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The Goloshes of Fortune

From Fairy Tales of Hans Christian Andersen, by H. C. Andersen

Hans Christian Andersen (1805–1875) was a Danish author whose literary fairy tales transformed the genre from simple folk narratives into vehicles for philosophical and moral exploration. "The Goloshes of Fortune" was first published in the mid-nineteenth century as part of his collected fairy tales. This text reflects its era; a few period terms have been modernised. Unlike the conventional fairy tale in which wishes bring reward or punishment based on the wisher's virtue, Andersen constructs a philosophical fable: every wish fulfilled brings misery, and the character who finds peace does so only in death. The story is worth a reader's time because it examines, with wit and imaginative range, the Socratic question of what constitutes human happiness, and whether the fulfilment of desire can ever answer the deepest longings of the soul.

Band

Silver · First-year university levelTypical starting range: adult

Length

long · about 1683 words in 5 sections · 1 picture

Source

Fairy Tales of Hans Christian Andersen, H. C. Andersen

First published

see the About page in the reader

Regions

Canada · United States

Included formats

• · Web reader and PDF
• · EPUB for e-readers
• · Home-print sheet
• · Folded booklet
• · Binder edition (8.5 × 11)
• · Worksheet
• · Quick Check (11 questions) with answer key
• · Read-aloud script
• · Teacher’s Edition (members)

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