Fairy Tales – Then and Now (3 credits) Spring 2015 01:470:225:01, crosslisted 01:195:246:01 MW 3:20pm – 4:40pm, Rutgers Cinema 1 Professor Nicola Behrmann German Department 172 College Ave, Room 206 [email protected] Office hours: Wednesdays 12-2pm Course Description: This course analyzes the structure, meaning, and function of fairy tales and their enduring influence on literature and popular culture. While we will concentrate on the German context, and in particular the works of the Brothers Grimm, but will also consider fairy tales drawn from a number of different national traditions and historical periods, including contemporary American pop culture. Various strategies for interpreting fairy tales will be examined, including methodologies derived from structuralism, folklore studies, gender studies, and psychoanalysis. We will explore pedagogical and political uses and abuses of fairy tales. We will investigate the evolution of specific tale types and trace their transformations in various media from oral storytelling through print to film, television, and the stage. Finally, we will consider potential strategies for the reinterpretation and rewriting of fairy tales. Taught in English. No prerequisites. Satisfies SAS Core Curriculum Requirements AHp and WCd with the specific Core learning goals p, p, s-1, t, and v. Arts and Humanities Goal p: Student is able to analyze arts and/or literature in themselves and in relation to specific histories, values, languages, cultures, and/or technologies. Writing and Communication Goal d: Student is able to communicate effectively in modes appropriate to a discipline or area of inquiry. Required readings: The following texts are available for purchases at the Rutgers bookstore: • The Complete Fairy Tales of the Brothers Grimm, tr. Jack Zipes, 3rd ed. (Bantam, 2003) ISBN-13: 978- 0553382167 • Lewis Carroll, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (Puffin Classics, 2008) ISBN-13: 978-0-141-321073 • Carlo Collodi, The Adventures of Pinocchio (Puffin Classics, 2011) ISBN-13: 978-0141331645 • Bruno Bettelheim, The Uses of Enchantment: The Meaning and Importance of Fairy Tales (Vintage, [1976]2010) ISBN-13: 978-0307739636 All other required readings will be made available via Sakai. Recommended readings: Maria Tatar, Off With Their Heads! Fairy Tales and the Culture of Childhood; Marina Warner, Once Upon a Time: A Short History of the Fairy Tale; Jack Zipes, The Irresistible Fairy Tale. Required movies: We will be watching many clips from other movies but discussing the following movies in class: • An Andalusian Dog (Bunuel, 1929)*† • The Wizard of Oz (Taurog/Vidor/Fleming/Cukor, 1939)* • Pinocchio (Disney, 1940) • Beauty and the Beast (Cocteau, 1946)* • The Red Shoes (Powell/Pressburger, 1948)* • Cinderella (Disney, 1950)† • The Little Mermaid (Disney, 1989) • Frozen (Disney, 2013) * Available for purchase/rent as Instant Video on Amazon or for free on Youtube. † In class screening. All other movies will be made available on Movie Reserve. Course requirements and grading: Regular class attendance, careful preparation of assigned readings and viewings, active class participation, and completion of all assignments are required to receive a passing grade in this course. Regular participation in weekly discussion board post is an essential part of the participation grade. Midterm: There will be an in-class midterm exam. Choose 4 out of 6 questions and write a short essay on each. Questions will be related to the lectures in class; in addition you will be asked to read and respond to one fairy tale that we have not studied in class. Discussion Blogs: In five different discussion blog posts you are asked to respond to the question in what way the assigned readings of a traditional fairy tale resonate in contemporary culture, i.e. in regard to content, characters, gender issues, moral values, etc. 250 words/post. Short Essays: Essay assignments are designed to test course content and to develop critical reading and writing skills. There will be three 5-pages essays, the first one is due on February 16, the second is due on March 9, and the third one is due on April 13. Each of your essays needs to respond to a different theme (comparative analysis, topical analysis, creative writing), but you are free to choose the order. For pointer on essay writing see 02_guidelines_short essay on the Sakai resources page. Comparative analysis. Compare a first published version of a fairy tale with two or more later versions of the same tale. Using the techniques and critical lens learned in class, students are to examine and evaluate an element in the stories and come to a conclusion through the examination. Students may use material on the syllabus or other materials upon instructor’s approval. You must locate and apply to your argument at least one secondary, scholarly source (not popular sources or reference works). For a list of scholarly sources please see the document 04_bibliography on the Sakai resources page. (5 pages). - Topical analysis. Bring together two or three different fairy tales and examine a common element. Students may examine any version of the fairy tales presented in syllabus or other materials upon instructor’s approval. You must locate and apply to your argument at least one secondary, scholarly source (not popular sources or reference works). For a list of scholarly sources please see the document 04_bibliography on the Sakai resources page. (5 pages). - Creative writing. Try your hand at continuing the fairy tale tradition. You may choose to write three poems, a short story, or one or two chapters of a fairy tale novel. You may also (but are not limited to this approach) use the first-person narrative and re-write a fairy tale from the viewpoint of other characters (i.e. the wolf in Little Red Riding Hood). In addition to your creative works you must also write a one-page essay examining how your rewrite is similar to and/or departs from the tale used as inspiration. You will not be graded on creative work, but on the critical examination of how your rewrite fits into the tradition of retelling fairy tales. 3-5 pp. Online Presentation Group (5 students). Select a particular fairy tale that has been illustrated by a number of artists and examine either at least ten different visual interpretations of that work or two different filmic adaptations. Go back to the earliest version of the story you can find so you will be able to see changes over time. For more detailed instructions see 04_guidelines_group project on the Sakai resources page. Course learning goals: Students will acquire an understanding of the structure, meaning, and function of fairy tales and their enduring influence on literature and culture; ground this understanding in historical, cultural, and theoretical contexts; hone analytical skills in written interpretation; be able to propose an argumentative thesis and support it with appropriate evidence. Assessment will be based on evaluation of assigned written work. Grades will be based on the following formula: Class participation and blog posts 25% Online Presentation (group project) 15% Midterm 15% 3 short essays (5 pages each; 10% each) 30% Final exam 15% Grade distribution: A=90-100%; B+=85-89; B=80-84; C+=75-79; C=70-74; D=65-69; F-64 and below. Course Overview Week 1 Wed Jan 21 Introduction Week 2 Mon Jan 26 w Wed Jan 28 Fairy Tale, Fable & Myth To what degree do fairy tales raise timeless and universal issues and to what extent are they specific to a single time and place? During the first week we will study the origins and development of the Grimms’ Tales and consider the special place of fairy tales between the oral and written traditions of narrative. We will also discuss the differences between fairy tales and related genres such as myths, legends, and folktales, and the ways in which 20th century movie industry has adapted and transformed fairy tales. Fairy Tales: Grimm Brothers, “Little Red Cap”; Angela Carter, “The Company of Wolves”; “The Fisherman and the Jinny” (in Arabian Nights). Secondary readings: Bruno Bettelheim, “The Fisherman and the Jinny: Fairy Tale Compared to Fable” and “Fairy Tale versus Myth: Optimism versus Pessimism” (Uses of Enchantment , pp. 28-40); Erich Fromm, “The Nature of Symbolic Language,” (The Forgotten Language, pp. 11-23); Walter Benjamin, “The Storyteller” (Illuminations, pp. 83-110) Week 3 Mon Feb 1 w Wed Feb 4 The Fairy Tale Heroine The typical fairy tale heroine is known as beautiful, vulnerable, helpless, and thoroughly kind, always waiting to be rescued. During this week we will look more closely at some of the most famous (and most passive) fairy tales heroines such as Cinderella and Snow White trying to find out why they continue to enthrall generations of young readers. We will also look at some lesser known fairy tale heroines: “Donkey-Skin” as a story of excessive abuse and limitless goodness, and “The Six Swans” as an example of an active female heroine that comes to the rescue of her six brothers. Fairy Tales: Grimm Brothers, “Cinderella,” “Snow White,” “Rapunzel,” “Rumpelstiltskin,” “The Maiden Without Hands,” “The Six Swans” Movie (in class): Disney, Cinderella (1950) Secondary Reading: Ruth L. Bottigheimer, “Fertility Control and the Birth of the Modern Fairy Tale Heroine” Week 4 Mon Feb 9 w Wed Feb 11 Oh, Mother, Where Art Thou? Innocent female heroines are often accompanied by wicked stepmothers, evil witches, or other figures of female evil. Why is it that older women and mother figures are so often depicted as strong, ruthless, and malevolent in fairy tales? What does the frequent occurrence of the witch mean in fairy tales? In this week we will study the figure of the inaccessible lady as a necessary counterpart to the naïve fairy tale heroine and the absence of the (good) mother.