Volume 8 of the Collected Works of Marie-Louise von Franz: An Introduction to the Interpretation of Fairytales & Animus and Anima in Fairytales Paperback – July 15, 2023

Marie-Louise von Franz believed fairytales to be the purest and simplest expressions of the collective unconscious. Too often the interpreter regresses to a personalized approach, however, heroes and heroines are abstractions that embody collective archetypes. The innumerable variations within the same fairytale told in different cultures are like a musical theme crisscrossing humanity. In Volume 8, von Franz establishes that there is only one psychic fact to which the fairytale addresses itself, namely, the SELF. Some fairytales emphasize the beginning phases of this experience by dwelling on the shadow, others draw attention to the anima and animus, while still others hint at the unobtainable treasure. This volume contains new and updated translations of The Interpretation of Fairytales along with Anima and Animus in Fairytales and combines them into a single volume, clarifying the Jungian approach to interpreting fairytales and offering a deep dive into anima and animus.The anima and the animus deliver to consciousness the “life-affirming fruit.” Individuation requires engagement with these contra-sexual archetypes, but von Franz observes that “Anima and animus are not always happy to have this relationship—they lose part of their power when they are made conscious.”She further warns of the inflation resulting from possession by them and points out that the animus “loves to create an atmosphere of mist in which nobody can find orientation.” These are supra-personal elements of psychic life capable of breaking beyond the tendency of consciousness to become one-sided. This second section of Volume 8 provides an insightful explanation of a woman’s encounter with her animus and a man’s encounter with his anima. Marie-Louise von FranzAt the age of eighteen, while still in high school, Marie-Louise von Franz met Carl Jung at his Bolingen Tower. She later described this as the most decisive encounter of her life. She entered analysis with him months later, completed her doctorate in classical philology and began seeing her first analysands soon after. She was wholeheartedly dedicated to the unconscious, both in her own life and that of her analysands. She developed a far-reaching expertise in fairytales, alchemy, synchronicity and numbers. She is estimated to have personally analyzed over 65,000 dreams. She was a prolific writer and a highly sought-after teacher. Listening to von Franz lecture was a numinous experience. I thought God was speaking. She seemed to know everything. In an amazing fashion and without a text, she ranged over history West and East, mythology, philosophy, anthropology, and a host of other specialized areas. Never in my training had I heard such far-reaching and profound reflections. (Murray Stein, PhD)Table of Contents:Part 1: The Interpretation of FairytalesChapter 1. Some Theories of FairytalesChapter 2. Fairytales, Myths and other Archetypal StoriesChapter 3. A Method of Psychological InterpretationChapter 4. A Tale Interpreted: “The Three Feathers”Chapter 5. “The Three Feathers” ContinuedChapter 6. “The Three Feathers” CompletedChapter 7. A Man’s ShadowChapter 8. The Challenge of the AnimaChapter 9. The Woman, The Shadow, and the Animus in FairytalesPart 2: Animus and Anima in FairytalesChapter 10. A Fairytale from Northern Germany: Oll RinkrankChapter 11. A Turkestan Fairytale: The Magic HorseChapter 12. A Norwegian Fairytale: Kari, the Girl with the Wooden FrockChapter 13. An African Fairytale: The Magician of the PlainChapter 14. Anima StoriesChapter 15. A European Fairytale: The Black PrincessChapter 16. A Russian Fairytale: The Virgin CzarinaBibliographyIndexIndex of Fairytales Read more