It is confirmed. One need look no further. Andersen is far more emotional than the dry and detached Grimms.
But I like it.
In fact, when I read something, especially literature, I look for a certain degree of ‘literariness,’ or the difficult union between poetic beauty and dramatic passion. Sometimes that is the sole reason I read. If not, my life would be a barren desert. So one can see that I would prefer Rousseau over Voltaire, Delacroix over Ingres, and now Andersen over the Grimms… Because this story resembles-and even parallels-some of the greatest Romantic classics I have read, I jotted down a few lines I found beautiful on a separate notebook I keep for such moments of joyful discovery.
Ex.) “...but the sea maid has no tears, and for this reason she suffers far more acutely.” The tear in this story has a great significance. Tear is a form of self-expression. Those who don’t liberate sorrow from the wells of their heart will suffer great pains. Release and confession are the will of truth. With the inability to do so, one can only be reduced to a coward, victim, tragedy, and so on, manipulated by the limits of human knowledge-all the while feeling the love for humanity still-like the sea maid. Perhaps the writer pursued and emphasized truth more than anything else. If so, I must take this opportunity to express my humble agreement.
