This course will examine some of the tales written down by the Grimms and others, and students will

discuss various interpretations to which they have been subjected. By focusing on various interpretations

of tales (for example, psychological, literary, folkloristic, formalistic, feminist, Marxist) students will begin to see how this simplest form of narrative can carry so much importance for informing just how it is that we humans make meaning through telling stories.

20 1-hour seminars at days and times to be arranged.

none

none

Class exam (1.5 hours) in the examining period of semester 1 (50%); class essay (c.2000 words) to be submitted by the end of semester 2 (50%).

It is the default expectation that all courses will offer opportunities for reassessment or deferred assessment. Where it is not possible to offer this in some assessment components, the grade achieved at the first attempt will be counted towards the final course grade, and any exceptions for this course are described below.

[No exceptions]

·to provide an introduction to the folk or fairy tale as a literary genre
·to investigate the conditions surrounding the production of a literary tradition, said to be replacing an earlier, oral one
·to examine critical interpretations of various tales
·to compare and contrast versions of well-known and less well-known tales from the Renaissance to the present day

By the end of the course students should be able to:
·demonstrate an understanding of the folktale as a genre
·provide plausible interpretations of the tales studied and demonstrate the basis of their interpretations
·demonstrate an understanding of the origins of the written, literary tradition of the tale
·demonstrate an understanding of the theories about the origin of the oral tradition of tale-telling