CHL 427 Special Topics: Folk & Fairy Tales
This course acts as an entry point to one of the most fevered debates of children's literature: are fairy tales for children? To move toward an answer, students will examine the complicated and evolving histories of both collected and individual stories, in both traditional art forms (e.g., fiction, poetry, picturebooks, film, music) and material culture (Halloween costumes, theme parks, and even cocktails). Which stories do we remember, and why? How do we make meaning of their earlier forms, as well as their contemporary re-visionings? And, finally, how do we define the relationship between "folk" and "fairy," literature and the child?
Prerequisite
None