Original scientific paper
Hans Christian Andersen and the Changing of the Intellectual Guard
Scott Mellor
; University of Wisconsin
Abstract
Artistically and philosophically, Andersen remained a writer of a Romantic disposition throughout his literary life; however, he deviates from the true faith by also making observations about the social issues of his day in many of his tales, challenging Goethe’s position that the two are incompatible. His use of a storyteller’s language and fantastic images, like talking ducks and singing mermaids, identifies him as a Romantic, despite the fact that he also dealt with social problems. He did not, however, embrace the Modern Breakthrough, the French-inspired movement toward realism in literature, which became popular in Denmark toward the end of Andersen’s life. As the name suggests, the Realists believed that depictions in literature should be an accurate reflection of life and Modern Breakthrough writers hoped to create awareness of social issues, especially regarding class and gender, through realistic depictions in order to promote social change. Unlike authors of the Modern Breakthrough, Andersen rarely, if ever, tries to actively promote a specific social agenda. Instead, in contrast to the omniscient, authoritative narrators favored by Modern Breakthrough writers, Andersen’s distanced, subjective narrators simply make observations about some of the social problems of the time and allow the reader to draw his or her own conclusions. Good examples of his engagement with his times can be found in Andersen’s tales Heartache, Ole, The Watchman and The Dryad.
Keywords
romanticism; tales; Andersen; Goethe
Hrčak ID:
190152
URI
Publication date:
1.12.2017.
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