This course will explore the motifs (visual and linguistic patterns) in the fairy tale and fantasy genres as well as their literary intersections. Using Philip Pullman’s retelling of Grimm’s fairy tales, we’ll consider fairy tale form and structure, including original source material and formal tale types, with a view toward understanding the fairy tale as both a separate and specific narrative form and an intertextual point of reference for fantasy literature. Additionally, we’ll consider the more complex story telling found in representative fantasy texts and the defining characteristics of world building that we associate with this genre. Finally, we’ll pay special attention to subtle but significant distinctions between the subgenres of fantasy, including conventions of high and low fantasy, the nature of primary and secondary worlds and the balance of science, magic and history used to create a variety of speculative landscapes. The class will follow a discussion rather than a lecture format.
- Teacher: Barbara Tannert-Smith