69. The Good Bargain

In The Good Bargain, a peasant loses all his money and possessions to some animals. Angered, he goes to the king for justice. But instead of helping him, the king has other ideas. 

This 'humorous' tale is the first one we've come across that is anti-Semitic. So, once we've finally deciphered the convoluted story, we then explore antisemitism in the Grimm's collection, putting the Grimm brothers on trial. We also look into how the Nazis co-opted the Grimms to spread propaganda in Nazi Germany. 

Finally, we play a clip from a chat Matt had with Rachel O'Brien - who's recently written her thesis on the Grimms and the holocaust - where she shares her thoughts on the hidden side of anti-semitism in the Grimms.