The Ugly Duckling

Bullied since the day he was hatched, Hans Christian Andersen’s titular character flees his barnyard abode to live among the wild ducks and geese. His respite ends after a hunter stumbles across, and kills, the flock. He then wanders into the home of an old woman whose housecat ridicules his homely characteristics. Disheartened by the repeated mockery, he retreats to a lake cave where he blooms into a beautiful swan. An outcast no more, he finds acceptance at the story’s conclusion—a story, coincidentally, that Andersen describes as “a reflection of my own life.”

Prom King

Tormentors and telekinesis: a bad combination made worse when you throw pig’s blood and powder-blue tuxedos into the mix. Forty-one years have passed since King’s novel saw its initial cash advance—courtesy of Doubleday’s $2,500—give way to the $400,000 price tag paid by New American Library to secure the book’s paperback rights. The 1976 movie adaptation resulted in Academy Award nominations for Piper Laurie and Sissy Spacek, a mother-daughter duo able to withstand any PTA meeting. Just try sending Carrie to the principal’s office.

Wizards, Diarists, Advocates

Daniel Radcliffe, known to millions as Harry Potter, has taken it upon himself to speak out against the bullying of LGBTQ youth through his involvement with The Trevor Project. Additional celebrities who’ve rallied to the cause include Anne Hathaway (The Princess Diaries) and Enchanted star Susan Sarandon. In June, the organization will honor the Magneto of all Gandalfs, Sir Ian McKellen, for his decades-long advocacy efforts.

For more information on The Trevor Project, please visit: http://www.thetrevorproject.org.

This edition of Fairy-Tale Files brought to you by intern Paige Osborn and poetry editor Jon Riccio.