a dead field lily lies in a trash heap. The angel salvages the flower explaining that it had cheered a crippled boy before he died. The angel then reveals he was the boy.
[edit] Analysis
The Angel is said to exemplify Andersen's writing as belonging to the Romantic Period. It also displays his desire for an uncomplicated relationship with God, untouched by the "hellfire and damnation" strictures of Scandinavian Christianity.
The tale had obsessed Andersen since his poem "The Dying Child", and may have been inspired by the death of the eldest daughter of Andersen's friend, Edvard Collins. The tale, like the poem, was widely popular and suited the sentimental taste of the times. A print made from an illustration of the tale by the German artist Kaulbach sold millions of copies.[1]
[edit] Publication
The tale was first published in Copenhagen 11 November 1843 by C.A. Reitzel as a part of New Fairy Tales. First Volume. First Collection. 1844. (Nye Eventyr. Første Bind. Første Samling. 1844.) The tale was the first in the volume that included (in contents order) "The Nightingale" (Nattergalen), "The Sweethearts; or, The Top and the Ball", and "The Ugly Duckling" (Den grimme Ælling). The tale was republished 18 December 1849 as a part of Fairy Tales. 1850. (Eventyr. 1850.), and again on 15 December 1862 as a part of Fairy Tales and Stories. First Volume. 1862. (Eventyr og Historier. Første Bind. 1862.).[2]
[edit] See also
- List of works by Hans Christian Andersen
- Vilhelm Pedersen, first illustrator of Andersen's fairy tales
[edit] References
- ^ Wullschlager, Jackie. Hans Christian Andersen: The Life of a Storyteller. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 2002. ISBN 0226917479.
- ^ Hans Christian Andersen Center: Hans Christian Andersen: The Angel
