The Ugly Duckling (Danish: Den grimme Ælling) is a fairy tale by Danish poet and author Hans Christian Andersen first published 11 November 1843 in New Fairy Tales. First Book. First Collection. 1844. (Nye Eventyr. Første Bind. Første Samling. 1844.). The tale was fourth in the volume that included (in contents order), "The Angel" (Engelen), "The Nightingale" (Nattergalen), and "The Sweethearts; or, The Top and the Ball" (Kjærestefolkene [Toppen og bolden]).[1] The tale was republished 18 December 1849 as a part of Fairy Tales. 1850 (Eventyr. 1850.), and again 15 December 1862 as a part of Fairy Tales and Stories. First Volume. 1862. (Eventyr og Historier. Første Bind. 1862.)[2]
"The Ugly Duckling" tells the story of a cygnet ostracized by his fellow barnyard fowl because of his perceived homeliness. To his delight (and to the surprise of others), he matures into a graceful swan, the most beautiful bird of all. With "Thumbelina" and other tales, "The Ugly Duckling" demonstrates Andersen's identification with, and his sympathies for, the 'outsider' searching for his or her place in society.
The phrase, "ugly duckling", has entered several languages. The tale has seen animated film and other media adaptations. The critic Georg Brandes had questioned Andersen about whether he would write his autobiography. He claimed that it had already been written — "The Ugly Duckling".[3]
Plot summary
A mother duck hatches her eggs and, while most of her ducklings are normal, one is grey, too large, and too clumsy to fit in among the others. Though she tries to accept him, the entire barnyard realizes that he simply does not belong and after a period of harassment he leaves to fend for himself. He is sheltered by an old woman in her poor cottage, but her cat and her hen will not accept him and he is forced to set off once again on his own. He wanders for the entire summer and fall, for no one will take him in, and he nearly freezes to death in an icy pond. Though he is rescued by a human, he cannot live in captivity, and he returns to the wild.
By the end of winter, he is miraculously still alive. He comes to a pond in a park or garden, where beautiful white swans are swimming. He is drawn to their beauty, though he has no reason to think that they will treat him better than anyone else has. Still, he thinks, even if they kill him, he must approach them. To his surprise, the beautiful creatures welcome and accept him; gazing at his reflection, he sees that he too is a swan. The children declare that he is the most beautiful swan of them all, yet he is not proud, for a good heart is never proud. Because of all that he suffered he now appreciates his happiness so much more.
Possible autobiographical themes
British journalist Anne Chisolm speculates that Andersen wrote The Ugly Duckling to describe himself. In reviewing Hans Christian Andersen: A New Life, by biographer Jens Andersen (no relation to Hans Christian Andersen) and published on the bicentennary of the author's birth, Chisholm writes "Andersen himself was a tall, ugly boy with a big nose and big feet, and when he grew up with a beautiful singing voice and a passion for the theatre he was cruelly teased and mocked by other children." [4] There is also some speculation that Andersen was in fact the illegitimate son of Christian Frederik, the Crown Prince of Denmark (who would later become King Christian VIII of Denmark), and found this out some time before he wrote the book, and thus that being a swan in the story was a metaphor not just for inner beauty and talent but also for secret royal lineage.[5]
Adaptations
- In 1914, the Russian-born composer Sergei Prokofiev composed a work for voice and piano based on Nina Mershchersky's adaptation of Andersen's original tale. Later in 1932, he arranged the work for voice and orchestra.
- The 1952 Charles Vidor musical film Hans Christian Andersen contains a song, "The Ugly Duckling", written by Frank Loesser and sung by Danny Kaye.
- Walt Disney produced two animated films called The Ugly Duckling. Both were Silly Symphonies animated shorts based on the tale; one was produced in 1931 in black and white, and the other in 1939 in Technicolor. The latter film won the 1939 Academy Award for Best Short Subject (Cartoons).
- A musical was based upon the story and was called Honk! The musical followed the same story, yet there were some added scenes and characters. The musical was originally produced in England and beat out the favored Lion King for an Olivier Award. (The British equivalent of the American TONY award.)
- Ugly Duckling was taken as a title for one of the episodes of the American Adventure Series MacGyver in season 1 (first aired on 3/12/1986).
- The tale was adapted into a musical by Gail Deschamps and Paul Hamilton with a planned United States tour 2002-2003. In 1998, the musical played the Piccolo Spoleto Festival for seventeen days.[6]
- In 2006 the Danish animation studio A. Film produced a spin-off CG feature called The Ugly Duckling and Me!, and later a children's CG TV-series Ugly Duckling Junior, featuring the same characters as the movie.
- Ugly, a 2006 children's book by Donna Jo Napoli, sets the "Ugly Duckling" story in Tasmania.
- Chris Guyotte wrote a comedy version of "The Ugly Duckling." It was produced by Wakefield School, The Plains in 2008.
See also
References
- ^ Hans Christian Andersen Center: Hans Christian Andersen - FAQ: Books by Hans Christian Andersen
- ^ Hans Christian Andersen Center: Hans Christian Andersen: The Ugly Duckling
- ^ Elias Bredsdorff, Hans Christian Andersen: the story of his life and work 1805-75, Phaidon (1975) ISBN 0-7148-1636-1
- ^ "The tale of an ugly duckling", Anne Chisholm, June 5, 2006, The Daily Telegraph
- ^ "The little prince", Neil Philip, January 8, 2005, The Times
- ^ GMT: The Ugly Duckling
External links
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