Syllabus
https://cetacademicprograms.com/college-study-abroad/programs/czech-republic/cet-prague/
Required reading materials (the Reader) will be sent to the enrolled students via e-mail as a pdf file.
One copy of the reader will also be available in the CET Library.
Annotation
Traditional fairytales are a significant part of folklore and culture of specific region as well as of human in general. As a genre that was formed throughout centuries, they contain a lot of information about the world around us as well as about ourselves. Through their variety, diversity and colorfulness you can observe variety, diversity and colorfulness of the world whereas their specifities and peculiarities show distinction and specific nature of particular countries, peoples and cultures. Fairytales have been attracting the attention of various fields from the beginning of their literary existence and so there are also various theories searching for the disguised meanings of fairytales and the significance which they contain and refer to.
This course seeks to introduce the area of Central European fairytales as a genre within its broader historical, geographical and cultural context. It will deal with fairytale as a specific literary genre rooted in European oral tradition with connection to myths, legends and other local folklore narratives, as well as to modern film and theatre adaptations.
The course also describes and surveys various method of investigating and interpreting fairytales within the development of scholarship about them. It presents historical, psychological, anthropological or religious types of theories, but also sociobiological and gender or feminist methods of analysis. It includes topics such as ethical or moral principles in fairytales, gender and social roles presented in fairytales or historical and political influences on fairytale adaptations.