Abstract
Hans Christian Andersen’s tale, “The Little Mermaid,” has been adored by both children and parents for decades. The tale shows an astonishingly different quality to Andersen’s early genre of fairy tales, which allows the reader to sense his keenness on the meaning of human sexuality. The author used the short narrative form, becoming more conservative, cautious, and concise in his ideological compromise between religiosity and human nature. “The Little Mermaid” is a tale that draws the reader in about “universal preoccupations” of femininity, self-concept, and self-actualization. Andersen’s intentions and the authenticity of this tale should not be overlooked.
Highlights
The fairy tale is a literary genre with a lesson for readers
Hans Christian Andersen, the well-known Danish writer, took this seriously in his own work. His tales were inspired by various life events and his readings took place in Denmark and Western Europe; some stories were translated into several different languages from the original and had a positive impact on many generations [1]
Stories about supernatural sea creatures originate from the earliest human traditions
Summary
The fairy tale is a literary genre with a lesson for readers. Hans Christian Andersen, the well-known Danish writer, took this seriously in his own work. In later fairy tales and literary works, mermaids or water nymphs express mankind’s sexual desires yet are depicted as demonic figures.
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