Propp and the Psychological Function of Narrative in the Children's Fairy Tale
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18975540Keywords:
children’s fairy tale, narrative structure, Propp’s morphology, psychological function of narrative, meaning-making, narrative experience.Abstract
This theoretical study explores the psychological function of narrative in children’s fairy tales through a re-interpretation of Vladimir Propp’s morphology. While Propp’s model has traditionally been approached as a structural framework for analysing recurring narrative functions, its potential relevance for understanding the experiential dimension of storytelling remains underexamined. The purpose of the study is to reconsider narrative functions not merely as formal elements of plot organisation but as symbolic configurations through which experiences of disruption, trial, agency and restoration are structured and interpreted.
Drawing on narratological and psychological approaches to children’s literature, the paper offers a conceptual synthesis that aligns selected Proppian functions with recurrent psychological processes within the reading experience. Rather than proposing empirical validation, the study advances a theoretically grounded interpretive model that bridges structural analysis and psychological meaning-making. By repositioning morphology as a dynamic framework for experiential organisation, the paper contributes to contemporary discussions of the relationship between narrative form and psychological engagement in children’s literature.
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