07:20 PM to 10:00 PM MW
Section Information for Summer 2016
The sub-genre "fairy tale" is capacious, encompassing more than the tales of Perrault and the brothers Grimm as written and in modern guise. J.R.R. Tolkien wrote that "Most good 'fairy-stories' are about the adventures of men in the Perilous Realm or upon its shadowy marches," and this course will include such "perilous" tales. There has always been space in these tales for danger and outrage, and wish-fulfillment is as open to interrogation as any other fairy-tale component.
While acknowledging the tales' grounding in oral storytelling practices, we need also to be aware that the form of the traditional tales as we know them has direct literary antecedents. The core of our work, however, will be the appropriation of the fairy-tale form as a mode of literary production, especially from the nineteenth century to the present day. Writers "rescript" well-known tales, attesting to the new and differing sensibilities that these tales can accommodate.
We will begin with selections from the tales of Straparola, Basile, Perrault, and the brothers Grimm as a foundation for our examination of narratives by George MacDonald, Angela Carter, William Makepeace Thackeray, Christina Rossetti, Patricia McKillip, Emma Bull, Robert Coover, Naomi Novik, and others.
This course will required much close, careful reading, several focused short papers (2 pp.), three longer (4-5 pp.) papers, and a final examination.
Credits: 3
Enrollment limited to students with a class of Advanced to Candidacy, Graduate, Junior Plus, Non-Degree or Senior Plus.
Enrollment is limited to Graduate, Non-Degree or Undergraduate level students.
Students in a Non-Degree Undergraduate degree may not enroll.
The University Catalog is the authoritative source for information on courses. The Schedule of Classes is the authoritative source for information on classes scheduled for this semester. See the Schedule for the most up-to-date information and see Patriot web to register for classes.