Wednesday, February 11, 2015

The Irony of Princess and the Pea

Hans Christian Andersen's story of "The Princess and the Pea" tells of a Prince's quest for a "true" Princess. According to the King and Queen, true royalty can only be tested by one's sensitivity; the ability to be upset by a pea under a stack of mattresses.
Arthur Rackham

The whole episode is meant to be exaggerated and funny, yet with an element of truth to it. Heidi Anne Heiner of Surlalune says, "Previous versions of the tale had the princess learning about the test from a sympathetic helper. She then passes the test with her cunning and foreknowledge. Andersen, on the other hand, liked the idea of a princess' true sensitivity and thus makes the princess an innocent victim of a bad night's sleep."

Jack Zipes points out the irony of the fact that the Prince traveled all over the world, when in fact he only needed to stay at home, because the True Princess came to him.
Kay Nielsen

Yet an even more glaring irony occured to me that I can't believe I never thought of before: in stark contrast to the Princesses' inability to sleep because of the pea, she travels by herself, through a rainstorm, to get to the Prince's palace. When she arrives, "what with the rain and the wind, she was in a sad condition; the water trickled down from her hair, and her clothes clung to her body."
Arthur Rackham

A "true" Princess would never travel alone, on foot, through a rainstorm! She would have an entourage making her journey as comfortable as possible, probably riding in a beautiful carriage, and being announced by trumpet fanfare and accompanied by ladies in waiting. Whatever sensitivity would lead to sleeplessness caused by a little pea would most certainly ensure that she would never even leave the door of her house in such conditions.
Kay Nielsen

According to Heiner's comment above, I wonder if Andersen even noticed the irony of this situation, but the rainstorm travelling episode certainly seems to indicate the folk tales in which the Princess passed the test by cleverness, not by being spoiled. Maria Tatar's and Jack Zipes' reflections on the tale would indicated that Andersen was motivated partly by criticizing the upper class, poking fun at their obsession with establishing bloodlines; yet at the same time Andersen had longed his whole life to be accepted by this same group of people, so he was also vicariously living through the Princess.

This post by Carol L Ward has the summaries of several folk versions. It's likely that the one Andersen had heard in childhood, and thus based his story on, is the Swedish "Princess Who Lay on Seven Peas." I can't seem to find a fell text version online though, let me know if anyone has a link!

5 comments:

  1. I'm sure you've read it, but Iona & Peter Opie's "The Classic Fairy Tales" has a very interesting introduction on The Princess and the Pea, talking about variations with "nuts, grain, pinheads (!), straws" and the link mentions a single hair found under one of the mattresses. Makes you think about tales where sensitivity is an issue and the possible-inbreeding or continuance of a genetic trait somehow, or maybe I'm making the connection because every other family theater production I see right now is making an effort to be "sensory friendly" for kids with autism. (Note: I am NOT saying autism is a result of inbreeding! I meant that there are genetic predispositions in some cases for sensitivities and different ways of perceiving things with your senses, right down to perfect pitch.)
    On a different note, when I heard the Princess and the Pea tale as an older child I figured her carriage/retinue had either been attacked and she escaped or she was fleeing war or similar. When I got older again in my head I added the following details: she was a princess who had escaped disaster (why else would she be by herself and so bedraggled? Even commoner women were rarely out by themselves at night in the middle of a rainstorm), who used her wits to get herself shelter. Her bruises from the trauma wouldn't let her sleep well but she was savvy enough to note that the queen was up to something before being shown to the bedchamber and ridiculous pile of mattresses, knowing she was likely being tested somehow, so used the night to figure out what was going on. She finds the pea but just says in the morning that she couldn't sleep because the mattress was lumpy, knowing full well se'd just passed the test and could then - finally - relax and be attended to properly/restored to her station - perhaps get another kingdom in the process so she wouldn't again be defenseless. How's that for self-reinterpreting! lol I definitely prefer clever to birthright stories.

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    1. I can't believe I've never thought to connect Princess and the Pea with autism and sensory issues! Not too many of my students experience those kinds of sensitivities to touch, though.

      I think your version needs to be turned into a short story, it makes sense and the Princess is so much more likeable!

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  2. I've discovered on my online travels versions where the offending object is a bean rather than a pea.

    Of course, the whole tale is twisted even more in the hilarious musical Once Upon a Mattress

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    1. I'm not too familiar with the other versions, I've heard of them but haven't found the full texts to read them for myself, sadly. And I've never seen Once Upon a Mattress! Good to know it's really funny, if I get an opportunity to see it I'll make an effort!

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    2. Once Upon a Mattress is family friendly too--in the high school production I saw (many years ago), the jester stole the show

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