126-466 Grimm's Fairy Tales

37.5 points of second/third year subjects. European studies students wishing to enrol in this subject would normally have completed 37.5 points of European studies at second/third year, see Prerequisites.

In this subject a number of fairytales will be examined in the light of Propp's Morphologie des Märchens. Typical fairytale motifs and characters will be examined as well as the mysterious life some fairytales have led within the wider European tradition. As purely literary criteria do not do justice to fairytales, other approaches, such as historical, sociological and psychological interpretations, will be explored. Students who compete this subject should be familiar with the origins and characteristics of the European fairytales; and have an understanding of the evolution and development of Grimm's Kinder-und Hausmärchen.