The Drop of Water by Hans Christian Andersen
A young girl's life is forever changed when she discovers a magical drop of water that has the power to heal any wound and bring back the dead. She uses it to revive her mother who had died, but soon realizes that the drop's magic comes with a terrible cost: every time someone is brought back from death, their soul becomes trapped in the body, leading to madness and despair.
By Hans Christian Andersen · First published 1837 · Genre: Fairy Tale, Fantasy, Satire · 687 words
First lines
What a magnifying glass is, you surely know -- such a round sort of spectacle-glass that makes everything full a hundred times larger than it really is. When one holds it before the eye, and looks at a drop of water out of the pond, then one sees above a thousand strange creatures. It looks almost like a whole plateful of shrimps springing about among each other, and they are so ravenous, they tear one another's arms and legs, tails and sides, and yet they are glad and pleased in their way.
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Genres
- Fairy Tale — The narrative features fantastical elements, such as wizards and magical transformations, typical of fairy tales.
- Fantasy — The story includes magical elements and creatures that are not found in the real world, aligning with the fantasy genre.
- Satire — The depiction of the microscopic world as a chaotic society mirrors and critiques human social behavior, a hallmark of satire.
- Children's Literature — The simple narrative style and imaginative content are characteristic of stories aimed at a young audience.
Tags
Fairy Tale · Short Story · Fantasy · Mystery · Supernatural · Psychological Thriller · Gothic Fiction · Atmospheric Setting · Isolated Location · Water as a Symbol · Death and the Afterlife · Memory and Nostalgia
What this Textopian page supports
The Drop of Water is listed on Textopian as a short story by Hans Christian Andersen, dated 1837 CE.
This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.
- Work type: Short story
- Author: Hans Christian Andersen
- Date: 1837 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Fairy Tale, Fantasy, Satire, Children's Literature, Short Story
- Length: 687 words
- Structure: 1 section, 11 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Easy (6th Grade)
Good citation fit
- Work identity for The Drop of Water by Hans Christian Andersen
- Canonical title URL and first readable passage URL
- Genre and topic classification from the Textopian catalog
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