The Man Who Kept House

by Peter Christen Asbjørnsen, Jørgen Moe, Svend Otto S. (Illustrator)

Convinced that his work in the field is harder than his wife's work at home, a farmer trades places with her for the day.

Genres: Picture Books

32 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1991

About the author

Peter Christen Asbjørnsen was a Norwegian writer and scholar. He and Jørgen Engebretsen Moe were collectors of Norwegian folklore. They were so closely united in their lives' work that their folk tale collections are commonly mentioned only as "Asbjørnsen and Moe".

Reviews

[Abigail · Rating 3 out of 5]

Originally published in Asbjørnsen and Moe's nineteenth century collection of Norwegian folktales, this humorous story - Mannen som skulle stelle hjemme in the original - follows the trials and tribulations of a bad-tempered husband, whose criticism of his wife's housekeeping results in a day of swapped duties. Convinced that he can get more work done in the house, the husband stays home for the day, letting his wife take over his job in the fields. But a series of hilarious mistakes - each one compounding the previous - leads him into a very sticky mess. Luckily, his wife comes home in time to set things to rights...

I have always enjoyed this gender-bender folktale from Norway, appreciating its affirmation of the worth - and difficulty - of women's work, and its cautionary lesson about criticizing others. I imagine that some might read it as a reinforcement of traditional gender roles, with the woman belonging in the home, and the man out in the world, but I myself am always struck by the fact that although the husband has such difficulties performing his wife's tasks, she encounters none in doing his. That fact gives this tale a particularly subversive quality, in my eyes, turning it into a fascinating social commentary, not only on the devaluing of "women's" work, but on the very real difficulties that can emerge, if men are ignorant of how that work is done.

Young readers, of course, will probably not be interested in the social ramifications of The Man Who Kept House, and in a culture in which many domestic duties are now shared (to a greater or lesser extent), one wonders how this tale would be perceived. Still, the humor of this story shines through, and the illustrations by Svend Otto S. are quite appealing. Norwegian folklore enthusiasts will surely want to take a look at this one!

[Mary]

Norwegian tale

[Kristin Dalbec · Rating 4 out of 5]

"The Man Who Kept House" is a classic numbskull tale that tells of a man who complains about how easy his wife has it keeping house. So, they trade places. He quickly finds himself in funny, but problematic situations.

[Michael Fitzgerald · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not nearly as good as Gone Is Gone: or the Story of a Man Who Wanted to Do Housework. Pictures look a lot like Glen Rounds.

[SARAH · Rating 3 out of 5]

A man who complains that his wife is not doing enough housework whilst he is working hard in the field swaps jobs with her for the day. He'll only do it once...and won't complain again.