The Marginalian · People & society

Cristina Campo on Fairy Tales, Self-Discovery, and Maturity

Italian writer Cristina Campo explored how fairy tales aid self-discovery and understanding life's uncertainties, helping us navigate the complex journey of knowing who we are and what we want.

Fairy tales reflect our inner selves, enchanting us with strangeness because we are often strangers to our own desires. They encourage belief in magic, rewarding trust with truth.

Their core function is to aid self-knowledge. They remind us we don't recognize what we seek until we find it, sometimes by getting lost or encountering it unexpectedly.

Campo noted fairy tales often form circular narratives. The journey, though linear, reveals itself as a labyrinth or spiral. The traveler rarely knows the destination.

Through these non-linear journeys, we map our interior world. Campo highlights the paradox of self-discovery: one cannot recognize the means to a goal until it is reached.

Fairy tales challenge our perception of time, blurring its ordinary experience. This distortion reflects how time is fundamental to our existence and helps loosen the grip of a fixed self.

Their narrative structure abolishes conventional time and space, allowing rapid shifts and discoveries. This is due to a correspondence between discovering and being discovered.

Maturity, according to Campo, is not achieved through persuasion but a holistic collapse of the senses, integrating truth into our nature. This nonlinear process helps us discern our true selves.

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