Analysis and summary: "Swineherd" (for the readers' diary)

The works of G. Kh. Andersen have long been included in the school curriculum and are usually read by children with great pleasure. In this article we will consider the analysis and a brief content of the fairy tale "Swineherd" for the reader diary.

About the work

The literary fairy tale "Swineherd" was first published in 1841 in the collection of Andersen's works. The work quickly gained popularity and was even adapted for theatrical productions.

It is believed that the work was completely composed by Andersen himself, however, he has a lot of folklore motifs. So, very popular among folk tales was the motive of punishment by the proud prince. He is present in one of the tales of the Brothers Grimm, where the king disguises himself, wooing himself to the arrogant princess. However, unlike folklore subjects, which traditionally end well, Andersen's tale is less sentimental.

Summary: "Swineherd" (for the readers' diary)

The main character of the fairy tale is the poor prince, who rules a small kingdom. He decides to marry the daughter of the emperor. The prince sends as a present the beloved of a nightingale and a wonderful rose with a beautiful scent. However, the proud girl did not accept gifts, because they were alive, not made by the hands of a person.

The story of Andersen has a pronounced instructive orientation, and a brief summary ("Swineherd") can serve as a confirmation of this. For the readers' diary, you can slightly shorten the text presented here and do not go into detailed descriptions of gifts.

The prince decides to go to the service of the emperor as a swineherd. He invents a pot that plays a melody and shows who is cooking what, and a rattle that can reproduce all the poles and dances in the world. These things attract the attention of the princess, and the prince sells them to her for a kiss.

Andersen shows how cruelly can be punished by pride and arrogance. Confirmation of this can be found by reading the summary ("Swineherd") for the readers diary.

So, the princess kisses the prince and at this moment the emperor finds them. He drives both out of his land in anger. The princess began to cry in sorrow. The prince in the meantime disguised himself and told the sobbing girl that she despised her, because she did not agree to become the wife of an honest man, but for simple trinkets she agreed to kiss the swineherd.

Theme and idea of a fairy tale

Now we can talk about the main topic and the idea of a fairy tale, and the above summary ("Swineherd") will help us in this. For the readers' diary it is also recommended to write a few words about this.

So, the main theme of the work is hopeless love. The main problem is social injustice, love by calculation, replacement of true feelings with artificial ones.

The idea of a fairy tale is that one can not judge people by their welfare and social status.