Les frères Grimm (document en anglais).

About the authors and the original texts

The brothers Jacob Grimm (1785–1863) and WilheIm Grimm (1786–1859) were German scholars. They were educated at the University of Marburg. Jacob was interested in medieval literature and language, while Wilhelm was a literary critic. After several years in Kassel, the brothers worked at the University of Gottingen. They then moved to Berlin, where they spent the rest of their lives. Both brothers wrote numerous academic works as well as fairy stories, and Jacob Grimm’s contribution to linguistic theory (Grimm’s Law of sound shift) was a major development in the study of dead languages. Hans Christian Andersen (1805–1875) was born in Odense in Denmark. His childhood was one of poverty and neglect and at the age of 14 he ran away from home to join the theatre. His first poetry and prose was published in 1822 and he travelled extensively throughout Europe, Asia and Africa. He wrote more than 150 stories for children, including ‘The Ugly Duckling’, ‘The Emperor’s New Clothes’, ‘The Snow Queen’ and ‘The Little Mermaid’. The Thousand and One Nights, from which ‘The Fisherman and the Giant’ has been adapted, is a collection of stories from Arabia. The king hates women. He marries a new woman every day and killed her the next morning. But then he married Sheherezade. She told him a different story every night but not the ending so he had to wait until the next night. After a thousand and one nights, she had no more stories, but by then the king loved her and did not kill her.

The Table, the Donkey and the Stick

This is the story of three brothers. Two of them are cheated out of magic possessions a table that makes food and a donkey that makes gold – by a jealous old man, and made to look foolish in front of their neighbours when they try to demonstrate the magic. The third brother hears about this and, when he encounters the same man, he uses his magic possession – a stick which beats people on command – to regain the magic table and the magic donkey. All ends happily.

The Prince and His Servants

A poor prince sets his eyes on a beautiful princess. Her jealous mother does not want her to marry so every time a suitor comes, she sets him some impossible task and finally kills him. The prince gathers around him a group of servants with extraordinary powers. Fat Man can eat anything, Long Arms can reach anything, Quick Eyes can see anything, Big Ear can hear anything and Cold Man can cool anything. All of them help him to win the hand of the princess. The defeated queen leaves and they live happily ever after.

The Glass Box

When Hans meets an old woman and tells her he wants money, she shows him how to get money, gold and jewels in return for a glass box. However, because she is impatient, he does not give her the glass box but keeps it for himself. He learns how to use the glass box to summon one of three large dogs that ensure he will never be poor again. Later, he uses the magic powers of the box to help him to meet Princess Anna, who has been imprisoned by her unhappy father. He uses it again to save himself when he is sentenced to death for trying to woo the young woman. Even the old king is happy when Hans and Anna marry and become the new king and queen.

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