Reading and Writing Fairy Tales
MODULE CODE
CREDIT VALUE
DELIVERY
Module Aims
Aim 1
To introduce students to the academic study of folk and fairy tales, through (re)-readings of the well-known European tales and more contemporary manifestations of the form, including film/visual versions.
Aim 2
To develop knowledge and awareness of the generic, cultural, ideological and historical framework of the tales.
Aim 3
To enable students to engage with different critical readings of the tales, particularly from structuralist, psychoanalytic, feminist, historicist, postcolonial and postmodern perspectives.
Aim 4
To enable students to understand better the construction and aesthetic qualities of the fairy tale and its various rewritings as a narrative form.
Aim 5
To learn about the roles and group work involved in anthologising and put these into practice by producing an anthology of fairy tales
Module Content
The module begins with an introduction to the history of fairy tales, how fairy tales differ from myths, legends and fables and the move from oral folk tales to literary fairy tales. Thereafter we will explore a variety of theoretical readings of fairy tales which will be critiqued and applied to a variety of more traditional, lesser-known and contemporary versions. Postmodern and pre-satirised tales will be considered with a view to whether this signals the end of fairy tales. We will explore the complexities of intertextuality in relation to rewriting and rereading fairy tales, followed by a case study of Red Riding Hood comparing a number of different versions in distinct forms and for both child and adult audiences, in chronological order. A number of other rewritings include the Disney takeover, words into screen, feminist and not-so-feminist rewritings and postcolonial rewritings. There will also be workshops on (re)writing your own fairy tale and, where appropriate, an author’s perspective as well as structured film and TV showings of Disney and other re/tellings of fairy tales. You will learn what an anthology consists of and how to compile one. The module will explore the theory, practice and roles of anthologising including selection, ranking, editing, project managing, copyright and writing both as an individual and as part of a group. Although the focus will be on short stories and poems, we will also consider different media and forms such as digital, apps, comics etc.
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this module, a student will be able to:
Teaching Methods
This module is delivered through lectures, seminars and workshop sessions. Interactive lectures will provide the informative, theoretical and historical overview of the syllabus, while seminar discussions will be directed towards particular texts and critical approaches. Workshops will support you in your assessment tasks of re(writing) a fairy tale and creating an anthology and a critical introduction. Workshops will also be used for showing and discussing films and other TV and visual versions of fairy tales. You will be expected to familiarise yourselves with a range of critical material and different versions of fairy tales (some of which can be accessed through e-learn and on the internet, some through the set texts) and to show evidence of your understanding of this material in class discussions and in all your written work.
Assessment Methods
This module is assessed through one Group or individual ‘Critical Introduction’ to the anthology and one Own Tale + Critique.
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