Albion College * Dept. of Modern Languages & Cultures * German section * Dr. Grimm
(First Year Seminar)
Liberal Arts 101:
Happily Ever After?
The Cultural Impact of European Fairy Tales
MWF 8:10-9:00 am
Class room: Vulgamore 102
Professor: Catherine Grimm (website)
Phone: 0269
Office hours: tba
Email: cgrimm@albion.edu
This course will be a multi-faceted exploration of the popular and influential literary genre of the folk fairy tale.
Our goal will be twofold: first we will strive to learn as much as possible about this fascinating form of literature by reading about its complex cultural history, as well as different versions of thematically similar tales.
The second part of our goal will be to reflect on and discuss the different ways that fairy tales have influenced the culture of various historical time periods including our own.
The basic over-arching question that will guide and frame our explorations is: what do fairy tales tell us about the experience of being human?
First year seminars are discussion and writing-based.
In this class you will meet with your peers to discuss thoughts, questions and ideas about the readings you have completed.
When you are asked to read a critical text about fairy tales, you will want to take notes and think about the author's standpoint and how he/she is making /constructing her thesis.
When reading/viewing primary texts (fairy tales, novellas, movies, TV-shows) you will also want to jot down things you notice, based on your impressions and also based on things you have discovered in the secondary readings. The critical readings are meant to refine and enhance your own understanding of these texts and I expect you to read them carefully and thoroughly.
You will need to devote a fair amount of time outside of class to reading, thinking and writing about the materials discussed in class. My estimate is that you will need (and should take!) about 2 hours on average to do the required work for each class: so for three weekly class periods you should allot yourself about six hours a week of prep time.
We will read a variety of fairy tales from different countries and time periods. We will also watch a number of movie versions of fairy tales. I am asking you to buy two books for the class: Jack Zipes' The Great Fairy Tale Tradition, W.W. Norton & Company, 2001 and Romantic Fairy Tales, transl.& ed. by Carol Tully, Penguin Books 2000. You will also receive a number of photocopied texts throughout the class, for which you will have to pay a small photocopying fee.
Class participation is the most important component of this seminar. The class will be built around intellectually stimulating discussions of the readings and viewings. I see my role primarily as that of facilitator, as the person who keeps track of who is saying what, and who occasionally steps in to summarize what has been said. It really is up to you, the students in this class, to shape the discussion in a way that is meaningful to you. And please remember that you are discussing with and to each other, not simply for the professor. In our discussions with each other we must always be mindful of being tolerant, respectful, and honest towards fellow class participants. And remember that attendance is of course mandatory and will be crucial to your success in the class: try to miss as few classes as possible! If you are absent for more than three classes without a note from health services, your final grade for the class will be affected.
For this class you will work on expressing your thoughts in writing in different formats. The first assignment is simply to succinctly summarize our first reading text. Your next assignment will be to write a comparative paper contrasting the different versions of "beastly" fairy tales. You will be expected to incorporate what you have learned from your readings and from the class discussion with your own personal take on things. The third assignment will be to interpret the literary fairy tale Undine, but you are encouraged to reference the other mermaid texts discussed in this section. The fourth assignment will ask you to compare a number of different, especially gruesome fairy tales. Your final assignment is to take what you have learned from your readings and class discussion and apply it to either a different thematic cluster of tales, or additional versions of a theme discussed in class. You will be asked to submit a short annotated bibliography (more about this later), present your insights to your class mates during the final week of class and submit your findings in the form of a fairly brief research paper (5-7 pages) by the end of the semester.
Participation: 25%
Short summary: 5%
Three 4-5 page papers (two comparative, one interpretation): 30%
Research bibliography: 12.5%
Research presentation: 12.5%
Research paper (5-7 pages): 15%
Please read the section in the Albion College Student Handbook about the Guidelines regarding Academic Honesty. All the work you submit must be your own, and you must document all sources. (We'll go over how this is done correctly). Please read this information carefully and be sure to ask questions, if you are not sure what or when to quote.
Monday, August 25 - General introduction to the course and syllabus.
Wednesday, August 27 - Introduction, The history of fairy tales, I
Zipes, Jack. "Spells of Enchantment." When Dreams Came True: Classical Fairy Tales and Their Tradition: New York, Routledge,1999: 1-15.
Friday, August 29 - Introduction, The history of fairy tales, II
Zipes, Jack. "Spells of Enchantment." When Dreams Came True: Classical Fairy Tales and Their Tradition: New York, Routledge,1999: 16-29.
Introduction to the first thematic cluster: Beastly Bridegrooms - Animal-like humans in fairy tales: possible meanings and functions.
Monday, September 1 - No class - Labor Day
Wednesday, September 3 *Beastly Bridegrooms*
Straparola, Giovanni Francesco. "The Pig Prince." The Great Fairy Tale Tradition, ed. & trans. Jack Zipes. New York, W.W.Norton, 2001: 51-56.
Assignment deadline: hand in a one to two page outline (bullet points are ok, but not necessary) of the Zipes essay.
Friday, September 05 Beastly Bridegrooms
D'Aulnoy, Marie Catherine. "The Wild Boar." The Great Fairy Tale Tradition, ed. & trans. Jack Zipes. New York, W.W.Norton, 2001: 57-81.
Monday, September 08: Beastly Bridegrooms
Grimm, Jacob and Wilhelm. "Hans My Hedgehog." The Great Fairy Tale Tradition, ed. & trans. Jack Zipes. New York, W.W.Norton, 2001: 96-99.
Wednesday, September 10: *Beastly Bridegrooms*
De Beaumont, Jeanne-Marie Leprince. "Beauty and the Beast." The Great Fairy Tale Tradition, ed. & trans. Jack Zipes. New York, W.W.Norton, 2001:805-813.
Friday, September 12: Viewing of No Such Thing. Dir. Hal Hartley. 2002
Monday, September 15: Finish watching No Such Thing.
Wednesday, September 17: Wrap-up discussion of the "Beastly Bridegrooms" theme. Introduction of new theme: Watery Women: The Enduring Popularity of Mermaids in Fairy Tales and Beyond.
Friday, September 19: Discussion of the Impact of Disney on Fairy Tales. Assignment deadline: first comparative paper is due in class.
Monday, September 22: Andersen, Hans Christian. "The Little Mermaid" in Fairy Tales, ed. Jackie Wullschlager, transl. Tiina Nunnally. New York: Viking, 2004: 67-87.
Wednesday, September 24: Discussion of (German) Romanticism and Fairy Tales: Kunstmärchen. Read the first two chapters of Undine by Friedrich de la Motte Fouqué in Romantic Fairy Tales, ed. Carol Tully. London: Penguin Books, 2000: 55-64
Friday, September 26: Read chapters 3-9 of Undine by Friedrich de la Motte Fouqué in Romantic Fairy Tales, ed. Carol Tully. London: Penguin Books, 2000: 64-90
Monday, September 29: Finish Undine by Friedrich de la Motte Fouqué in Romantic Fairy Tales, ed. Carol Tully. London: Penguin Books, 2000: 90-125.
Wednesday, October 1: Begin watching The Little Mermaid. Dir. Ron Clements, John Musker. Disney 1989.
Friday, October 3: Finish watching The Little Mermaid. Dir. Ron Clements, John Musker. Disney 1989.
Monday, October 6:
Final discussion of this theme (and the movie). We will refer to the notes you have taken on basic literary concepts in Undine.
PowerPoint: What is a literary analysis?
Reading for Wednesday will be distributed today.
Description of second paper will be distributed today as well.
Wednesday, October 8:
The Story behind the Stories: The Grimm Brothers and Fairy Tales. Please read: Zipes, Jack. "Once There Were Two Brothers Named Grimm" in The Brothers Grimm: From Enchanted Forest to the Modern World. New York, Palgrave-Macmillan, 2002: 1-23.
Friday, October 10:
Library orientation with Allie Moore, Access Services Librarian
We will meet in Mudd 210--the library classroom
Monday, October 13: Fall Break! Have a good one!
Wednesday, October 15:
- New topic: All in the Family? Dysfunctional Family Dynamics in Fairy Tales.
- Read: Jacob & Wilhelm Grimm. "Cinderella" in in The Great Fairy Tale Tradition, ed. & trans. Jack Zipes. New York, W.W.Norton, 2001: 468-473.
Friday, October 17:
Read: Perrault, Charles. "Cinderella or, The Glass Slipper" in The Great Fairy Tale Tradition, ed. & trans. Jack Zipes. New York, W.W.Norton, 2001: 449-454.
Monday, October 20:
Assignment deadline: interpretation of Undine is due.
Read: Grimm, Jacob and Wilhelm. "Hansel and Gretel" in The Great Fairy Tale Tradition, ed. & trans. Jack Zipes. New York, W.W.Norton, 2001: 711-716.
Wednesday, October 22:
Viewing of "Gingerbread." Buffy the Vampire Slayer: The Complete Third Season. Writ. Jane Espenson. Dir. James Whitmore Jr. WB. 12 Jan. 1999. DVD.
I will distribute the November 3 reading today.
Friday, October 24:
No class - I'll be away at a conference. Please get ready for advising next week:
Work on your Spring 09 schedules get ready to tell me about the progress of your research projects.
Remember to sign-up for a whole hour of advising. The sheet is posted on my office door. (Vulgamore 107).
Monday, October 27 - Friday, October 31:
Academic Advising: No regular class-meetings this week, but I’ll see you all individually in my office for about an hour, to discuss your Spring 2009 schedules and your research topic ideas.
Monday, November 3:
Introduction to the new theme: What's for dinner? Very violent fairy tales.
Please read Tartar, Maria. "Sex and Violence - The Hard Core of Fairy Tales" from The Hard Facts of the Grimms' Fairy Tales. Princeton, Princeton University Press, 1987: 3-38.
Wednesday November 5:
Perrault, Charles. "Bluebeard" and Grimm, Jacob & Wilhelm. "Bluebeard" in The Great Fairy Tale Tradition, ed. & trans. Jack Zipes. New York, W.W.Norton, 2001: 732-738.
Friday, November 7:
Grimm, Jacob & Wilhelm. The Robber Bridegroom and Fitcher's Bird in The Great Fairy Tale Tradition, ed. & trans. Jack Zipes. New York, W.W.Norton, 2001: 738-743.
Monday, November 10:
Grimm, Jacob & Wilhelm. Juniper Tree. (photocopy).
Annotated bibliography is due today (E-mail or drop off in class or by 5pm).
Wednesday, November 12:
Viewing of "Hush." Buffy the Vampire Slayer: The Complete Fourth Season. Writ. & Dir. Josh Whedon. WB 14. December, 1999. DVD.
Student Presentations
Journal assignment is due today (Via E-mail, or drop off by 5pm).
Monday, November 17:
Student presentations
Wednesday, November 19:
Student presentations
Friday, November 21:
No class-I will be out of town.
Monday, November 24:
Student presentations
Wednesday, November 26 & Friday, November 28:
Thanksgiving Holiday: Happy Thanksgiving!
Monday, December 1:
Student presentations
Wednesday, December 3:
Distribution of the favorite fairy tale ballot
Chloe's presentation on Caribbean Fairy Tales
Evaluations!
Friday, December 5:
Final wrap-up discussion-Favorite fairy tale poll results
Wednesday, December 10
Final papers due by 5pm. (E-mail or give to me or leave in the hopper next to my door).