„Ja”. Wokół Brzydkiego kaczątka Hansa Christiana Andersena
“I”. Concerning The Ugly Duckling by Hans Christian Andersen

Summary/Abstract: In the essay the author deals with The Ugly Duckling, one of the most celebrated tales by Hans Christian Andersen. By interpreting it from a biographical vantage point, indicating personal motifs in the plot, and resorting to the tradition of studying the tale, initiated by Bruno Bettelheim, M. Kurkowski refers to Jung, Freud, Adler, Hellinger, and Kazimierz Dąbrowski; at the same time, he tries to refer to Andersen’s other texts, his autobiography, and the canonical biography by Jackie Wullschlager. In doing so, the author of the essay perceives The Ugly Duckling as a story about the birth of an individual’s identity, handicapped in the initial stage but slowly overcoming successive obstacles so as to achieve natural beauty. At the same time, emphasis is placed on the fact that as children we are all such ducklings prone to complexes, and our failed attempts at showing off shape our personality and prepare us for a confrontation with the world of adults.

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