Cryptoquip Answer 08/09/2023: The Ugly Duckling

The answer is “The Ugly Duckling”, which is a famous fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen. Here are some details about it that might help you with your article website post:

• The Ugly Duckling is a story about a young bird who is rejected and bullied by his siblings and other animals for being different and ugly. He wanders around, looking for a place where he can belong, until he discovers that he is actually a swan, not a duckling, and joins a flock of beautiful swans who accept him as one of their own.
• The story was first published in 1843 in Copenhagen, Denmark, along with three other tales by Andersen, in a collection called New Fairy Tales. First Volume. First Collection. The story was an original creation by Andersen, not based on any existing folk tale or legend.
• The story has been interpreted in various ways by different critics and readers. Some see it as a reflection of Andersen’s own life, as he was an awkward and lonely child who faced rejection and ridicule from his peers and later became a successful and celebrated writer. Some see it as a message of hope and resilience for anyone who feels different or outcast from society. Some see it as a critique of the social norms and expectations that judge people by their appearance and not by their character or potential.
• The story has been adapted to various media, such as opera, musical, ballet, film, animation, and comics. Some of the most famous adaptations are the 1939 Disney animated short film, the 1952 Danny Kaye musical film Hans Christian Andersen, the 1994 animated film The Swan Princess, and the 2006 computer-animated film The Ugly Duckling and Me!
• The story has also inspired many other works of art and literature that use the motif of an ugly or unwanted creature transforming into something beautiful or noble, such as The Frog Prince, Beauty and the Beast, Cinderella, My Fair Lady, Shrek, and Harry Potter.