The Little Mermaid - Book Review
Вставка
- Опубліковано 3 чер 2023
- Angels, obsession, and... gore? Here's my brief thoughts upon rereading the original Hans Christian Andersen story.
Shout out again to Marianne, whose review & comparison really inspired me to pick up on nuances between film and book: • Book + Movie Discussio...
***
BLOG: classicsconsidered.com/
GOODREADS: / classicsconsidered
BOOK LIST: throne.me/u/classicsconsidered
Thumbnail image: pixabay.com/illustrations/ai-...
Thanks for the Review 🧜♀️
I really like this idea of love being the thing that helps her ascend to a higher realm. You can kind of see that happening in this life as well. We're born as useless, helpless little things that don't even know how to walk or talk, and we slowly learn to fend and provide for ourselves. Then eventually, once we (ideally) find that type of love, we are able to complete the cycle and ascend by creating and providing for a new generation of helpless little things that don't even know how to walk or talk. And with that ascent come the greater responsibilities, the higher stakes, the deepening potential of joys and sorrows, and all the other things that come with such an increase in being/dominion.
Fun stuff.
Hi Marian. Tbh, I've never really been interested with the Little Mermaid, but after watching your review, I think I'll give it a try. It seems the book brings deeper material than the movie. Btw, you look good with the dress/tops.
Excellent review Marian! I enjoyed hearing your overall thoughts and your own reading experience, especially seeing how it has differed from mine. When I was a kid and I read the original fairy tale for the first time I was heartbroken with the ending. However, upon subsequent reads I found myself loving it, despite the disappointment and the sadness.
I suppose I always view fairytales as operating in their own world, a world possessing and operating on purity despite actions that we may see as sad or horrific; I tend to focus more on the larger themes rather than the details. And I think that's why I love The Little Mermaid, both the original fairy tale and the 1989 animated film. They have such larger than life themes compared to the typical fairy tale or Disney film. I think from a young age the idea of transcending towards a different, higher reality just found a connection with me. As for the ending, despite the sadness I always found it beautiful, admittedly even as a kid. It was a self-sacrifice that was done out of love, a love that was ultimately unconcerned with whether or not it was reciprocated. Something akin to agape.
Interestingly enough I saw a book in Barnes and Nobles called The Little Mermaid and Other Fishy Tales (I'm pretty sure that's the title) and the editor made a note before the story that she changed the ending to the original fairy tale due to modern sensibilities or something like that.
Thank you for this review and I'm sorry for this large block of text 😅I just love it when people discuss this fairy tale.
P.S. I love your blouse; its beautiful!
No need to apologize, Marianne! :) I really appreciate your perspective you shared in your latest LM review, and it has led me to try to view this story in a different, more uplifting light. I'm not sure I'm quite there yet, but it is something to ponder upon many future rereads. Thanks for your lovely comment!
I enjoyed listening to you reading this story. I remember that acute sadness when the little mairmaid became just a floating foam... But, as an adult I think I look at it a little different than as a girl of 12th...
Wasn't the author perhaps talking about what happens to us, humans, when we love someone deeply and than experience rejection. Limorence is a word that has such negative shade to it. I am not sure the love in this story had that negative same tune to it. Was it toxic? No, it was real, proved with giving yourself away. And when this rejection hits, aren't we just degraded to this nothing of a sea foam? We loose our direction, we loose it for years, we loose other feelings, become insensitive, unproductive, something of a nothing, and its only in an afterlife that our soul will feel something more than 'loss' of a love, it will be patched up in presence of God and His love.
I see this as a story about true love, what it can do to you when it is not reciprocated. At least, that's one level of it.
Thanks for your thoughts 🤗
Edit: the movie & the book are almpost two different stories...
Beautiful thoughts, pandzia - thanks for sharing your perspective 💛
@@marianhreads I enjoy that literary spirit of yours!
Rarely to see you to dress in …. Style of Victorian era? Am I accurate? And the story is a little assemble to tales in Kazuo Ishiguro’s books. Jobs and responsibilities, and struggling with dignity. So finally we need to sacrifice something to achieve something, yes It occurs to me “the remains of the day” . Heartbreaking but I like it :)
Oh, nice comparison with Ishiguro's The Remains of the Day! My mind goes to Miss Kenton and the big risks she takes in the novel.
Good question about the outfit... I'd say it's more "historically inspired" than accurate to any era. It was fun to dress up for the video!
@@marianhreads Just want to sharing, today morning I finish a little Ishiguro's tale - Come Rain Or Come Shine. The characters did have a good memories in their university years. After some days they been through fails on career, crisis on marriage, then puzzle of the future. But suddenly, a short paragraph make all this turns into a calm and peace :
"...I got to my feet and walked over to the french doors, still holding my glass, When I look out of the terrace, I realized my eye has filled with tears.......The stars were brighter than before, and the lights of the neighborhood were still twinkling like and extension of the night sky...."
It just occurs to me the Beethoven's pathetique, a dark but full of energy first movement follow by a warm and calm Adagio cantabile. Any way, I love such tale of musical structure, as Ishiguro always do !
@@shao-mienlee20 the calm after a storm - that's something to look forward to. 💛 Thank you for this lovely thought