SCAND 232/GLITS 252A: Hans Christian Andersen and the Fairy Tale
with CLIT252A: Introduction to Comparative Literature: Genres (5 credits, A&H)
Department of Scandinavian Studies, 318 Raitt Hall
Professor: Marianne Stecher-Hansen (marianne@uw.edu), office: 305Z Raitt Hall, office hours: TBA
Fairy Tales and Cultural Politics - "The Emperor's New Clothes"
This course explores the fairy tale genre in a wide range of cultural, historical and political contexts, while also focusing on the celebrated tales of Danish writer Hans Christian Andersen (1805 - 1875). In Spring quarter 2025, we will consider how the fairy tale has "made sense of the world" over the centuries in difficult and often chaotic political climates. H. C. Andersen's "The Emperor's New Clothes" (1837), a parable about a vain and ineffectual ruler surrounded by loyal courtiers, is a text based on ancient and modern folk-tale variants; it will be the red thread running through the course.
The quarter begins with an investigation of globally recognized fairy tales, such as “The Little Red Riding Hood,” “Hansel and Gretel,” “Snow White,” “Cinderella” and “Donkey Skin.” The course materials engage various critical and theoretical approaches to interpreting fairy tales. We investigate the origins and authorship of the folk fairy tale and the relationship between the variants of some of the most ancient and well-known tales, such as "Chinese Cinderella" (Yeh-shen) as well as modern variants attributed to Charles Perrault and the Brothers Grimm.
In the second half of the quarter, we engage a closer study of Hans Christian Andersen’s famous fairy tales in relation to the wider fairy tale genre. Who was Hans Christian Andersen and what was his relationship to the Danish folk tale and contemporary literature? How do Hans Christian Andersen’s tales reinvent the idea of the child and the entire concept of children’s literature in the 19th century? We'll delve into readings of tales, such as “The Little Mermaid,” “The Emperor’s New Clothes,” "The Wicked Prince," “The Snow Queen,” “The Ugly Duckling,” “The Red Shoes,” “The Shadow” and “The Little Match Girl” and also consider contemporary adaptations of these stories. This course is an opportunity to study fairy tales in relation to literary history, social-economic contexts, and cultural politics and to examine the continued relevancy and popularity of Andersen’s celebrated tales.
The following guiding questions structure our study of the genre: What are the origins of the literary fairy tale? Who are the authors and narrators of the fairy tales? Is the role gendered? Is the storyteller a performer, a folklorist, or a creative writer? Were fairy tales written for children as an audience or readership or about children as objects of entertainment? Why are poor and helpless girls and boys often the subjects of fairy tales? We explore the figure of the child in the fairy tale. Is the child the subject of the fairy tale or the audience for the fairy tale? Do children have agency in the fairy-tale? How about the animal figures and inanimate objects (“things”)?
Required Books to purchase (University Bookstore):
- Hans Christian Andersen, Fairy Tales, trans. Tiina Nunnally (Penguin, 2004). ISBN: 0 14 30.3952 0
- Maria Tatar, ed., The Classic Fairy Tales. Second Norton Critical Edition (Norton, 2017). ISBN: 0-393-97277-1
Student Learning Objectives:
- To practice the skill of daily “deep reading” (i.e. 30 minutes of uninterrupted reading of hard copy text – ideally, without electronic devices present; highlighting with pen or pencil).
- To exercise critical writing skills in order to address topics in the arts, culture, literature, and society.
- To acquire knowledge in order to identify genres (the fairy tale, the folk tale) as well as forms of narration.
- To improve skills for speaking and writing about literary texts and other media.
- To optimize educational opportunities and inclusive community building at UW.
Evaluation: Grades will be based on two exams (including objective and essay questions), two short essays, contributions to class discussions and regular online "discussions” on Canvas
20% Six online 'Discussions' (ca. 150 words each; worth 2+ points each)
20% Short, peer-reviewed essay #1 (max. 750 words)
20% Short, peer-reviewed essay #2 (max. 750 words)
10% Midterm quiz (multiple-choice); ca. 30 minutes
30% Final Test (multiple-choice/short essay); ca. 90 minutes
Writing Assignments: SCAND 232 is not a W (Writing) course, although student writing is important. Ad Hoc W (Writing) credit is not available for this course. Please make an appointment with the Odegaard Writing and Research Center for help with the short essays: https://depts.washington.edu/owrc . Please review Academic Misconduct (WAC 478-121-107) in course Modules.
Resource Guide - H.C. Andersen: Although a research paper is not required for this course, please consult this research guide for online sources and relevant scholarship: https://guides.lib.uw.edu/research/hca
Religious Accommodations Policy: Washington state law requires that UW develop a policy for accommodation of student absences or significant hardship due to reasons of faith or conscience, or for organized religious activities. The UW’s policy, including more information about how to request an accommodation, is available at Religious Accommodations Policy (https://registrar.washington.edu/staffandfaculty/religious-accommodations-policy/) (Links to an external site.).
Preliminary Reading and Lecture Schedule: Spring 2025
FT = Fairy Tales by H.C. Andersen, translated by Tiina Nunnally.
CFT = The Classic Fairy Tales, ed. Maria Tatar.
The most recent English translations (by John Irons) of H.C. Andersen's complete tales and stories are here: https://hcams.andersen.sdu.dk/exist/apps/andersen-irons/index.html (it is not the translation recommended for this class).
TBD: Please find the schedule below and additional reading assignments posted in the "Modules" of this Canvas.