ENGL 20153 - Happily Never After? Re-imagining the Fairy Tale

Institution:

University of Notre Dame

Subject:

English

Description:

This course will examine the enduring popularity of the fairy tale, as well as the forces underlying the changes in its form and meaning. By investigating the historical development of the fairy tale, students will be introduced to various methods of literary and cultural analysis. The course will begin with the origins of the literary fairy tale in 16th-century Italy, and conclude in the 20th century with Anglophone postmodern transformations. We will consider the multi-cultural nature of the fairy tale, as we examine the transmission of various tales across linguistic and national borders. Students will be introduced to various theoretical models of interpretation; we will explore structuralist, psychoanalytical, feminist, and postmodernist readings of both traditional and modern fairy tales. This course will also involve cross-disciplinary materials from subjects like history, anthropology, philosophy, and gender studies in order to examine larger themes like identity and hierarchy. Course materials include collections of world fairy tales, short novels, poetry, cartoons, television programs, films, and graphic novels. Students are expected to complete a short critical review, a take-home midterm, and a substantial comparative final paper. Students who are enrolled in this course and who have completed the Notre Dame language requirement in Italian are eligible to sign up for an additional single credit discussion section as part of the Languages Across the Curriculum initiative Fridays at 12:50 - 1:40.

Credits:

3.00

Credit Hours:

Prerequisites:

Corequisites:

Exclusions:

Level:

Instructional Type:

Lecture

Notes:

Additional Information:

Historical Version(s):

Institution Website:

www.nd.edu

Phone Number:

(574) 631-5000

Regional Accreditation:

North Central Association of Colleges and Schools

Calendar System:

Semester

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