Fairy tales begin with conflict because we all begin our lives with conflict. We are all misfit for the world, and somehow we must fit in, fit in with other people, and thus we must invent or find the means through communication to satisfy as well as resolve conflicting desires and instincts.

The Irresistible Fairy Tale: The Cultural and Social History of a Genre (ed. Princeton University Press, 2012) - ISBN: 9780691153384