Hans Brinker or the Silver Skates

"Hans Brinker, or The Silver Skates" is a novel by American author Mary Mapes Dodge, first published in 1865. The novel takes place in the Netherlands, and is a very colorful fictional portrait of early 19-century Dutch life, as well as an inspirational tale of youthful honor.

The title of the book refers to the beautiful silver skates to be awarded to winner of the ice-skating race Hans Brinker hopes to enter. The novel introduced the sport of Dutch speed skating to Americans, and in U.S. media Hans Brinker is still considered the prototypical speed skater. [ [http://www.newsweek.com/id/115902"It Beats Freezing To Death: America Gets Its First Indoor Speed-Skating Rink,"] "Newsweek," January 4, 1993 (retrieved August 15, 2008)]

The book is also notable for popularizing the story of the little Dutch boy who plugs a dike with his finger.

Overview

Dodge, who herself never visited the Netherlands, wrote the novel at the age of 34, inspired by her reading of John L. Motley's lengthy, multi-volume history works: "The Rise of the Dutch Republic", and "The History of the United Netherlands". [Gannon, Susan R.; and Thomson, Ruth Anne. "Mary Mapes Dodge". Twayne Publishers, 1993; p. 10] Dodge subsequently did further bibliographical research into the country. She also received plentiful firsthand information about Dutch life from her immigrant Dutch neighbors, the Scharffs, [Gannon, Susan R.; and Thomson, Ruth Anne. "Mary Mapes Dodge". Twayne Publishers, 1993; p. 55] and Dodge noted in her preface to the 1875 edition of the book that the story of Hans Brinker's father was "founded strictly upon fact." [ [http://books.google.com/books?id=8TsRAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA9&ots=PlbleHItP2&dq=%22hans+brinker+or+The+Silver+Skates:+A+Life+in+Holland%22&ie=ISO-8859-1&output=html Dodge, Mary Mapes. "Hans Brinker; or, The Silver Skates: A Story of Life in Holland." Scribners: 1886] , p. 9]

The complete title of the novel is "Hans Brinker; or, The Silver Skates: A Story of Life in Holland." Full of Dutch cultural and historical information, the book became an instant bestseller, outselling all other books in its first year of publication except Dickens' "Our Mutual Friend". [Gannon, Susan R.; and Thomson, Ruth Anne. "Mary Mapes Dodge". Twayne Publishers, 1993; p. 55] The novel has since been continuously in print, most often in multiple editions and formats, and remains a children's classic.

Plot

In Holland, poor but industrious and honorable 15-year-old Hans Brinker, and his sister Gretel, yearn to participate in the great ice-skating race on the canal coming up in December. However, they have very little chance of doing well on their poor handmade wooden skates. Still, the prospect of the race — and the prize of the Silver Skates — excites them and fires their dreams.

Hans's father is very sick and amnesiac due to a fall from a dike, and cannot work. Mrs. Brinker, Hans, and Gretel must all work various jobs to support the family, and are looked down upon in the community because of their low income and poor status.

Hans and Gretel learn that a famous doctor named Dr. Boekman might be able to treat their father, but the doctor is expensive, and gruff in manner since the loss of his wife and son.

Eventually, Dr. Boekman is persuaded to examine the Brinkers' father. He diagnoses pressure on the brain, which can only be cured by a risky and expensive operation involving trephining.

Hans offers his own money, which he has saved in the hope of buying steel skates, to the doctor to pay for his father's operation. Touched by this gesture, Dr. Boekman provides the surgery for free, and Hans is able to buy good skates and skate in the race. But Hans lets a friend — who needs it more — win the precious prize: the Silver Skates.

Mr. Brinker's operation is successful, and he is restored to health and memory. Dr. Boekman is also changed, losing his gruff ways.

The Brinker parents live a very long life. Dr. Boekman helps Hans go to medical school, and Hans becomes a very successful doctor.

Film adaptations

"Hans Brinker or the Silver Skates" has been adapted into several movies and plays, all of which center around the dramatic ice-skating competition as the climax of the story, in keeping with the book. The film adaptations include:

*A 1958 Hallmark Hall of Fame made-for-television movie called "Hans Brinker and the Silver Skates", [imdb title|id=0394610|title=Hans Brinker and the Silver Skates] starring Tab Hunter as Hans

*A 1962 made-for-television Disney movie, [imdb title|0330365] [ [http://www.amazon.com/Hans-Brinker-Silver-Skates-Zeaner/dp/B0001I55X8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1218523803&sr=1-1 "Hans Brinker or the Silver Skates" (1962) DVD] at Amazon.com] starring Rony Zeaner

*A 1969 NBC made-for-television musical film called simply "Hans Brinker", [imdb title|id=0079269|title=Hans Brinker] [ [http://www.amazon.com/Hans-Brinker-Robin-Askwith/dp/B0000DI873/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1218523803&sr=1-2 "Hans Brinker" (1969) DVD] at Amazon.com] starring Robert Askwith

*A 1998 very loose modern adaptation or homage called "Brink!", [imdb title|id=0162212|title=Brink!] an original made-for-television Disney Channel movie. The story takes place in Los Angeles, and centers around competitive inline skating rather than ice-skating. The film stars Eric von Detten as Andy "Brink" Brinker.

Popular culture: the legend of the boy and the dike

A small fictional story within the novel has become well-known in its own right in American popular culture. The story, [ [http://books.google.com/books?id=KP86AAAAMAAJ&pg=PA105&dq=brinker&num=100&ie=ISO-8859-1&output=html Dodge, Mary Mapes. "Hans Brinker: Or, The Silver Skates, a Story of Life in Holland".] Scribner, 1896; pp. 105-109] read aloud in a schoolroom in England, is about a Dutch boy who saves his country by putting his finger in a leaking dike. The boy stays there all night, in spite of the cold, until the adults of the village find him and make the necessary repairs.

In the book, the boy and the story are called simply "The Hero of Haarlem." Although the hero of the dike-plugging tale remains nameless in the book, Hans Brinker's name has sometimes erroneously been associated with the character.

This small but memorable tale within "Hans Brinker or The Silver Skates" has generated numerous versions and adaptations in American media. Poet Phoebe Cary — at whose New York literary gatherings Dodge was a regular guest [ [http://books.google.com/books?id=Gyc9CEkTbygC&pg=PA69&lpg=PR8&vq=mary+mapes+dodge&dq=intitle:A+intitle:Memorial+intitle:of+intitle:Alice+intitle:and+intitle:Phoebe+intitle:Cary&lr=&num=100&as_brr=0&ie=ISO-8859-1&output=html Cary, Alice; and Cary, Phoebe; compiled by Mary Clemmer Ames. "A Memorial of Alice and Phoebe Cary With Some of Their Later Poems".] New York: Hurd and Houghton, 1873; p. 69] — wrote a lengthy poem about it called "The Leak in the Dike," published posthumously in 1873, [ [http://books.google.com/books?id=hVwMg4ikga0C&ie=ISO-8859-1&output=html Cary, Alice; Cary, Phoebe; and Clemmer, Mary. "The Last Poems of Alice and Phoebe Cary".] Riverside Press, 1873; pp. 223-229] [ [http://www.poetry-archive.com/c/the_leak_in_the_dike.html Text of "The Leak in the Dike"] ] which has been widely anthologized in books of poetry for schoolchildren. [ [http://books.google.com/books?um=1&ie=ISO-8859-1&output=html&q=%22Phoebe+Cary%22+%22The+Leak+in+the+Dike%22] Link to some of the many anthologies over the decades which contain "The Leak in the Dike"] Cary also gave the boy a name: Peter.

The tale has also inspired full-fledged children's books of its own, which include:

*"The Hole in the Dike", by Norma Green (1974) [ [http://www.amazon.com/Hole-Dike-Blue-Ribbon-Book/dp/059046146X Green, Norma B. "The Hole in the Dike"] (1974)]

* "The Boy Who Held Back the Sea", by Lenny Hort (1987) [ [http://www.amazon.com/Boy-Held-Back-Picture-Puffins/dp/0140546138/ref=pd_bxgy_b_text_b Hort, Lenny. "The Boy Who Held Back the Sea".] (1987)]

tatues of the boy and the dike

For tourism purposes, Dutch statues of the fictional dike-plugging boy have been erected in places such as Spaarndam, Madurodam, and Harlingen. The statues are sometimes mistakenly titled "Hans Brinker" ("Hansje Brinker" in Dutch); others are sometimes known as "Peter of Haarlem." The story of the dike-plugging boy is, however, not widely known in the Netherlands — it is a piece of American, rather than Dutch, folklore.

Origin of the story of the boy and the dike

Versions of the story prior to "Hans Brinker" appear in several English-language publications from 1850 onward, including the following British and American publications:

In England:
*An 1850 edition of Sharpe's "London Journal of Entertainment and Instruction": "The Little Hero of Haarlem" [ Sharpe's "London Journal of Entertainment and Instruction". 1850; 12:8-9] [ [http://64.233.169.104/search?q=cache:hOX0M5HK7LsJ:www.valeriodistefano.com/gutenberg/html17/1/1/1/5/11150/11150-h/11150-h.htm+%22hero+of+Haarlem%22+1851&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=3&gl=us&ie=UTF-8 Text of "The Little Hero of Haarlem" from "Sharpe's Magazine"] reprinted in: Anonymous. "Gems Gathered in Haste". Boston: January 1, 1851]

* The February 23, 1850 edition of "Eliza Cook's Journal": "The Brave Little Hollander" ["The Brave Little Hollander." "Eliza Cook's Journal." (London) February 23, 1950. Mentioned in [http://books.google.com/books?q=%22the%20brave%20little%20hollander%22%201850&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&tab=wp this] GoogleBooks source.]
*The 1855 edition of Beeton's "Boy's Own Magazine": "The Little Dutch Hero" [Gannon, Susan R.; and Thomson, Ruth Anne. "Mary Mapes Dodge". Twayne Publishers, 1993; p. 72.]
*"The 'Sixth' Standard Reader", compiled by J.S. Laurie (1863): "The Little Dutch Hero" [ [http://books.google.com/books?id=gMkDAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA49&lpg=PA49&ots=-v5ox5Oj85&dq=%22little+dutch+hero%22&ie=ISO-8859-1&output=html Laurie, James Stuart; ed. "The 'Sixth' Standard Reader".] London, 1863; pp. 49-51]

In America:

*"Harper's Magazine", August 1850: "The Little Hero of Haarlem" [ [http://books.google.com/books?id=Ce8vAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA414&dq=sluicer+date:1600-1866&lr=&num=100&as_brr=0&ie=ISO-8859-1&output=html "The Little Hero of Haarlem." "Harper's Magazine".] Vol 1, Issue 3; August 1850; pp. 414-415]

*The 1852 edition of "The Ladies' Repository": "The Little Hero of Haarlem" [ [http://books.google.com/books?id=nngUAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA100&dq=%22the+little+hero%22+holland&num=100&ie=ISO-8859-1&output=html "The Little Hero of Haarlem," "The Ladies' Repository",] Rev. Henry Bacon, ed. Boston: A. Thompkins; 1852, Vol. 20; pp. 100-101]

*In 1854, "Literary Gem: Van Court's New Monthly Magazine": "The Little Hero of Haarlem" [ [http://books.google.com/books?id=HaYQAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA120&dq=%22the+little+hero%22+holland&num=100&ie=ISO-8859-1&output=html "The Little Hero of Haarlem," "Literary Gem: Van Court's New Monthly Magazine".] Philadelphia: 1954; Vol. 1, No.1; pp. 120-121]

*Julia Matilda Olin's 1856 book, "A Winter at Wood Lawn" [ [http://www.archive.org/stream/winteratwoodlawn00authiala Anonymous (Julia Matilda Olin). "A Winter at Wood Lawn".] New York: Carton & Porter, 1856; pp. 40-42]

*In 1857, "McGuffey's New High School Reader for Advanced Classes": "The Little Hero of Haarlem" [McGuffey, William Holmes, ed. "McGuffey’s New High School Reader: For Advanced Classes." Cincinnati: Wilson, Hinkle, & Co, 1857; pp. 237-242]

*In 1858, "The Rhode Island Schoolmaster": "The Boy at the Dike" [ [http://books.google.com/books?lr=&num=100&ie=ISO-8859-1&output=html&as_brr=0&id=5u0BAAAAYAAJ&dq=intitle%3A%22The+R.I.+Schoolmaster%22+date%3A1857-1858&jtp=214 Rhode Island Commissioner of Public Schools, William A. Mowry, ed. "The R. I. Schoolmaster", Vol. IV, 1858] . Providence, R.I.: Wm. Mowry, Pub., 1858. pp. 214-215]

*In 1858/1859, "Sargent's School Monthly": "The Boy at the Dike" [ [http://books.google.com/books?lr=&num=100&ie=ISO-8859-1&output=html&as_brr=0&id=6fgBAAAAYAAJ&dq=intitle%3A%22Sargent%27s+School+Monthly%2C+for+Home+and+School+Use%22+date%3A1858-1859&jtp=222 Sargent, Epes (ed). "Sargent's School Monthly, for Home and School Use" (Vol. 1, Nos. I-XII, Jan.-Dec. 1858).] Boston: Philips, Sampson & Co., 1859. p. 222]

The actual authorship and genesis of the story of the boy and the dike is currently unknown, but it is possibly from a hypothetical but unidentified story by French author Eugenie Foa (1796-1852), appearing as an alleged English translation, "The Little Dykeman," in "Merry's" magazine in 1868. [Gannon, Susan R.; and Thomson, Ruth Anne. "Mary Mapes Dodge". Twayne Publishers, 1993; p. 72] [ [http://books.google.com/books?id=nlkAAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA101&lpg=PA101&ots=lZWIihdKNF&dq=%22the+little+dykeman%22&ie=ISO-8859-1&output=html Text of "The Little Dykeman" by Eugenie Foa (1796-1852)] anthologized here in "Merry's Museum for Boys and Girls" (Boston, 1868). The "translation" is signed S.W.L., which would be Sarah West Lander (1810-1872), known for her German translations, but not for French translations.]

In sum, although Dodge was not the originator of the story of the boy and the dike, the immense popularity of her novel "Hans Brinker or The Silver Skates" made the story very widely known. The story-within-a-story of the nameless little boy's heroism also parallels and emphasizes Hans Brinker's own heroism in the novel.

Footnotes

References

* [http://www.amazon.com/Brinker-Silver-Skates-Evergreen-Classics/dp/0486428427/ref=pd_bbs_sr_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1218525434&sr=1-2 Dodge, Mary Mapes. "Hans Brinker, or The Silver Skates"] ; 2003 Dover edition.

* [http://books.google.com/books?id=KP86AAAAMAAJ&printsec=frontcover&dq=brinker&num=100&ie=ISO-8859-1&output=html "Hans Brinker, or The Silver Skates"] complete book readable free online on GoogleBooks

* [http://www.amazon.com/Mapes-Twayne-United-States-Authors/dp/0805739564/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1221892461&sr=1-4 Gannon, Susan R.; and Thomson, Ruth Anne. "Mary Mapes Dodge". Twayne Publishers, 1993]

External links

* [http://www.uflib.ufl.edu/ufdc/?b=UF00085060&v=00001 "Hans Brinker and the Silver Skates"] openly and freely available online with full cover, spine, and page images from the University of Florida Baldwin Library of Historical Children's Literature
*Project Gutenberg e-text of " [http://onlinebooks.library.upenn.edu/webbin/gutbook/lookup?num=764 Hans Brinker, or The Silver Skates] "
* [http://www.thehollandring.com/hans-brinker-story.shtml Story and statues]
* [http://www.amazon.com/Hans-Brinker-Bruce-Coville/dp/0803728689/ref=pd_sim_b_51 Coville, Bruce. "Hans Brinker" (2007).] a short (40-page) illustrated retelling of "Hans Brinker" for young readers, inspired by the Mary Mapes Dodge novel