Bridging cultures with technology? “The Great Sea Serpent” (1871) as cable literature

Description

The successful laying of the Transatlantic Telegraph Cable from Ireland to Newfoundland in Canada along the so-called Telegraph Plateau in 1865-1866 was seen as a planetary event with a huge potential to reconcile a divided world. The event marked the transition from analogue to near-instant electronic communication and it sparked reflections on global connectivity that remains highly relevant today, as the cables at the bottom of the sea continue to constitute critical infrastructure on which the functioning of the internet depends. At the same time, the laying of the telegraph cable generated new insights into life in the deep sea. Both elements shaped a whole new literary genre, the so-called telegraph or cable literature (discussed by Frits Andersen in Underværker (2023), amongst others).
This paper examines Hans Christian Andersen’s “The Great Sea Serpent” as a cable tale, focusing on its sources of inspiration and the preserved manuscript stages with their increasing ambiguity towards the title figure. It also traces the tale’s trajectory from its initial publication in the Danish magazine Illustreret Tidende to its appearance in the American Scribner’s Monthly, before reaching its final form in the authoritative Nye Eventyr og Historier (1872).

Period	24. Apr 2026
Event title	SASS 2026: Building bridges
Event type	Conference
Location	New York City, United StatesShow on map
Degree of Recognition	International