Fairytales have amused and delighted generations of both children and adults. They possess the unique quality of bringing together the human and otherworldly, creating a special kind of magic. In this major work by the distinguished Swiss folklorist Max Lüthi, the traditional fairytale is examined from two points of view, that of aesthetics and that of anthropology. According to the author, fairytales have been told time and again because they provide pleasure. Therefore, an aesthetics of the fairytale must be concerned with why these stories are still a source of pleasure. Lüthi shows that fairytales are more than just pleasing form; they present a particularly way of looking at the world and at human existence. Thus, they must be evaluated in terms of what they say about man and the human condition. -- From publisher's description.