Of the various types of mythological literature, fairy tales are the simplest and purest expression of the collective unconscious and thus offers the clearest understanding of the basic patters of the human psyche. Perhaps the foremost authority on the psychological interpretation of fairy tales is Marie-Louise von Franz. In this book, she describes the steps involved in analyzing tales and illustrates them with a variety of European tales, from "Beauty and the Beast" to "The Robbers Bridegroom." Dr. von Franz begins with a history of the study of fairy tales and the various theories of interpretation. by way of illustration she presents a detailed examination of a simple Grimm's tale, "The Three Feathers," followed by a comprehensive discussion of motifs related to Jung's concept of the shadow, the anima, and the animas. This revised edition has been corrected and updated by the author.
Marie-Louise von Franz (1915–1998) was the foremost student of C. G. Jung, with whom she worked closely from 1934 until his death in 1961. A founder of the C. G. Jung Institute of Zurich, she published widely on subjects including alchemy, dreams, fairy tales, personality types, and psychotherapy. Her works include Shadow and Evil in Fairy Tales, The Feminine in Fairy Tales, and The Interpretation of Fairy Tales.
Of the various types of mythological literature, fairy tales are the simplest and purest expression of the collective unconscious and thus offers the clearest understanding of the basic patters of the human psyche. Perhaps the foremost authority on the psychological interpretation of fairy tales is Marie-Louise von Franz. In this book, she describes the steps involved in analyzing tales and illustrates them with a variety of European tales, from "Beauty and the Beast" to "The Robbers Bridegroom." Dr. von Franz begins with a history of the study of fairy tales and the various theories of interpretation. by way of illustration she presents a detailed examination of a simple Grimm's tale, "The Three Feathers," followed by a comprehensive discussion of motifs related to Jung's concept of the shadow, the anima, and the animas. This revised edition has been corrected and updated by the author.
Author
Marie-Louise von Franz (1915–1998) was the foremost student of C. G. Jung, with whom she worked closely from 1934 until his death in 1961. A founder of the C. G. Jung Institute of Zurich, she published widely on subjects including alchemy, dreams, fairy tales, personality types, and psychotherapy. Her works include Shadow and Evil in Fairy Tales, The Feminine in Fairy Tales, and The Interpretation of Fairy Tales.
