The Opera Populaire

I have always been fascinated with fairy tales since young. I grew up on Dysney cartoon like Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella etc. But I oso like to read the tales. I distinctly remember my Dad giving me this beautifuly illustrated book of Hans Christiaan Andersen's tales. Suddenly remember this aspect of my childhood as I am watching a show commemorating the 200th year of his life on Phonenix channel.

The 1st Andersen tale I ever read was "The Little Match Girl". It was such a pitiful tale that I tried to put myself in her shoes to feel that bitterly cold Christmas Eve, where no one bothered to take a 2nd look at her as they rushed home for Christmas. I had a little hard time trying to understand the concept of imagination or hallucination when she lighted her candles and see those lovely images. Then I was comforted to know that she went to Heaven after her sufferings and I wondered wat is Heaven like.

My favourite tale of all time is "The Steadfast Tin Soldier". I used to draw pictures of the 1-legged tin soldier and the beautiful ballerina, looking lovingly at each other but neither ever said a thing abt their feelings. JIng Zai Bu Yan Zong. Thot it was a very tragic, lovely tale. I even resolved to make a cartoon of it, more magical and lovely than the Dysney Fantasia 2000 version. I recently read that the tale might have been inspired by Andersen's own unrequited love for this particular lady. Interesting e.g. of how a writing is invariably influenced by its writer's background.

I oso like "Thumbelina" for its pretty details of the story. Like the pretty description of Thumbelina, her sweet bed made of a walnut shell, her journey to where she met other tiny ppl like her and married their king. In the same manner, I oso like this story abt the shepherdess figurine and a chimney sweeper figurine.

"The Princess and the Pea" made me wonder if I am not actually a princess as well. I tried to put a pea beneath many matresses like in e story and slept on it. Needless to say, I neva felt a thing and thus gave up the idea of ever being a princess hahaahah.

When I come to think abt it, my growing up years were very much shaped by these fairy tales, not only from Andersen. Perhaps that shaped my dreamy nature. I read tales from Russia, the Grimm Brothers tales etc etc. I can still remember beautiful tales of Princess Vassilissa who turned into a frog and married e prince whose arrow fell on her, a beautiful princess who slept for 10 years but was taught many things in her sleep, the princess who owned clothes that looked like the stars, the sun and the moon but had to put on a donkey skin to escape from her father's madness. Hmmm...maybe I can be a very good mom who can tell her children many bedtime stories next time hahahaha.

But on a more serious side, I think we like fairy tales becos they reminded us of a lovely time in our lives where bad circumstances always end up for good, and the tales teaches us life's lessons in an indirect, but very much acceptable way. Yet they oso fed our imagination as we learn to identify with the circumstance of the stories, which could relate to life oso.