A few years ago, we traveled to Nebraska to interview Timothy Schaffert, author of this week’s assigned reading, “The Mermaid in the Tree.” You will enjoy hearing more from him about his perspective and process in the video above.
Our discussion this week allows us to practice, as a group, the kind of analysis required in the . Together, we will compare Hans Christian Andersen’s “The Little Mermaid” in The Classic Fairy Tales, to Timothy Schaffert’s “The Mermaid in the Tree” in My Mother She Killed Me, My Father He Ate Me.
In Kate Bernheimer’s anthology, a personal reflection from the author follows each story. After “The Mermaid in the Tree,” Timothy Schaffert reflects, “In fleshing out the story of the mermaid, I found myself drawn to the bride in the original Andersen talethe girl the prince marries instead of the little mermaid. She’s innocent in the tale, yet we feel compelled to cast her as the story’s villain, due to her beauty and perfection, and the fact that she’s marrying the prince and the mermaid is not” (199).
As we have seen, tellers of fairy tales can use old stories to create new meanings. Schaffert retains some elements from Andersen’s tale, and he changes others. What choices does he make as he reinvents this tale?
“Mermaid in a Tree” by Alice Mason
How has Schaffert refashioned Andersen’s well-known story to get across a new meaning? Consider how all of the elements of the talesuch as are reworked to serve Schaffert’s purpose.
, and view the rubric that shows how your participation in this discussion will be scored ( or ).
“The Little Mermaid” Reimagined
How do the changes in the story’s elements and details change the story’s meaning?
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