Fortunately, our class had the pleasure of hearing a lecture from Dr. Mazeroff pertaining to psychology and fairy tales, particularly psychoanalysis and fairy tales. All that he said from the interesting Freud facts to Jungian analysis of Hansel and Gretel was very interesting to me but, just coming to class straight from Intro to Psychology I had already heard much of that information. I knew of the Id, Ego, and Superego. I understood the concepts of the conscious, preconscious, and subconscious. But, what I did not already know was how all this applied to the fairy tales I loved as a child.
Never would I have thought to analyze fairy tales from a psychological standpoint, or any standpoint for that matter. As far as I knew, fairy tales were just stories that I always took for granted and believed and never doubted as a child. This lecture, though, made me realize how much depth even what I thought of as children’s literature really has. From the presence of the Id in Hansel and Gretel when they began eating at the witch’s house to the presence of many symbols and archetypes such as the oven, symbolizing transformation. All these combined allowed me to close my eyes and dream of a world much bigger than my own. A world of fairy tales in which not only is everything possible, but everything contributes to the endless possibilities, whether that is historical timelines, cultures, or psychology.
I found this article and I thought it applied very well to what was discussed in class about psychoanalysis and fairy tales:
By far, the topic covered by Dr. Mazeroff that intrigued me the most was the concept of the Hero’s Journey. I was amazed by not only the concept, but the commonality of this structure throughout fairy tales and modern life. This led me to find the following video:
I found this video very interesting, especially the conclusion of it as it made me realize how we are all living a fairy tale as we speak. Even though I am not going to go off and marry a prince or kiss a frog, I am following in the hero’s journey and that can start off as something as simple as making a decision or helping someone else along their journey.
The amount of psychoanalysis that can go into fairy tales is astonishing. Think about it, every fairy tale follows a Hero’s Journey; every fairy tale can be analyzed down to find the Id, Ego, and Superego; and every fairy tale contains archetypes that contribute to the story greatly.
Dr. Mazeroff’s lecture definitely gave me insight to psychoanalysis among fairy tales and it has caused to me continue thinking about the ideas of psychology and applying it to my everyday life. I have been attempting to locate the Id, Ego, and Superego in the television shows I watch, in the songs I listen to, and even in the friends I eat dinner with. Overall, I have learned that not only is psychology in real life but it is also prominent in fairy tales as real life can be conceived as one giant fairy tale of intertwined stories.
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