The Emperor's New Clothes -- An Anthology of Andersen's Fairy Tale Picture Books

Author: (Dan) Andersen, H.C. Original, Ji Yingwen, (Japan) Komi Motoyoshi Illustrated
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-01-01
Features: Andersen was actually such a writer who wore the mask of a child's innocence to tell adults, while using fairy tales to tell children about the experiences that belonged entirely to the adult world. Andersen is worth reading throughout our lives; the great writer Leo Tolstoy spent ten years reading Andersen's works; Andersen is worth the generations to savor and experience, as the essayist Zhang Xiaofeng said: If someone is five years old and has never listened to Andersen, then their childhood lacks a touch of warmth; if someone is fifteen years old and has never read Andersen, then their youth lacks a touch of silver; if someone is twenty-five years old and has never savored Andersen, then their young adulthood lacks a touch of brilliance; if someone is thirty-five years old and has never understood Andersen, then their adulthood lacks a touch of abundance; if someone is forty-five years old and has never contemplated Andersen, then their middle age lacks a touch of depth; if someone is fifty-five years old and has never reread Andersen, then their old age lacks a touch of serenity. Now, the "Andersen Fairy Tale Picture Book Collection (13 volumes)" featuring the works of international illustrators and the footsteps of the global "Commemoration of the 200th Anniversary of Andersen's Birth" commemorative activities are approaching us. We believe that this exquisite gift, specially planned to commemorate the 200th anniversary of Andersen's birth, will surely become a precious collection that allows everyone to cherish and relive beautiful childhood memories. Many years ago, there was an emperor who loved to wear beautiful new clothes. He spent all his money on clothes to look good, paid no attention to his army, and did not enjoy watching plays. He did not like to ride in his carriage to stroll in the park unless it was to show off his new clothes. He had to change his clothes every hour. When people mentioned the emperor, they would say, "The emperor is in the conference room," but when they mentioned him, they would say, "The emperor is in the dressing room." In the city where he lived, life was very relaxed and pleasant. Many foreigners came every day. One day, two frauds came. They said they were weavers. They said they could weave the most unimaginable beautiful fabrics. The colors and patterns of this fabric were not only very beautiful but also had a strange effect: anyone who was incompetent or foolish could not see the clothes made from it. "That is exactly the kind of clothes I like!" the emperor thought. "If I wear such clothes, I can see which people in my kingdom are incompetent; I can tell who is smart and who is foolish. Yes, I must ask them to start weaving this fabric immediately!" He paid the two frauds a lot of cash and asked them to start working immediately. They set up two looms and pretended to be working, but there was nothing on their looms. They repeatedly asked the emperor for good silk and gold, which they pocketed while pretending to work hard on their empty looms until late at night. "I really want to see how well they are weaving," the emperor thought. But he immediately remembered that foolish or incompetent people could not see the fabric. He felt a bit uncomfortable in his heart. He believed he had nothing to fear. Nevertheless, he thought it was better to send someone to check first. Everyone in the city had heard about the strange power of this fabric, so they were all eager to take this opportunity to test how foolish their neighbors were. "I will send the honest old minister to see the weavers," the emperor thought. "Only he can see what the fabric looks like because he is very wise and no one is as competent as he is." So the kind old minister went to the work site of the two frauds. They were busy working on their empty looms. "What is going on?" the old minister thought, his eyes wide open as big as bowls. "I can't see anything!" But he didn't dare to say that. The two frauds asked him to come closer and asked if the pattern was very beautiful and the color very lovely. They pointed to the two empty looms. The poor old minister's eyes grew even bigger, but he still couldn't see anything because there was nothing to see. "My God!" he thought. "Am I foolish? I have never doubted myself. I can't let anyone know this. Am I incompetent? — No; I can't let anyone know I can't see the fabric." "Well, do you have any comments?" one of the weavers said. "Ah, it's wonderful! It's truly wonderful!" the old minister said, looking closely through his glasses. "How beautiful the pattern is! How beautiful the color is! Yes, I will report to the emperor that I am very satisfied with the fabric." "Yes, we are very happy to hear your words," the two weavers said together. They described the rare colors and patterns of the fabric and added some names. The old minister listened carefully so he could memorize it when he returned to the emperor. In fact, he did just that. The two frauds asked for even more money and more silk and gold, saying it was for the needs of weaving. They pocketed all of it without putting a single thread on the looms. However, they continued to work on the empty looms. Soon, the emperor sent another honest official to see if the fabric could be woven quickly. His luck was no better than the first minister's: he looked and looked, but there was nothing on the two empty looms, and he couldn't see anything. "Do you see how beautiful this fabric is?" the two frauds asked. They pointed to some beautiful patterns and gave some explanations. In fact, there were no patterns at all. "I am not foolish!" the official thought. "Perhaps I am not worthy of holding such a good position? This is really ridiculous, but I can't let anyone see it!" So he praised the non-existent fabric and told them he loved the beautiful colors and clever patterns. "Yes, it is truly beautiful," he said when he returned to the emperor. Everyone in the city was talking about the beautiful fabric. When the fabric was still being woven, the emperor very much wanted to see it himself. He selected a group of specially chosen attendants— the two honest ministers who had already gone to see it. So he went to the place where the two cunning frauds lived. The two scoundrels were weaving with all their might, but there was no trace of thread visible. "Do you see how beautiful this is?" the two honest ministers said. "Your Majesty, please look, how beautiful the pattern is! How beautiful the color is!" They pointed to the empty looms, thinking others would surely see the fabric. "What is going on?" the emperor thought. "I can't see anything! This is truly absurd! Am I foolish? Am I not worthy of being an emperor? This is truly a terrible thing I have never encountered before." "Ah, it is truly beautiful!" the emperor said. "I am completely satisfied!" He nodded to show his satisfaction. He pretended to look carefully at the looms because he didn't want to say he couldn't see anything. All the attendants who came with him also looked and looked, but they didn't see anything more. However, they followed the emperor's words and said, "Ah, it is truly beautiful!" They suggested using this strange and beautiful fabric to make clothes and wear them to participate in the upcoming parade. "It is truly beautiful! It is truly exquisite! It is truly wonderful!" Everyone echoed in agreement. Everyone was filled with indescribable joy. The emperor gave each fraud a knighthood and an medal that could be worn on a buttonhole, and also appointed them as "Imperial Weavers." The next morning, the parade was about to begin. That night, the two frauds stayed up all night, lighting 16 candles. You could see they were working overtime to finish the emperor's new clothes. They pretended to take the fabric off the looms. They used two large scissors to cut in the air for a while and then stitched with a needle and thread. Finally, they all said in unison, "Please see! The new clothes are finished!" The emperor came with his group of noble knights. The two frauds each raised one hand as if they were holding something. They said, "Please see, this is the pants, this is the robe! This is the coat!" etc. "This dress is as light as a spider's web: anyone who wears it will feel as if there is nothing on their body—this is the wonderful effect of this dress." "Absolutely," all the knights said. But they couldn't see anything because there was nothing there. "Now, please have the emperor take off his clothes," the two frauds said. "We will change him into new clothes in front of this large mirror." The emperor took off all his clothes. The two frauds pretended to hand him the new clothes they had just sewn. They fiddled with his waist for a while as if they were fastening something: this was the train (Note: The train (Slaebet) is a long piece of fabric that hangs behind a formal dress; it was a costume of European nobles in the feudal era.). The emperor turned around in front of the mirror and twisted his waist. "God, this dress fits so well! The style is so beautiful!" everyone said. "How beautiful the pattern is! How beautiful the color is! This is truly a valuable set of clothes!" "The canopy has already been prepared outside, and it will be raised when Your Majesty steps out for the parade!" the ceremonial officer said. "Yes, I am already dressed," the emperor said. "Does this dress fit me?" He turned his body again in front of the mirror because he wanted everyone to see that he was seriously admiring his beautiful clothes. The attendants who were going to hold the train all fumbled with their hands on the ground as if they were really picking up the train. They walked, holding the air—they didn't dare to let anyone see that they were not really seeing anything. In this way, the emperor paraded under the rich canopy. The people on the street and in the windows all said, "Goodness, the emperor's new clothes are truly beautiful! How beautiful the train under his jacket is! How well the clothes fit!" No one wanted to let anyone know that they couldn't see anything, because that would expose their incompetence or foolishness. The emperor's clothes had never received such universal praise. "But he isn't wearing any clothes!" a child finally shouted. "God, you hear this innocent voice!" the father said. Then everyone quietly spread the child's words. "He isn't wearing any clothes! One child said he isn't wearing any clothes!" "He really isn't wearing any clothes!" Finally, all the common people said. The emperor trembled a little because it seemed the common people were right. But in his heart, he thought, "I must see this parade through." So he put on an even more proud demeanor, and his attendants followed him, holding a train that didn't exist. (1837) This story was written in 1837 and published as a small collection along with another fairy tale, "The Little Mermaid," written in the same year. At that time, Andersen was only 32 years old, which was also the third year since he began writing fairy tales (he started writing fairy tales at the age of 30). But from this fairy tale, we can see how deeply Andersen observed society. Here, he exposed how vain, extravagant, and stupid the ruling class, led by the emperor, were. The frauds noticed their characteristics and proposed, "Anyone who is incompetent or foolish cannot see this dress." Of course, they couldn't see it because there was no dress. But they were guilty and afraid that people would discover their incompetence and foolishness, so they all unanimously praised the non-existent dress as how beautiful it was and how well it looked when worn, and even held a parade, walking around naked, showing off to the people for them to admire and praise. Unfortunately, this ridiculous fraud was exposed to the common people. "The emperor" couldn't face the situation and still had to put on a brave face, "I must see this parade through," and "Therefore, he had to put on an even more proud demeanor." This kind of ruler who is deceitful but extremely foolish probably exists in any era. Therefore, this fairy tale has a realistic significance at all times.