Dickens and 'The Little Match Girl'

[JonasResende]

This is a random idea I had, partially inspired by dislike of the (in my view) very depressing Old Year's Eve tale of The Little Match Girl by Hans Christian Andersen.

In Dickensian London, children selling matches would've been as common as in Andersen's Copenhagen. Now, Dickens' novels are generally seen by many as more of a social commentary of the day - Oliver Twist, David Copperfield etc - while Andersen's are relegated to children stories. How would Dickens have approached writing a short-story or even working it into one of his larger novels as a vignette in itself? Obviously Andersen's dead grandmother and the fantasy elements would perhaps disappear, but the fact remains that Dickens' characters (Oliver, David, Nicholas Nickleby, etc) despite how bad life is for them at various points, have happy endings, while Andersen's title characters generally wind up dead (the Little Mermaid (in the original version), the Little Match Girl, the Fir Tree, etc).

What would Dickens' version of 'The Little Match Girl' have looked like, do you think?

 

[seraphim74]

Why not make Nancy from Oliver Twist a Little Match Girl; she might once tell Oliver about her plight, that she had tried a honest life (by selling matches) and almost died because of it and half-frozen to death had to be rescued by Fagin. That would be an interesting scene showing how street children are pretty much forced into life of crime due to indifference of the society.

 

[Jürgen]

This is a random idea I had, partially inspired by dislike of the (in my view) very depressing Old Year's Eve tale of The Little Match Girl by Hans Christian Andersen.

In Dickensian London, children selling matches would've been as common as in Andersen's Copenhagen. Now, Dickens' novels are generally seen by many as more of a social commentary of the day - Oliver Twist, David Copperfield etc - while Andersen's are relegated to children stories. How would Dickens have approached writing a short-story or even working it into one of his larger novels as a vignette in itself? Obviously Andersen's dead grandmother and the fantasy elements would perhaps disappear, but the fact remains that Dickens' characters (Oliver, David, Nicholas Nickleby, etc) despite how bad life is for them at various points, have happy endings, while Andersen's title characters generally wind up dead (the Little Mermaid (in the original version), the Little Match Girl, the Fir Tree, etc).

What would Dickens' version of 'The Little Match Girl' have looked like, do you think?

Both the Little Match Girl and the Little Mermaid have happy endings. The Match Girl goes to heaven and the Mermaid are on the way to get a soul. In fact that people see the Little Mermaid story as a love story are fundamental wrong. It's a story about a soulless creature seeking eternal life (a soul), which she can get through a humans love, for that she risk her long life span, as she doesn't wins the prince's love, she can choose to kill the prince and live her long but soulless life or die forever. In the end she choose not to take a life to extend hers, and for that God reward her with 300 years of life as one of the Daughters of Air. The Daughters of Air like Mermaids have no soul, but they can earn a soul through good acts.

 

[JonasResende]

Both the Little Match Girl and the Little Mermaid have happy endings. The Match Girl goes to heaven and the Mermaid are on the way to get a soul. In fact that people see the Little Mermaid story as a love story are fundamental wrong. It's a story about a soulless creature seeking eternal life (a soul), which she can get through a humans love, for that she risk her long life span, as she doesn't wins the prince's love, she can choose to kill the prince and live her long but soulless life or die forever. In the end she choose not to take a life to extend hers, and for that God reward her with 300 years of life as one of the Daughters of Air. The Daughters of Air like Mermaids have no soul, but they can earn a soul through good acts.

It's not that I see the Little Mermaid as a love story - I didn't like the Disney version as a child - it's just that I generally subscribe to the theory that through reading the story before one gets to the prince's wedding night to the other girl, it builds up as though the Mermaid is going to be some victim of unrequited love and die of a broken heart (following the Sea-Witch's curse), and then whoops, Andersen pulls a handbrake-turn and says 'no, she's gonna get a soul'.

I didn't mean to say that the Little Match Girl doesn't have a happy ending, just that there is a tendency in Andersen's stories for his title characters to be poorly rewarded for their sufferings (the Mermaid being forced to watch as her sacrifice is treated with scorn; the steadfast tin soldier and the ballerina who get thrown into the fire; etc). While this is realistic, perhaps moreso than Dickens' 'happily ever afters' - since how often in the world isn't goodness repaid with ingratitude? - it seems a little out of place in children's stories (perhaps less in novels).

Why not make Nancy from Oliver Twist a Little Match Girl; she might once tell Oliver about her plight, that she had tried a honest life (by selling matches) and almost died because of it and half-frozen to death had to be rescued by Fagin. That would be an interesting scene showing how street children are pretty much forced into life of crime due to indifference of the society.

I like that idea, it seems plausible - Fagin strikes me as the sort of person who wouldn't do anything for nothing. But then again, I'm sure one of the girls that Kate Nickleby has to do with might be able to tell her a similar story... I mean, Madeline Bray's story in Nickleby isn't all that different. Her father is also an abusive drunk who forces her to sell paintings in order so she can keep him in comfort, and being a good filial daughter, she obligingly does so, even agreeing to the marriage contract before Nicholas shows up...

 

[JonasResende]

Bumping back to first page

 

[Jürgen]

It's not that I see the Little Mermaid as a love story - I didn't like the Disney version as a child - it's just that I generally subscribe to the theory that through reading the story before one gets to the prince's wedding night to the other girl, it builds up as though the Mermaid is going to be some victim of unrequited love and die of a broken heart (following the Sea-Witch's curse), and then whoops, Andersen pulls a handbrake-turn and says 'no, she's gonna get a soul'.

I didn't mean to say that the Little Match Girl doesn't have a happy ending, just that there is a tendency in Andersen's stories for his title characters to be poorly rewarded for their sufferings (the Mermaid being forced to watch as her sacrifice is treated with scorn; the steadfast tin soldier and the ballerina who get thrown into the fire; etc). While this is realistic, perhaps moreso than Dickens' 'happily ever afters' - since how often in the world isn't goodness repaid with ingratitude? - it seems a little out of place in children's stories (perhaps less in novels).

You need to remember that HCA lived in a different culture and had a different religion to most people who read his stories. He lived the same time and knew Kierkegaard. While they wasn't friends (Kierkegaard's first work "Af en endnu Levendes Papirer" was a attack on HCA book "Only a Fiddle") they kept in contact until the death of Kierkegaard, and sent their texts to each others.

Of course HCA usual did have several context, the Little Match Girl are a attack on the widespread poverty in Denmark at the time, but it's also a religious text, The Little Mermaid on the other hand are primarily in my view a text about risking everything for God, and in the end sacrificing everything rather than sacrificing another person.