The article deals with the phenomenon of the Victorian author's fairy tale as an original and original literary genre and its direct connection with alchemical symbolism. Originating in the turbulent 19th century, this genre reflected the rapid changes in British science and society and sought to prepare the reader's psyche for rapid change. The alchemical process was used as a methodology in the difficult task of forming a conscious self that was believed to be able to sink and dissolve into the depths of the newly discovered unconscious. Taking into account the necessary stage of Nigredo, alchemical decomposition with the destruction of the previous components, including the legacy of “wild childhood” and the inadmissibility of returning to it, we can state that this process was quite severe and formed a rather cruel “ego”, proud of the superiority of its civilization over the “barbarian nations” subject to the British Empire.
alchemy; British literature; ego; fairy tale; Jung K.; nostalgia; symbol; unconscious