My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Beautifully illustrated with a palette of blues, greens and soft colours; this is the original little mermaid story and so vicious and painful. No Disney happy fairy tale magic exists in the original text that Hans Christian Andersen wrote. Additionally the story is longer than your average children's book, but I didn't mind as reading the delicate font allowed me to also be immersed in each pages beautiful illustrations.
It's important to note that Andersen first published this story in 1836. To say that relations between men and women have changed over the last 250+ years would be an understatement. So be forewarned the original masculine domination themes, the trickery and subservience of women is portrayed here along with more. A lot of critique has been tossed at The Little Mermaid over the years; and rightfully so. It's not a pleasant story; and yet somehow our heroine ends up with a happy ending. This really highlights that the belief of the day was that the suffering of women would be rewarded in the afterlife. A very Christian belief that fits nicely into the rhetoric of the 1800's.
I first read this original text when I was about 8 years old. Disney had just released their version of Ariel (1989) and I was obsessed (as little girls tend to be over Disney movies). The songs, the excitement, and my favourite part, Ursula. As I grew older I came to realize that I never saw myself being a princess; but if I was any character it was likely to be the clever villain. Interpret that as you will (lol). I also realized I shouldn't trust any Disney movie ever again!
What really stuck with me, right up to today, from this original story, is that pain and suffering is usually required in order to gain something you desire. Not a bad lesson for an 8-year-old. I did wonder what my Mom was hoping I'd get from the story at the time. As an adult we discussed it and she told me that all she ever tried to do was ensure I had enough reading material as I blew through books in minutes, not hours. Content became irrelevant as I got older as she figured I'd ask questions if I had any; and just wanted to keep me reading.
If you want a copy of the original story this is a beautifully illustrated version. I definitely recommend this latest edition from NorthSouth Books. If you are hoping for some nostalgia towards the Disney movie or story this is really not for you. For today's young girls it's probably worth having them read it and then setting up a conversation about how they feel about: the outcome of the story, what they think of Ariel taking on voluntary pain to be with Eric, and if there is a level of pain or suffering that is unreasonable. My thought here is that a little girl might think that a man who loves her and occasionally beats her is acceptable based on this story (for example). Of course that is up to each individual parent to decide. I would not recommend this as a gift for a little girl you don't know really well or know how the parents might react. It's a bit too vicious to be loved by many; and it veers so far away from the Disney story that I could see some parents who have not read it being upset by the content.
Please note: I received an eARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. This is an honest and unbiased review.
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1 comment:
I've heard many kids in the US (and probably Canada as well) really grow up knowing nothing but the Disney version of these fairy tales, is that true? Personally, I knew the Grimm and Andersen versions of these tales long before I ever say the movies, I had them read to me as a small child and read them myself as soon as I could read. They are not all as gruesome, of course, especially Andersen has some wonderful tales :)
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