Od grozy do przyjemności O jedzeniu i pożeraniu w baśniach braci Grimm
From Horror to Pleasure On Eating and Devouring in the Fairy Tales of the Brothers Grimm

Author(s): Joanna Wawryk
Subject(s): Polish Literature
Published by: Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Śląskiego
Summary/Abstract: The fairy tales of the Brothers Grimm are perceived as horrifying, whereas their pleasureful aspect seems harder to grasp. In the light of the fact that fairy tales primarily relate events, without giving descriptions of the internal experiences of their heroes, the topic is viewed through the theme of eating and devouring, which have become conveyors of horror, but also of temporary pleasures that bring positive or negative consequences. The analysis of the material is conducted in terms of the monomyth in order to point out that at different stages of the fairy tales, select themes are realized differently and perform different functions. At the first stage, the lack of food is often the cause of leaving home. At the second and most important stage, food becomes one of the trials and tasks facing the hero. The most horrifying tales are those in which a transgressive experience is associated with the theme of devouring. In the hierarchy of values encoded in fairy tales, the principle of pleasure loses to the principle of reality. The pleasureful aspect comes to the fore when all the adversities are overcome and the hero deserves happiness, the symbol of which is, for instance, royal feasts. Another important pleasureful aspect derived from fairy tales is the reception experience.

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