THIS COURSE HAS CURRENTLY FILLED FOR FALL 2025.
Fairy tales and fantasy novels have their origins in a centuries-old folk traditions that continue to attract twenty-first century readers and cinemagoers. The literary fairy tales that were popular in Italy, France, and Germany centuries ago have found new fans in recent television shows such as Once Upon a Time and films like Shrek, Maleficent, and Frozen. The fantasy novels that were written the nineteenth and early-twentieth century have similarly attracted new audiences with films like The Hobbit and series like The Rings of Power. In this seminar, we will read early versions and recent adaptations of these texts to explore their literary qualities and their cultural relevance. In addition, we will consider what fairy tales and fantasy novels reveal about historical attitudes towards gender, sexuality, disability, race and class. While you may be familiar with the modern versions of these stories, this course will introduce you to new adaptations of beloved classics and show you how to analyze them from multiple perspectives.