The Princess and the Pea with Oliver Twist

[Lunar_Aphrodite]

Hans Christian Andersen

&

Charles Dickens

When I first came to this guild I was so exited, although I found it very odd that these two names weren't talked about at all?

Hans Christian Andersen's tales are drenched in Fantasy, he uses symbolism very well to get the moral across to the reader. And has made more short stories than I could ever take the time to read but I do enjoy reading one or two every once and a while.

~ http://hca.gilead.org.il/

Charles Dickens tales have some Fantasy like themes in them like ghosts and angels, I had to think this one over before posting him in fantasy. But i'm sure that A Christmas Charol can be considered somewhat Fantasy, would you classify him as Fantasy though?

~ http://www.classicbookshelf.com/library/Dickens/

 

[Lunar_Aphrodite]

For some reason those two names go hand in hand to me, i've always heard people dispute about which one they prefer more. Hans Christian Andersen's tales are more dark I figure although Charles Dickens can be thought of as dark as well. Now I'm just confusing myself!

xd  

[Harbone]

I think that the difference is that Charles Dickens always strove for social commentary in his fiction while Hans Christian Andersen was mostly inventing a new vein of folklore.

Also, I think NightIntent might strongly suggest that this discussion belongs under the existing Brothers Grimm or Mythology threads. But who knows. You might luck out.

At any rate, I'm thinkin' that the two authors don't really cling together in my mind. Andersen's magic was more traditionally moralistic while Dickens tended to take a broader view tinged with a concern for social welfare rather than the state of a character's soul.

Compare "Little Mermaid" or "Little Match Girl" with "Oliver Twist" or "Great Expectations," for instance. In both Mermaid and Match Girl, the female protagonists die alone and desperate, but Saved. Where as in Twist and Expectations, both male protagonists go through several alternating social positions and find value in certain attitudes and human relations (as well as the dubious protection of slightly dishonest pseudo-authority figures. Fagin and the convict, most notably. Both Pip and Oliver end up intermingled with dubiously open-minded "families.")

That may be why I like Dickens better than Andersen.

Also, Dickens had funnier names for his characters.  

[NightIntent]

Meh, that's like saying that all authors that fall under a certain branch of fantasy should go in one thread. Besides, I think I read one of Hans Christian Anderson's stories, and it was a bit different from the Brothers' Grimm fairy tales. And I can't pass any judgement at all on Dickens, 'cause I don't think I've read any of his books. I keep meaning to read a bunch of authors, but I never have time.  

[Harbone]

Well, "A Christmas Carol" really is fantasy, but I couldn't put most of Dickens' work in that category. Especially not Oliver Twist. Oh sure, there's ghost stories in it, but they're more like Tales of Gore than some of Dickens other ghost stories.

Now, you know who used a lot of magic in his books? Nathaniel Hawthorne, that's who. House of Seven Gabels? Scarlet Letter? Chock full of omens and spookiness.  

[NightIntent]

<.< Haven't read Hawthorne, either. He's on my list, though. I'll get around to reading it... eventually.  

[Lunar_Aphrodite]

I've read a bit of House of Seven Gables but I had to stop because I was getting so cunfused, there are a lot of charcters to keep up with and he uses such a wide range of diction! I had to keep a dictionary at my side while reading that one, I admire his great writting style but I was doing this for a school project. Since it was so long I switched over to I never promised you a Rose Garden and since then I haven't found The House of Seven Gables book again or had the time to read it in.

I can't help but feel some connection between Hans and Charles? Maybe it's because they both have a very cynical point of view on life, i'm not sure? And in what way are these two related to the Brothers Grimm or Mythology?  

[Harbone]

Well, Brothers Grimm are folklore and fairy tales.
Andersen wrote fairy tales.
Fairy tales are a form of mythology, in the loosest sense.

You can keep track of Dickens' convoluted characterization arcs and you can't keep track of Hawthorne's? You're kiddin' me!  

[Lunar_Aphrodite]

No honestly, I can keep track of Dickens story line but Hawthorne's is just too confusing, maybe i't because I was rushing to read it? I'm not sure, I usually have to read things slowly to take them in, that's just how I am. I have to visualize everything to get it and I couldn't do that with Hawthorne, just a question-how do you pronounce Hawthorne anyway? Me and my friend we're having a dispute about wether it is [Hey-thorn] or [Ha-thorn]?