The Princess and the Pea by Hans Christian Andersen

I find it interesting that there are two covers of The Princess and the Pea as re-visioned by picture book giant Lauren Child, who said when becoming children’s laureate that one of her main concerns is how many parents do not consider her books ‘for boys’. “I don’t know where that comes from but it worries me because it makes it harder for girls to be equal.” Lauren Child, BBC “I don’t know if it’s just in our culture, or whether it’s a boy thing, that they find it very hard to pick up a book or go to a film if a girl is the central character,” she told BBC News. While girls are happier to read about boys, she is worried about why most boys are more reluctant to read books or watch films about girls. (Don’t at me marketers have been working on the pinkification of girlhood for decades.) The proliferation of pinks, purples and pastels on covers show that many contemporary publishers are marketing this tale at girls. “The Princess and the Pea” is a literary fairytale written by a man, starring a boy who wants to get married and is a social commentary on class. Hans Christian Andersen’s original title is “The Princess On The Pea”, but the English title makes it seem almost as if the pea is a character in its own right. STORY STRUCTURE OF “THE PRINCESS AND THE PEA” PARATEXT In any case, Boner (great name, huh?) did not simply translate Andersen’s tale, he changed the ending and left English readers with something quite different.

Or perhaps he did pick up on it, but didn’t find it funny.

Translator Charles Boner didn’t pick up on Andersen’s satire. It took another 11 years for English speakers to read this story in translation, but it wasn’t the same story at all.

The Princess and the Pea by Hans Christian Andersen