Department of English

An examination of the history and forms of the fairy tale (M�rchen) as an oral narrative genre and as a literary construction. Topics covered include the history of collecting folktales in Europe and the United States; the issue of "authenticity" of the tales; and the importance of studying context and artistic performance in storytelling events. Issues of gender and sexuality in fairy tales--and of religious and supernatural beliefs evidenced in the tales will be a focus of the class. We will also discuss fairy tales as children's literature; illustrators of fairy tales from Arthur Rackham to Wanda G�g and Maurice Sendak; and the uses of images and plots from fairy tales in popular culture (including Disney's films) and in tourism, advertising, and marketing.