Fairy Tales from Medieval to Modern: Feminist and Other Readings

Catalog description

Students in this course will read famous fairy tales and study their earliest history, analogues, and later rewritings, along with related films. Stories to be considered may include "Beauty and the Beast," "Snow White," "Cinderella," "The Little Mermaid," "Red Riding Hood," and "Sleeping Beauty," among others. Students will learn about the history and cultural contexts of fairy tales. Assigned authors could Include the anonymous writer of "Perceforest," Geoffrey Chaucer, William Shakespeare, Charles Perrault, the Brothers Grimm, Hans Christian Andersen, Reaid Dahl, Angela Carter, Anne Sexton, Margaret Atwood, Marina Warner, and others. Films for study might include Jean Cocteau's "Beauty and the Beast'' and "Sleeping Beauty" directed by Catherine Breillat, with possible brief comparative clips from Disney. This course fulfills AOK 2 or 4, and WEC requirements and can also be used as an elective in the WGS major or minor.