Course Description
Traditional folk fairy tales by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm and literary fairy tales by Clemens Brentano, E.T.A. Hoffmann, Ludwig Tieck, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Friedrich de la Motte Fouqué, Michael Ende, and others in social and cultural contexts. Representations of fairy tales in film and TV. Taught in English.
Athena Title
German Fairy Tales
Equivalent Courses
Not open to students with credit in GRMN 3870
Grading System
A - F (Traditional)
Course Objectives
This course introduces students to the study of fairy tales as a means of learning about culture and society. Students will develop writing skills by reading, discussing and writing critically about fairy tales in short essays and they will learn to read fairy tales in the social and cultural context of Germany society since the 19th century. Students will learn about the didactic, social and political significances of fairy tales at this point in Germany's history. Students will also learn to respond critically to theories and interpretations of fairy tales from secondary literature.
Topical Outline
In this course, students will begin by reading traditional folk fairy tales by the Grimm brothers in translation. The selection of folk fairy tales will include commonly known and less commonly known fairy tales by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm. Students will also read some secondary literature about the fairy tales and their psychological and cultural interpretations and we will view some representations of the fairy tales in film and in the TV series “Grimm.” The course will be organized in thematic units: Folk Fairy Tales Week 1 – stepchildren/stepmothers • Cinderella • Snow White Week 2 – naïve girls and dangerous wolves • Little Red Cap (Grimm brothers) • Red Riding Hood (Charles Perrault) Week 3 - the power of love and patience • Briar Rose • Rapunzel Week 4 – siblings/team work • Hänsel and Gretel • Brother and Sister • The Town Musicians of Bremen Week 5 – spinning/hard work • The Three Spinners • The Lazy Spinner • Rumpelstiltskin • Mother Holle Week 5 – violent husbands • The Robber Bridegroom • Bluebeard Weeks 6-7: secondary literature about folk fairy tales and film Bruno Bettelheim: “Little Red Cap and the Pubertal Girl” Jack Zipes: “’Little Red Riding Hood’ as Male Creation and Projection”; “Cross-Cultural Connections and the Contamination of the Classical Fairy Tale” Siegfried Neumann: “The Brothers Grimm as Collectors and Editors of German Folktales” Linda Worley: “The Horror! Gothic Horror Literature and Fairy Tales: The Case of ‘Der Räuberbräutigam” Film: “Red Riding Hood”; “Snow White”, “Hansel and Gretel”; “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice”; TV series: “Grimm” (selected episodes) Weeks 8-15: Students will also read several longer literary fairy tales that were inspired by the Grimm brothers and their narrative style. Literary fairy tales will include some or all of the following: Ludwig Tieck: Eckbert the Fair Friedrich de la Motte Fouqué: Undine Clemens Brentano: The Tale of Honest Casper and Fair Annie E.T.A. Hoffmann: The Golden Pot Michael Ende: The Neverending Story