The Imaginary Emperor

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The townsfolk uncomfortably go along with the pretense, not wanting to appear unfit for their positions or stupid. Then, a child in the crowd, too young to understand the desirability of keeping up the pretense, blurts out that the emperor is wearing nothing at all, and the cry is taken up by others. The emperor realizes the assertion is true but continues the procession.

Andersen's tale is based on a story from the Libro de los ejemplos or El Conde Lucanor , [2] a medieval Spanish collection of fifty-one cautionary tales with various sources such as Aesop and other classical writers and Persian folktales, by Juan Manuel, Prince of Villena — Andersen did not know the Spanish original but read the tale in a German translation, titled "So ist der Lauf der Welt".

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When the king is supposedly wearing the garment, his whole court pretends to admire it. The king is then paraded about his city to show off the garment; when the common folk ask him if he has become a naked ascetic , he realizes the deception, but the swindler has already fled. Andersen's manuscript was at the printer's when he was suddenly inspired to change the original climax of the tale from the emperor's subjects admiring his invisible clothes to that of the child's cry.

Andersen's decision to change the ending may have occurred after he read the manuscript tale to a child, [9] or its inspiration may have been one of Anderson's own childhood incidents which was similar to that in the tale: Reitzel in Copenhagen, as the third and final installment of the first collection of Andersen's Fairy Tales Told for Children.

The first two booklets of the collection were published in May and December , and met with little critical enthusiasm. Traditional Danish tales, as well as German and French folktales, were regarded as a form of exotica in nineteenth century Denmark and were read aloud to select gatherings by celebrated actors of the day. Andersen's tales eventually became a part of the repertoire, and readings of "The Emperor's New Clothes" became a specialty of and a big hit for the popular Danish actor Ludvig Phister.

Tired by speaking various foreign languages and on the verge of vomiting after days of feasting, the author managed to control his body and read aloud " The Princess and the Pea ", "Little Ida's Flowers", and "The Emperor's New Clothes". Jack Zipes , in Hans Christian Andersen: The Misunderstood Storyteller , suggests that seeing is presented in the tale as the courage of one's convictions; Zipes believe this is the reason the story is popular with children.

Sight becomes insight, which, in turn, prompts action. Alison Prince , author of Hans Christian Andersen: The Fan Dancer , claims that Andersen received a gift of a ruby and diamond ring from the king after publications of "The Emperor's New Clothes" and " The Swineherd "—tales in which Andersen voices a satirical disrespect for the court.

Prince suggests the ring was an attempt to curb Andersen's sudden bent for political satire by bringing him into the royal fold. She points out that after " The Swineherd ", he never again wrote a tale colored with political satire, but, within months of the gift, began composing " The Ugly Duckling ", a tale about a bird born in a henyard who, after a lifetime of misery, matures into a swan, "one of those royal birds". The Life of a Storyteller , biographer Jackie Wullschlager points out that Andersen was not only a successful adapter of existing lore and literary material, such as the Spanish source tale for "The Emperor's New Clothes", but was equally competent at creating new material that entered the human collective consciousness with the same mythic power as ancient, anonymous lore.

Hollis Robbins , in "The Emperor's New Critique" , argues that the tale is itself so transparent "that there has been little need for critical scrutiny. In The Annotated Hans Christian Andersen , folk and fairy tale researcher Maria Tatar offers a scholarly investigation and analysis of the story, drawing on Robbins' political and sociological analysis of the tale. Tatar points out that Robbins indicates the swindling weavers are simply insisting that "the value of their labor be recognized apart from its material embodiment" and notes that Robbins considers the ability of some in the tale to see the invisible cloth as "a successful enchantment".

Tatar observes that "The Emperor's New Clothes" is one of Andersen's best-known tales and one that has acquired an iconic status globally as it migrates across various cultures reshaping itself with each retelling in the manner of oral folktales. Historically, the tale established Andersen's reputation as a children's author whose stories actually imparted lessons of value for his juvenile audience, and "romanticized" children by "investing them with the courage to challenge authority and to speak truth to power. Its beauty, however, is obscured at the end of the tale with the obligatory moral message for children.

Tatar is left wondering if the real value of the tale is the creation of the wonderful fabric in the reader's imagination or the tale's closing message of speaking truth no matter how humiliating to the recipient. Naomi Wood of Kansas State University challenges Robbins' reading, arguing that before the World Trade Center attacks of , "Robbins's argument might seem merely playful, anti-intuitive, and provocative.

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The television special features eight songs with music by Maury Laws and lyrics by Jules Bass , and combines live action filmed in Aarhus, Denmark , animation, special effects, and the stop motion animation process "Animagic" made in Japan. The Japanese war documentary film , The Emperor's Naked Army Marches On , by director Kazuo Hara , centers on year-old Kenzo Okuzaki , veteran of Japan's Second World War campaign in New Guinea , and follows him around as he searches out those responsible for the unexplained deaths of two soldiers in his old unit.


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The Emperor's New Clothes animated film. By Burbank Animation Studios.


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In the television drama, An OVA episode of the anime franchise Bikini Warriors humorously adapts the tale, wherein the main characters are stripped nude by an unseen deity under the pretense that it has actually gifted them with a new, legendary bikini armor which only "idiots" are unable to see. On March 1, , Bing Crosby recorded a musical adaptation of the story for children which was issued as an album Never Be Afraid by Golden Records in Hoare used a parody tale, The Emperor's Old Clothes , to advocate simplification over embellishment, for clothing or computer programming languages.

In , Jack Herer published the first edition of " The Emperor Wears No Clothes ", which uncovers the history of industrial hemp through civilization, culminating in a propaganda campaign in the U. The book is now in its 11th edition. In , Tony Namate , an award-winning Zimbabwean cartoonist , published a collection of political cartoons entitled The Emperor's New Clods.

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The Imaginary Emperor (eBook)

The Imaginary Emperor 3. Joshua Norton is bankrupt and desperate in antebellum San Francisco. The whole nation seems to have gone mad.

Many people of the city happily accept him as such. Yet he discovers that even with the power of monarchy he cannot cure t Joshua Norton is bankrupt and desperate in antebellum San Francisco. Yet he discovers that even with the power of monarchy he cannot cure the unhappiness of the country or of himself. How can he help Marina, who wishes only to sing, or Sophia, who desires only wealth? Worse, how can he help himself--and what to do with his secret treasure?

Based on true stories of Old San Francisco. Paperback , pages. To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up. To ask other readers questions about The Imaginary Emperor , please sign up.

The Emperor's New Clothes

Be the first to ask a question about The Imaginary Emperor. Lists with This Book. This book is not yet featured on Listopia. Steve Bartholomew is first, and foremost a storyteller.

He is also a discerning researcher and this book shows his skills in that area very well indeed. Throughout the pacing is excellent, the voice perfect for the period while still remaining immediate and accessible. This is the story of Civil-War era San Francisco. The Gold Rush has come and gone, leaving quite a few fortunes lost along the way. One of these less fortunates, who thought he had the world by the tail, is Joshua Norton. Sporting an old worn military long dress coat and a feather stuck in his ancient beaver cap, he strolls the streets making proclamations and insinuating himself, ever so thoroughly, into the lives of a wide range of characters.

He is an object of scorn and laughter, but also growing respect among his friends. The Nation is beset by war and its aftermath, including homelessness, lack of jobs, bank failures, civic corruption, the predations of corporate greed and a government that seems unable to deal with any of it. Whether it is wisdom, fancy or delusion, Emperor Norton finds ways to help each of those who need his help and confound those who think they can get the better of him.

In the end, he becomes a figure that no history of the rise of San Francisco could be complete without.

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The author has truly done it again, and created a cast of memorable, honest characters set in a rich, evocative setting. As an introduction to the life of Emperor Norton, this is a good book. As a work of fiction, as art, it's rather mediocre. Reading this wasn't a chore, and there are certainly elements I appreciated such as the irony of Sophia's ending , but the writing isn't particularly captivating, inventive, or elegant. This was recommended to me by Richard Sutton. I'm appreciative of the advice as I thoroughly enjoyed it as a piece of light, but nevetheless well researched, reading.

The author, Steve Bartholomew, crafted it with just the right amount of finesse for it to be exceedingly entertaining. My thanks to both Steve and Richard.