Literature Network » Hans Christian Andersen

I put a spell on you... Stories of snow queens, imps, poisonous apples and happy endings live on today in urban myths. AS Byatt celebrates the power of the fairy tale.

Content courtesy of

From: The Daily Mail (London, England)
Date: 20040202
Author:

Byline: AS BYATT

I acquired a hunger for fairy tales in the dark days of the blackout and Blitz of World War II. I read early, voraciously and indiscriminately: Andrew Lang's coloured books, Hans Christian Andersen, King Arthur, and Robin Hood. My very favourite book was Asgard and the Gods, a scholarly German text, with engravings, about Norse mythology.

I never really liked stories about children doing what children do - quarrelling, cooking and camping. I learned from Asgard and the Gods that even the gods can be defeated by evil. I knew nothing about the Wagnerian ...

Read the rest of this article with a Free Trial at HighBeam Research.

Other Articles on Hans Christian Andersen

About Our Articles: We've partnered with Highbeam Research to provide these article excerpts for your research needs. However, due to copyright laws, we cannot publish the whole article. To view these articles in full length you'll need to use the link above to access the free trial at Highbeam.