​Ducklings, Mermaids, and More|童话诗人——安徒生

by Matthew BrownMany of the fairy tales people have grown up with came from an unusual man from Denmark.许多陪伴大家成长的童话故事均出自一名不平凡的丹麦作家之手。

Visitors to the Copenhagen harbor in Denmark are likely to come across an unusual statue that is not of a president or war hero. It's a statue of a disrobed young woman with the tail of a fish—a mermaid—and it celebrates one of Denmark's most beloved writers, Hans Christian Andersen. His name may not be instantly recognizable, but his stories such as The Ugly Duckling, The Emperor's New Clothes, and of course, The Little Mermaid are distinguished and appreciated around the world.Andersen was born in 1805, and like the characters in some of his stories, his experiences weren't always perfect. His private life was often problematic, and he had a hard time finding anyone to return his love. When he died, a letter from a woman that he had loved but didn't share his feelings was found in a pouch he carried on a string around his neck.

The tall, thin, funny-looking Dane worked for a tailor and as an actor and singer before taking up writing. Like an ugly duckling that grows into a beautiful swan, he finally found success by using his imagination, and his works began to be noticed. He wrote different kinds of stories and poems, although today, he is most famous for his fairy tales. The simple stories are amusing because they all have strong characters and positive messages. Andersen knew that children loved his stories most of all, so before he died, he asked that the music played at his funeral be the right tempo so that little children could follow its beat with their footsteps.

When it was first published, The Little Mermaid was an instantaneous hit, and the book remains as popular as ever today. The story tells of a mermaid who lives in the depths of the ocean. She saves the life of a drowning prince and immediately falls in love with him. Then she decides to use magic to transform her fins into legs so that she can join the prince and live on land as a human. The Little Mermaid is so popular that there have been numerous versions of Andersen's story, such as the animated musical created by Disney that went on to win a slew of awards, including Golden Globes and Oscars.

The Ugly Duckling is another prototypical Andersen tale. One young duckling is noticeably different from the rest of its family. It seems to be much more repulsive than its siblings, so they tease and abuse it. The duckling leads a sad existence and wishes it could one day fly away with the angelic swans it sees flying overhead. Finally, after the duckling ages a bit, it realizes that it is not actually a duckling at all. It is a swan, and now that it is grown-up and beautiful, it flies away joyfully to join its kind. This story is often told to young children so that they won't worry about being different or getting teased by other kids.

There are many other great Hans Christian Andersen stories that are worthwhile, such as The Princess and the Pea and The Snow Queen. It's never too late in life to read a new fairy tale.

1.What does the article tell us about Hans Christian Andersen's life?(A)He never fell in love with anyone in his life.(B)He kicked the bucket at a young age.(C)His life was not always happy or fulfilling for him.(D)After he started writing, everything became perfect, including his private life.

2.Which of the following statements about Andersen is true?(A)He became well-known during his lifetime.(B)He wrote only fables and fairy tales.(C)He sang and acted for children throughout his life.(D)Everyone thought he was very good-looking.

3.The Little Mermaid _____.(A)wasn't very popular when it was first published

(B)won a number of awards for Disney

(C)is a heartbreaking tale about a prince that is brought back to life

(D)was very popular at first, but now children prefer Andersen's other stories

4.What lesson can children learn from The Ugly Duckling?(A)The life of a duck is not as easy as most people think.(B)Those around you don't always tell the truth.(C)Not all children are born good-looking.(D)Being different is not always a bad thing.

　　到丹麦哥本哈根港的游客，很可能会看到一座不寻常的雕像，它既不是总统也不是战争英雄，而是有着鱼尾巴的年轻裸女雕像：一只人鱼。这是为了纪念丹麦最受爱戴的作家之一，他正是汉斯．克里斯汀．安徒生。人们或许没能立刻认出他的名号，但是诸如《丑小鸭》、《国王的新衣》，以及当然少不了的《小美人鱼》等出自他笔下的童话故事，都是全球闻名以及备受喜爱的故事。

　　安徒生出生于 1805 年，他的人生就和他笔下某些故事中的角色一样并非总是完美。他的私人生活充满坎坷，感情生活更常是一厢情愿。他去世时，脖子上系着的随身小袋里装着一封心仪对象写来的信，但写这封信的人却对他无爱意。

　　这个又瘦又高、长相滑稽的丹麦人投身写作之前曾在裁缝店工作，也当过演员和歌手。就像丑小鸭变天鹅的故事一样，他终于运用自己的想象力换来成功的果实，而他的作品也开始受到注目。虽然如今最让他出名的是童话故事，他的创作其实还包含各种不同的故事和诗集。这些简单的故事之所以引人入胜，是因为里头充满性格鲜明的人物和正面讯息。安徒生知道小孩子最喜欢他的故事，所以他在死前特别叮咛自己葬礼中演奏的音乐必须是恰当的节奏，好让孩童可以照拍子跟上脚步。

　　当年《小美人鱼》一出版立刻造成轰动，直到今日这本童话书依然当红。这个故事叙述一个住在深海里的美人鱼，一日救了溺水王子的性命，并立刻爱上对方。于是她决定用魔法将自己的鱼尾变成人腿，好让自己可以和人类一样与王子一起在陆地上生活。安徒生的《小美人鱼》非常受到欢迎，所以后来有许多不同版本的故事，像是迪斯尼推出的动画音乐电影，还因此赢得许多大奖，其中包括金球奖和奥斯卡金像奖。

　　安徒生另一个经典故事是《丑小鸭》。故事讲的是一只鸭宝宝长得和其他家庭成员很不一样，因为牠特别丑，所以兄弟姊妹不是嘲笑就是欺负牠。这只鸭宝宝过着悲惨的生活，希望自己有天能和那些牠所看到飞越天空的美丽天鹅一样，一起在天空中遨翔。最后，当丑小鸭长大一点以后，牠发现自己原来不是一只鸭子，而是一只天鹅，长大以后的牠反而变得非常美丽，于是牠兴高采烈地加入自己的同类飞向远方。这个故事常说给小朋友听，好让他们不会因为自己与众不同或被别人嘲笑而担心。

　　安徒生还写下许多其他精彩的故事，都非常值得一读，例如《豌豆公主》和《雪后》。任何新的童话故事，不论在人生每个时刻读来都不算太迟。

标准答案：1. (C)2. (A)3. (B)4. (D)

For Your Information

安徒生第一集童话出版之后，当时『浪漫主义』运动正在丹麦进行。安徒生和当时的浪漫主义者不同，他那种富于想象的活泼文体丝毫没有华而不实的味道，而是充满浓厚的乡土气息。此期代表作品为《拇指姑娘》、《国王的新衣》、《小美人鱼》。

之后安徒生的写作风格转向严酸的现实主义，不仅照旧为小读者喜爱，而且也吸引成年人──同时还使他们看了不得不深思。此期代表作品为《卖火柴的小女孩》、《母亲的故事》和《影子》。到了 1852 后，安徒生直接描写现实生活的小说，虽然写法仍保留童话特点，幻想亦相当丰富，但其生活历练更深，思想视野更为宽宏。