This course offers approaches drawn from literature, history, film, and gender studies, examining fairy tales in order to discover how these stories dramatize the construction of human identities. We will read classic tales and look at contemporary adaptations of them in order to also explore representations of human relationships-for example, those between children and adults, men and women, princes and peasants, as well as humans and animals.

In some ways fairy tales are built upon certain tropes, however, the tropes of these fairy tales are mostly in the archetypes—the beautiful princess, the three brothers, the good-natured, but troublemaking strongman [in the German tradition he is often known as Hans], etc- or else we see these tropes in plots themselves [i.e. Jack and The Beanstalk as overreaching]. At times, they are beautiful princesses or handsome princes turned into animals or monsters, [Beauty and The Beast]. In their retellings for a contemporary audience [i.e. Angela Carter’s , The Bloody Chamber and Other Stories], we see that these tales can inform us about such human concerns as gender roles, power, and identity.

Ultimately, we come to understand the importance of story in understanding our human lives, past and present.

We will read a variety of fairy tales, ancient as well as contemporary, and sessions will begin with my suggestions of ways into the stories as well as their cultural and historical/geographical contexts.  This is followed by an open discussion in which your insights and considerations will be shared with the group.