Christian Andersen's Little Mermaid. Has anyone else read it? Thoughts?

[TheChimera]

Personally I thought the original story was pretty tragic. But the images of an untouched underwater world were so enchanting I just couldn't put it down. I don't understand why the little mermaid would want to exchange her sleek tail and stunning voice for clumsy legs though :D

[SeaGlass Siren]

People including mermaids would do anything for love. To be with the one they love, and to be loved in return no matter how painful things got.. That's the simple reason why she left the water and her tail. Other reason being she wanted eternal life and go to heaven.

Dunno I'm a fence sitter with this one. On the one hand the original is Lways better because you see it in its full glory, how it's meant to be... And on the other (maybe its my Disney bias setting in) but every person deserves happiness and a happy ending. Isn't that we all want? A happy ending for all?

[Echidna]

I've read most of Andersen's work (no idea why, he writes nicely enough, but it all has this horrible depressed tone to it. Read an entire book by him, and even if you're normally a happy, optimist person, you'll be ready to hang yourself after lol).

The mermaid is one of my favourites, even though it's so sad and tragic.
It's full of methaphors too, which make it interesting if you look beyond the simple story.
There was a biographer who claimed the tale was a way for Andersen to deal with his unrequited (and forbidden) love for a man.
All the stuff about having the wrong lower body, inability to voice their feelings, etc.
Not sure if legit :P


Isn't that we all want? A happy ending for all?

Asians seem to dig unhappy endings.
The more tragic, and the more casualties, the better.
Despite being about 1/8 chinese myself, I've never been able to work out why.

I love most asian tales, but I could do with a bit less tragedy.
Thus, I'd rather watch a happy, carefree american musical from the thirties, than some historical asian bloodbath.
At least when I'm already feeling down lol.

[Joy&RaptorsUnrestrained!]

I think the story is wistful, but not tragic. The Little Mermaid got what she wanted... a chance for an immortal soul. She experienced personal transformation, proved her loyalty, protected those she cared for, and, when all seemed lost, rose from the ashes, so to speak. In many ways, the little mermaid is the best kind of fantasy story, because it is ongoing, and yet somehow not a cliffhanger. We can choose to believe that she's still amongst us, bringing cool breezes and sweet scents from far off places, helping to clear our minds and soothe our frustrations. Why does happily ever after require getting what you think you want rather than what you need... particularly when what you think you want is a guy in love with someone else thanks to a really stupid assumption ("this well-born girl is dry and comes from a convent... clearly she is the one who rescued me from drowning"). The Little Mermaid couldn't even have a conversation with the Prince, and derived her image of him from watching him on a ship and daydreaming about the statue. We have all been there, but first impressions of an attractive person are rarely justification for spending the rest of your life with him or her. Instead, Andersen's mermaid gets to pursue her dream, becomes a beautiful and elusive magical creature again, and learns how to achieve true immortality... we should all be so lucky. Finally, who says she didn't meet a much more charming, thoughtful, caring and loyal air spirit boy out there? She certainly had the time and the opportunity.

[SeaGlass Siren]

i'm part french in my blood. i cant stand depressed unhappy endings. they suck. we ALL NEED happy endings.

ALL OF THE HAPPY!!16198

[sashiyoop]

I don't think it's just a depressing story so much as a lesson. The mermaid saw the prince one and thought she was in love, going through all of those things to be with him, only for him to fall in love with someone else. The sea-foam thing's open for interpretation, but how I see it is that it's lesson is that love takes a while, and there is no such thing as love at first sight.

[SeaGlass Siren]

^ I wish I could say the same, but I'm getting married this year to my first boyfriend of 8 years :|

[Meurgen]

I MUCH prefer the original. It's beautiful in a very tragic and painful way. It's also so much more true in the sense that: it doesn't give any false hopes about life really (the way Disney kinda does). It's tough, and you don't always get what you want/things don't always turn out how you'd like and people can be cruel - not just in a fun, colourful, and classically evil way. Saying that: I think a fair few people prefer the disney villains to the heroes anyway LOL - so what does that tell you?

As a kid I ADORED disney's little mermaid - was my favorite film ever, and watched it all the time. My parents decided to take me to see the ballet.. I was expecting disney, and what I got was the original - it was captivating and amazing, beautifully danced, totally silent, and although it upset me as a kid, it also helped me in growing up.. After seeing the ballet, my dad read me the original and I still loved it anyway. I think it's so important for kids to know the real stories, they are so well written and Disney really like to 'cheesify' everything. I hate when people don't know that Disney's versions aren't the originals, they are missing so much more!

Granted though, I don't think the original Anderson or Grimm stories should be told to small kids, but I think there comes a time when it's important to be better educated in the true works, and be able to decide which one you prefer. One day I would really REALLY love to see a live action film done of the original story - I've been considering making one myself with other filmmakers.
:D

[Mermaid Adriel]

very tragic, but still one of the most beautiful stories I read!

[Mermaid Kelda]

One day I would really REALLY love to see a live action film done of the original story - I've been considering making one myself with other filmmakers.
:D
There's a Russian one :)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0160801/

On the note of "too scary for kids", though, I disagree. I read all of Grimm and Anderson as a little kid, and loved them. Understanding melancholy is healthy, and (most) kids know they're just stories.

[SeaSister]

Heh, there was one night that I stayed up until about 4:00 AM watching that movie. It's on YouTube, with subtitles. Spoiler alert: the prince is a douche. I really disliked him. x_x

I do that a lot actually... I wind up getting distracted by something and somehow wind up watching a movie late at night. But anyways, back on the topic of the Little Mermaid, I know how the story goes but I really want to read the book itself. I just love the story-telling of old writers like Hans Christen Andersen. It really does have a melancholic, tragic tone, yes, but it's also romantic and enchanting.

[deepblue]

I read it as a child. I loved it in a way, though it set in me a permanent aversion to sea foam. When I see it, I always think, 'dead mermaids.' Which sounds horrid, but it's the truth.

But as the meaning of the story grew more clear to me, by the time I was a teenager, I decided the little mermaid was a very stupid girl for giving up her entire world for a guy.

[TheChimera]

It's is a very melancholic tale, beautifully tragic in a way...When I was a kid I always thought sea-foam was dirty lol, until I found out it actually consists of tiny microscopic creatures that live in the sea foam, don't know if it's true but it is interesting. True, a woman should never sacrifice everything for a man, we do enough for them as-is and sacrifice plenty for others allready.

[spottedcatfish]

I was discussing the original story the other day with some friends. Even though the ending is tragic, it's a shame that the little mermaid could not talk to let the prince know that she was the one who rescued him, not that other girl. How the little mermaid handled her situation was a noble and brave thing to do, by not killing the prince with that dagger. Yes she does join the "Daughters of the Air" to make children happy, but ultimately she does get a fair chance of gaining an immortal soul. Which is really what she wanted.

Here is the original if you have not read it:

http://hca.gilead.org.il/li_merma.html