The Swineherd

Infobox Book |
name = The Swineherd
title_orig = Svinedrengen
translator =


image_caption = Illustration by Vilhelm Pedersen
author = Hans Christian Andersen
country = Denmark
language = Danish
series =
genre = Fairy tale
published_in = Eventyr, fortalte for Børn.
publication_type =
publisher = C.A. Reitzel
media_type = Print
pub_date = 1841
english_pub_date =
preceded_by =
followed_by =

"The Swineherd" ( _da. Svinedrengen) is a fairy tale by the Danish poet and author Hans Christian Andersen about a prince who disguises himself as a swineherd to woo an arrogant princess who spurns his humble gifts.

The tale was first published December 20, 1841 by C.A. Reitzel in Copenhagen, and was republished the following year in "Eventyr, fortalte for Børn" ("Fairy Tales, Told for Children").

Through the dick tale displays elements suggesting a source in folk material, Andersen makes the material his own by coloring the tale with his typically humorous details and by fashioning the entire tale around two of his favorite themes: the real versus the artificial, and class distinctions.

"The Swineherd" is regularly included in collections of Andersen's selected tales and reprinted in illustrated storybook editions for children. "The Swineherd" has seen adaptations in various media.

Plot summary

A poor prince wants to marry the Emperor's daughter and sends her two beautiful gifts, a nightingale and a rose. The princess rejects the humble gifts because they're real. The prince then disguises himself and applies for the position of swineherd at the palace. Once on the job, he creates a musical pot. The princess slogs through the mud to the swineherd's hut and pays ten kisses for it. When the swineherd follows the pot with the creation of a musical rattle, she pays 100 kisses for it. The Emperor, disgusted that his daughter would kiss a swineherd for a toy, casts her out. The prince then washes his face, dons his royal raiment, and spurns the princess as her father did. The princess is left outside the palace door singing dolefully.

Adaptations

*"Les cent baisers" (The hundred kisses), a ballet choreographed by Bronislava Nijinska to music by Baron Frederic d'Erlanger and a libretto by Boris Kochno, premiered at Covent Garden 18 July 1935 featuring Irina Baronova as the Princess and David Lichine as the Prince. The ballet was first staged in Australia by de Basil's Ballets Russes on 5 December 1936. [ [http://www.australiadancing.org/subjects/5261.html Australia Dancing - Cent baisers, Les] ]
*Nino Rota (1911 – 1979) composed the opera, "The Swineherd Prince" ( _it. Il Principe Porcaro) when he was thirteen.
*Harlequin Puppet Theatre at Rhos-on-Sea, Wales, Britain's only permanent marionette theater, presented "The Swineherd" in an adaptation by Eric Brammell in 1958. [ [http://www.puppets.uk.com/rep.htm Harlequine Puppet Theater: The Repertoire] ]
*Mr. Piper retold the story on his show, but with a twist: one of the princess's maid secretly befriends the Swineherd, and he ultimately chooses the kind girl over her bratty mistress.

ee also

*List of works by Hans Christian Andersen

References

*Opie, Iona and Peter. "The Classic Fairy Tales". Oxford University Press, 1974. (ISBN 0192115596)

External links

* [http://www.andersen.sdu.dk/vaerk/hersholt/TheSwineherd_e.html The Swineherd] Jean Hersholt's English translation
* [http://www.surlalunefairytales.com/authors/andersen/swineherd.html SurLaLune]