The Emperor's New Clothes

Hans Christian Andersen is a renowned fairy tale author, but many of his stories invert the conventions of the fairy tale genre. Read another fairy tale from a different author and compare its structure and themes with those of “The Emperor’s New Clothes.”

The weavers are dishonorable characters who act with bad intentions. However, the results of their actions are not necessarily harmful to the people living in the kingdom. Discuss whether the weavers’ actions have a positive or negative effect on the kingdom in the end.

How would a different narrative perspective have changed the reading of the story? Other perspectives to consider include, but are not limited to, a limited third-person narrator, a first-person narration from the emperor’s perspective, or a first-person narration from the weavers’ perspective.