Evil in Fairy Tales

In this book, Büyü argues that evil in fairy tales may help children overcome their developmental anxieties. She analyses selected Turkish and British fairy/folk tales from a Kleinian and Alfordian approach to evil. The study shows that evil in these tales results from the feeling of envy, jealousy, greed, dread or the struggle for power and superiority. It is noted that to have a superior position and power, the characters enter into endless struggles with others, which lead them to commit evil. The book emphasises that these tales may play an important role in the development of children as they may encourage children to get rid of their problems. Therefore, Büyü suggests that by revealing the motives of evildoers, children may learn to cope with their latent fears and anxieties, and re-establish their integral world after reading or listening to these tales.