Hellmut H Ammerlahn Topics or figures of German literature or
language. Spring 2008 GERMAN 390, Section A: Fairy Tales
Folktales and Art Fairy Tales of Europe: Traditions,
Interpretations, and Modern Transformations. Fairy Tales enchant
children and they fascinate adults, who study their deeper
meaning and the impact which they have exerted on all ages and
cultures. In this course we shall first explore selected
“classic” folktales through their traditions and variations, as
they have been collected in Italy and France, in North- and
East-European countries, and by the Brothers Grimm. Then we
shall turn to literary fairy tales written by well-known authors
such as Hans Christian Andersen, Johann Wolfgang Goethe, Ludwig
Tieck, and Oscar Wilde and examine how and for what purpose they
wrote their own “art tales.” Concentrating on the role of the
imagination and the significance of the miraculous, we shall
analyze recurring motifs and symbols as well as typical human
and animal characteristics of fairy tales. An