Hum 90-10; CRN 5501
4 Credits
MWF 9:10-10:00 
Professor Adriana Novoa

Fairy Tales and Sleeping Beauties

Familiar though he may be to us, the storyteller in his living immediacy is by no means a present force. He has already become something remote from us and something that is getting even more distant.

Walter Benjamin.



Contemporary culture in its emphasis of literacy over orality, spreading of information over storytelling, has eliminated the role of the storyteller. Only the stories remain, particularly fairytales with their world of fairies, ogres and miracles. Traditional fairytales have been a very important vehicle to convey the meaning of beauty and the role of women in society. These narratives are even popular today and provide a sense of enchantment in cultures in which the belief in miracles and other-worldly experiences has been practically erased by modernization and technology. In this class, we will analyze how the theme of the sleeping beauty was presented in traditional fairytales and the movies based on them, and how their contemporary versions reflect on this theme. From Snow White to Kill Bill we will study the cultural importance of women deprived of consciousness and of the capacities of rational beings.  We will read traditional fairytales and watch movies based on their main themes to understand the evolution of the sleeping beauty from its origins to today.



Course Materials:

Tatar, Maria (ed.) The Classic Fairy Tales

Benjamin, Walter. “The Storyteller: Reflections on the Work of Nikolai Leskov.” In

Illuminations, edited by Hannah Arendt, translated by Harry Zohn.

Bernheimer Kate (ed.) Mirror on the Wall: Women Writers Explore Their Favorite Fairy Tales.

Harries, Elizabeth Wanning. Twice upon a Time.

Jackson, Rosemary. Fantasy: The Literature of Subversion.

Kroeber, Karl. Retelling/Rereading: The fate of Storytelling in Modern Times

Lüthi, Max. Once upon a time on the nature of Fairy Tales.

McGlathery, James M. Fairy Tale Romance.

Travers, P. L. About the Sleeping Beauty.

Zipes, Jack. Fairy Tales and the Art of Subversion: The Classical Genre for Children and the Process of Civilization.

Movies:

Snow White
Sleeping Beauty
Talk to Her
Kill Bill
Kill Bill 2

Required assignments

This is a discussion course. Students should come to class prepared to discuss the assignments and present their analysis of the material.

Graded work will include:
1-    Three papers.
2-    Web discussion of the materials presented in class.
3-    One informal presentation in front of the class.
4-    Participation in class discussion


Dr. Adriana Novoa was born, raised, and trained as a historian in Buenos Aires, Argentina, before coming to the United States to pursue her Ph.D. in Latin American History at the University of California, San Diego. Since completing her doctorate, she has had a diverse career, with her most recent appointment as Assistant Professor of Humanities and American Studies at the University of South Florida. Her publications and ongoing scholarly efforts target the connection between race, gender, and national identity. She is also interested in the concept and politics of disappearance.