Fairy Tales

Andersen, H. C. (Hans Christian), 1805-1875Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

4.4

Word count: 115K words
Chapters: 12

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.Märchen (Illustriert von Alfred Kubin) by H. C. AndersenAuthor: Andersen, H. C. (Hans Christian), 1805-1875,Language: German, Class: PZ: Language and Literatures: Juvenile belles lettres, Release Date: Jan 19, 2016

Editor's review

This is the German translation of Andersen's fairy tales, illustrated by the Austrian painter Alfred Kubin, and is one of the classic editions in the German-speaking world. Andersen's stories are often reduced in the minds of Chinese readers to children's reading, but Kubin's illustrations bring a different quality: fine, dense lines and a dark atmosphere, often regarded as bearing Symbolist and grotesque traits, which give familiar tales more complex layers. This edition therefore offers both literary and visual interest: German learners can feel the rhythm of nineteenth-century fairy-tale language, while enthusiasts of illustration and visual art can study the style of early modern illustration. Readers may wish to slow down and compare image with text, noting how the artist chooses scenes and shapes the expressions of characters. Because the book is entirely in German, Chinese readers can read it alongside an existing Chinese translation, focusing on the feel of the language and the interpretation of images rather than insisting on word-for-word understanding.

Who it's for

A good fit for

German learners who want to build vocabulary and language feel through original fairy tales
Readers interested in Alfred Kubin's illustrations and early modern illustration
Students of literature or art studying the relationship between fairy-tale texts and images
Readers familiar with Andersen's stories who want to collect a classic German edition

Not a good fit for

Chinese readers with no German at all who only want to read the stories
Parents looking for bright, warm picture books as bedtime reading for children
People expecting modern typography and Chinese annotations to assist reading

Reading tips

Choose a familiar story, read the German first, then check against a Chinese translation to spot misunderstandings.
Treat the illustrations as an independent text: first guess the plot from the pictures, then read the words to verify.
After each tale, note three to five new words and one sentence you like to build language feel.
Learn about Kubin's life and era, then reread the illustrations to appreciate where the style comes from.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

Is Kubin's illustration style suitable for children?

Kubin's illustrations have fine, dense lines and a rather dark atmosphere, with Symbolist and grotesque tendencies; this is not a bright, sweet style of children's illustration. It is better suited to adult readers or researchers with some aesthetic experience. If showing it to children, parents are advised to look through it first and choose pieces as appropriate.

Can I read this book without knowing German?

You can read it, but the gain will lie mainly in the illustrations and the edition itself. To understand the plot and linguistic details, the text needs to be read alongside a Chinese or other translation. If you also want to learn German, it is best to start with familiar stories and work through them gradually with a dictionary.

Which fairy tales does this edition include?

The information only states that this is a German translation of Andersen's fairy tales with Kubin's illustrations; it does not list the specific tales. Different editions may vary in their selections, so it is advisable to check the table of contents of this edition to confirm its scope before deciding which tale to start with.

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About the author

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

Hans Christian Andersen (1805–1875), whose full name is Hans Christian Andersen, is a Danish writer of fairy tales. Public information about his early life and education is limited, so this entry does not speculate. The library holds 28 of his works, including Fairy Tales of Hans Christian Andersen, Andersen's Fairy Tales, and multilingual editions such as Fabeloj de Andersen, Märchen, Contes merveilleux, Tome I and Tome II, and Satuja ja tarinoita II and V. Most of these are collections of fairy tales and stories whose themes often center on growth, courage, and the choice between good and evil. Written in plain yet imaginative language, they use everyday things and fantastic plots to convey lessons about life. His tales have been translated into many languages and are widely read; commonly classified as inspirational growth, they have deeply influenced later children's literature.