Uses of Fairy Tales in Medical Education

The aim in narrative medicine has been to develop a "narrative competence" towards patients' illness stories in the clinic through the close reading of literary texts followed by a creative activity. In this article, we suggest adjusting our conception of close reading and enlarging the curriculum by including fairy tales, especially those written by Hans Christian Andersen. We argue on a methodological level that a more affective version of close reading which foregrounds "attunement" can be facilitated by considering enchantment. Fairy tales were, and for many, still are, the first and most important introduction to enchantment as a way of knowing about suffering, loss, and death. A narratological approach to Andersen's fairy tales that stresses their critique of normative social and gender roles, their interest in symbolic narrative structures, and their focus on universal human suffering and awe, will be of benefit to practitioners, students, and patients.