In this course we will study folklore and fairy tales from around the world. We will talk about the ways in which folktales and fairy tales derive from oral tradition and as such reflect and affect the cultures from which they emerge. We will read stories from a wide variety of origins. We will also discuss various modern retellings of fairy tales, including Ash by Malinda Lo, our Visiting Writer, which is a retelling of the story of Cinderella, and we will consider the ways in which, with the advent of mediums such as podcasts, telling tales has once again taken on an oral element as well as a literary one.

Offered Fall 2024