Fairy tales as anticipatory narratives

Tonner, Philip and Delafield-Butt, Jonathan (2023) Fairy tales as anticipatory narratives. Angelaki. ISSN 0969-725X (In Press)

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Abstract

This paper presents an extended argument toward the conclusion that fairy tales embody a form of 'anticipatory knowledge' that can be deployed in contemporary settings to aid the development of healthy human subjectivity. We draw on a view of the genesis of mind and experience that emphasises the integration of 'internal' and 'external' worlds, operating together in an embodied and situated present. We contextualise this discussion in terms of socio-historic and psychoanalytical interpretations of fairy tales, drawing on figures such as Bruner, Jung, Zipes, Warner, Tatar, Deleuze and Guattari. Fairy tales are encountered by subjects in a variety of settings, including pedagogic, group storytelling, in individual reading and in film. They present possibilities for existential creativity through processes of deterritorialisation and reterritorialisation, appropriation, and auto-retellings, by virtue of what we call 'anticipatory knowledge'. Taking into account these processes enables a holistic account of the pedagogical and psychological potential of fairy tales, presenting a new framework for their psychological promise.

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