She Was Good for Nothing

This is Andersen doing what he does best — writing compassionate social criticism disguised as a fairy tale, building a portrait of a woman crushed by class prejudice and redeemed only after death. The prose is lyrical even in translation and the theme of human dignity versus social judgment remains sharp. The emotional weight and the protagonist's death make it a poor fit for young children; in the right hands for a mature audience, though, it is genuinely moving.