German 260.02 -- Spring 1999 Prof. John E. Davidson

MWF 9:30-10:48 Office: 393 Cunz Hall

Call #09477-2 E-mail: davidson.92@osu.edu

5 GEC Credit Hours Tel: 292-6985

Central Classrooms 240 Office Hours: MW 1:30-3:15; F 11-12

Taught entirely in English, this course looks at the fairy tale, one of the best known forms of literature in the Western tradition, in relation three sets of questions:

1) What is a fairy tale? What elements of form distinguish it from other tales, fables etc.? Is it really a "popular form," that is, one that comes from the population at large? are they really children's literature, as is so often assumed. Are specific types of content best suited for this form (these forms)? What is the historical context out of which these forms arise? How, if at all, do fairy tales change over the course of time?

2) What do fairy tales mean for us in the present? In what way have they become part and parcel of our contemporary reality, of our way of looking at the world? Are fairy tales still being produced and, if so, what kinds of cultural meaning are attached to them?

3) What is the role of the fantastic and/or supernatural that these tales employ in the development of our image of what it means to be human?

We will begin addressing these questions by reading and discussing tales collected by the Brothers Grimm and others, then move to a consideration of so-called artistic fairy tales and stories of the fantastic and/or horrific written during roughly the same period. We will move on to discuss the rise of realism in representation, and explore the changes that take place in conceiving and describing the fantastic. Films such as Snow White, The Student of Prague, and Pretty Woman will offer us a basis from which to consider the role of fantasy and fairy tales in popular culture at various times.

In addition to the thematic questions outlined above, this course emphasizes writing skills. We will explore specific strategies for recognizing and addressing weaknesses in our own writing, as well as providing constructive criticism of other's work. Students will be asked to submit regular, short responses to discussion questions about the reading, as well as generating their own questions. These responses will be used to guide our class discussions, as well as providing preliminary steps developing questions that will structure the course papers.

Requirements

Attendance & Participation: 15%

Short Written Assignments: 15%

2 Papers (3-6pps each) 50% total (25% each)

each submitted in 3 stages -

Intro ¶ and topic Sentences

Draft

Final Draft (A further re-write is optional)

Final Exam 20%

Available through SBX [If you buy elsewhere, make sure you get THESE editions]:

J.L.K. Grimm and W.K. Grimm, Tales for the Young and Old, trans. Ralph Mannheim (NY: Anchor Books, 1977) ISBN: 0-385-18950-8

E.T.A. Hoffmann, Tales (NY: Continuum, 1982) ISBN: 0-8264-1264-X

German Literary Fairy Tales, Edited by Frank G. Ryder & Robert M. Browning (NY: Continuum, 1982)

Strunk and White, The Elements of Style [ISBN 0-02-418200-1] (at SBX)

1 3/29 Intro to & history of Fairy Tales

3/31 Intro to the Turn of the 18th/19th Century Grimms #28, 52, 55

4/2 Thinking about written expression. Grimms #1, 12, 15,

2 4/5 More Familiar FTs Grimms # 53; (in class) Disney's Snow White

4/7 Editing choices Writing Assignment #1: Rewritten Tale

4/9 More Familiar Tales Grimms #19, 21, 26, 27

3 4/12 Paper 1: Comparative Study Intro Paragraph & Topic Sentences

Grimms #32, 83

4/14 FTs and social issues Grimms #47, 116, 163, 179, 180

4/16 " " Grimms #7, 100, 110, 114

4 4/19 First Workshop Paper1: Complete Draft

4/21 FT's in other Forms Fairy Tale Poetry (Handout)

4/23 Anti-Fairy Tales Written Assignment 2: Fairy Tale Poem

Grimms # 5; Fetscher (Handout)

5 4/26 Intro to Literary FTs Novalis, Wackenroder

4/28 Early Romanticism Tieck, "Fair-Haired Eckbert"

Paper 1: Final Version

4/30 Kleist "The Beggarwoman of Locarno"

6-7 More Tales of the Fantastic Kleist, Hoffmann

5/3 Hoffmann "The Sandman"

5/5 Hoffmann "The Golden Pot"

5/7 " " " " " "

5/10 On Doubles: End "The Golden Pot"

Begin the Student of Prague

5/12 Conclude & Discuss The Student of Prague

5/14 Writing Assignment #3: On "doubling" in a recent story or film

8-9 From Romanticism to Realism Brentano, Eichendorff,

Möricke, Storm

5/17 Paper #2: Textual Analysis Intro Paragraph & Topic Sentences

Brentano

5/19 Late romanticism Eichendorff

5/21 Poetic Realism Eichendorff / Mörike

5/24 Second Workshop Paper2: Complete Draft

5/26 What is Realism? Mörike / Storm "Bulemann's House"

5/28 On the fantastic in realism " " " "

Final Exam Review Sheet Distributed

10 5/31 No Class Students Responsible for viewing Pretty Woman

6/2 Conclusion Discussion of Pretty Woman

Review for Final Exam

6/4 A Final Twist Kafka

Paper #2: Final Version

Exam Week 6/7 (M) 7:30 - 9:18 Final Exam, CC 240

April 12 (M) Paper #1, Intro & Topic Sentences

April 19 (M) Paper #1, Finished Draft

April 28 (W) Paper #1, Final Version

May 17 (M) Paper #2, Intro & Topic Sentences

May 24 (M) Paper #2, Finished Draft

June 4 (Fri) Paper #2, Final Version

- Short Written Assignments: These may not exceed 1 1/2 typed pages (300) words. Typing is optional but encouraged. 5 in total -- 3 outside of class and 2 in class (the workshops). If you miss a workshop without a documented and acceptable excuse, you will receive a "0" for that writing assignment.

- Papers: All phases of the papers must be typed. They should be between 3 and 5 pages in length (600-1,000 words). Student's are encouraged to discuss their topics with me in office hours or by e-mail.

- Final Exam: The final exam will test knowledge of the historical material and literary trends discussed throughout the course; however, in its questions about specific texts it will concentrate on the material starting in Week 5 (that is, the literary tales). The review sheet will provide the precise form of the exam and give examples of the types of questions that will be asked.