The evolution of fairy tales

Egoskov Castle, Denmark (© Flickr)

Fairy tales are often far from lighthearted stories for children. They have evolved from dark beginnings, working on our primeval fear of monsters within and monsters without. Often they had moral objectives, such as keeping women in line or disciplining children. Michele Ernsting talks to Marina Warner about the evolution of fairy tales.

Producer: Michele Ernsting

Broadcast: August 10, 1997