The Marginalian · People & society

Nobel Laureate on Fairy Tales and Fear

Polish Nobel laureate Wisława Szymborska argued that fairy tales, particularly those by Hans Christian Andersen and the Brothers Grimm, are vital for children's development, even when they contain frightening elements.

Szymborska, in her collection "Nonrequired Reading," championed the "developmental gift of frightfulness." She believed that children have an innate need for powerful emotions and that Andersen's tales, which included supernatural beings and often featured death, took children seriously by addressing life's woes and defeats.

Unlike modern sanitized stories, Andersen's original tales were more realistic, exploring themes of evil stemming from "intellectual and emotional stuntedness" rather than simply promoting goodness for reward. Szymborska suggested that facing fear in stories helps children understand and navigate the complexities of life.

This perspective aligns with the idea that exposure to "dark things" provides a necessary understanding and protection when they inevitably appear, a notion echoed by writers like Neil Gaiman. The value of fairy tales lies not in the absence of terror, but in the grace with which one navigates it.

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