Art and Its Validation in Fairy Tales: Viewing Upendrakishore Ray Chowdhury’s Goopy Gyne Baagha Byne as a Fairy Tale

Goopy Gyne Baagha Byne, written by Upendrakishore Ray Chowdhury, is a celebrated Bengali fantasy narrative that blends folklore, imagination, and artistic aspiration. This paper examines the tale as a fairy/wonder story through the structural framework of Vladimir Propp and the psychological insights of Bruno Bettelheim. It argues that the journey of Goopy and Baagha represents the artist’s search for recognition and validation. Their exile, magical encounter with ghosts, and eventual reward follow classical fairy-tale functions while highlighting creativity, friendship, and resilience. The story ultimately portrays art as both a transformative force and a source of identity, offering young readers imaginative freedom and deeper reflections on creativity and self-discovery.