Description
This reading-intensive course is devoted to the study of the historicity, the psychology, and the narratology of the fairy tale. We will study the differences between the oral tradition (transcribed by linguists, Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm) and the literary tradition (produced by Perrault). We will examine cultural differences in these ancient stories. And, we will consider contemporary treatments of the tales in fiction, poetry, film, music and art. Required text: Lawrence Weschler, Mr. Wilson’s Cabinet of Wonder: Pronged Ants, Horned Humans, Mice on Toast, and Other Marvels of Jurassic Technology, ISBN-10: 0679764892, Vintage. Recommended text: Marina Warner, From the Beast to the Blonde: On Fairy Tales and their Tellers, ISBN-10: 0374524876, Farrar, Straus and Giroux.