Wednesday 17 June 2015

Fairytales and the psyche - a fascinating pairing

Two ideas I want to research more this week include:

Carl Jung's research into folktales, fairytales, myths and legends and his ideas about their inclusion of universal archetypes

The idea of self-destructive rage in fairytales - eg. Rumpelstiltskin and the troll in East of the Sun, West of the Moon

The twist on the story of Narcissus in Paulo Coelho's The Alchemist (which I am yearning to own and read!!! - it sounds absolutely spectacular) - where the river and Narcissus could be said to be in a symbiotic relationship - each seeing only their own beauty in the other's eyes - they seem reliant on each other - I imagine two people only able to perceive themselves as lovable through someone else's loving eyes. Interesting to wonder if such a relationship is constructive or destructive - or maybe a bit of both! Such an interesting theme which I'd love to explore in a painting.

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