Remembering Marie-Louise von Franz From Fairy Tales to Alchemy

This two-day special event celebrates the life and work of Marie-Louise von Franz (1915-1998), widely regarded as the most important colleague of C.G. Jung. For the first time, her Collected Works are now being published. She developed a foundational approach to the interpretation of fairy tales, and wrote extensively on the archetypal structure of fairy tales from all over the world and their relevance to the individuation process. She is also well-known for her translations and interpretations of alchemical texts, and for her writings on synchronicity, the common origin of psyche and matter in the unus mundus, the archetypal symbolism of numbers, the visions of Saint Perpetua and of Nikolaus von Flüe, and the symbolism of the Holy Grail.
The lectures in this event focus on two of her main interests: fairy tales and alchemy. An interview with her, filmed at her tower near Bollingen, brings her impressive personality to life. The event ends with a panel discussion.

Friday, 22 April

10:00–12:00

03 48 Lecture | Introducing The Collected Works of Marie-Louise von Franz: Archetypal Symbols in Fairytales [Part 1 of 2]
The Collected Works of Marie-Louise von Franz is a 28 volume magnum opus from one of the leading minds in Jungian Psychology. Join us as the General Editor takes us through a history of the project, an overview of von Franz’s life, and a deep dive into the first volumes of this foundational material.

13:00–14:45
03 49 Lecture | "The Enchanted Ring" and the Magic of Music
The tale to be discussed comes from Russian Folk Tales, a three-volume collection by Alexander Afanasiev, often referred to as “the Russian Grimm”. Here it is presented as a tribute to Von Franz’s valuable contribution to the Jungian understanding of fairy tales.

15:00–16:45
03 48 Lecture | Introducing The Collected Works of Marie-Louise von Franz: Archetypal Symbols in Fairytales [Part 2 of 2]
The Collected Works of Marie-Louise von Franz is a 28 volume magnum opus from one of the leading minds in Jungian Psychology. Join us as the General Editor takes us through a history of the project, an overview of von Franz’s life, and a deep dive into the first volumes of this foundational material.

16:45 Apéro and Book Launch

Saturday, 23 April

0:00–11:45

06 50 Lecture | Encounters with Marie-Louise von Franz
Some personal memories serve to approach M.-L. von Franz and her great personality. Alchemy was particularly close to her heart. I will give an introduction to her first and last books on alchemy: her commentary on Aurora Consurgens and her commentary on Hall ar-Rumuz by the Arab alchemist Ibn Umail.

12:45–13:45

Filmed Interview with Marie-Louise von Franz
A filmed interview with Marie-Louise von Franz by Françoise Selhofer (1982) with an introduction by Peter Ammann, Dr. phil.

14:00–14:45 Panel discussion with all presenters