SCAND 172A: Nordic Folk & Fairy Tales 

Instructor: Kimberly Ball

Once upon a time in Europe, oral-traditional folk and fairy tales served as a primary source of entertainment for both children and adults. Both the folktale collection movement and folktale scholarship have been especially strong in the Nordic countries, where interest in the preservation of these tales has historically been tied to issues of national identity.  We will compare, analyze, and interpret Nordic versions of tales, considering how folk and fairy tales critique or reinforce various aspects of the social order, reflecting the experiences and worldviews of those who told them. We will also study the characteristics and history of the genre, as well as the array of analytic and interpretive methods that have been applied to it. Taught in English.