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Russian Fairy Tales: Weekly Assignments

Together with course meetings, this page should be your primary source for the most update course information.

Abbreviations:

To scroll directly to current assignment, click here.

August 23: Introduction

August 28 (2x)

August 30: Russian Pagan and Orthodoxy (2)

September 4 (2x): Sorcerers, Witches & Magic Healers

September 6: Domestic and Nature Spirits

September 11 (2x): Folklore in Russia Today; Stylistic Approach to Fairy Tales (intro.)

Wednesday, September 12: Evening Film Screening

September 18 (2x): Test 1

September 20: Stylistics of Fairy Tales; Structural Approach (intro.)

    • AA, "Ivan the Peasant's Son and the Thumb-Sized Man," pp. 262-68

Friday, September 21: Optional Extra Participation-credit Assignment: folk narrative (Due today, 5 PM)

September 25 (2x): Stylistics (con't); Structural Approach

      • CP, Propp, Course pack pages 1-8
      • AA, "The Magic Swan Geese," pp. 349-51 (Savanna P.)
      • AA, "The Crystal Mountain," pp. 482-84 (Caroline F.)
      • AA, "The Firebird and Princess Vasilisa," 494-497 (Shayna T.)
      • Study questions:
        • Be prepared to discuss the stories from a stylistic perspective.
        • Try to identify some of the main structural "functions" based on your reading of Propp.

September 27: Style & Structure (con't); Heroes & Villains

      • AA, "The Maiden Tsar," 229-34 (2 volunteers)
      • Study question
        • Be prepared to analyze the story from a stylistic and structural perspective
        • Presenters: Brandon E. (stylistic features); Alex H. (structural features)

October 2 (2x): Baba Yaga and Friends

      • AA, "Baba Yaga and the Brave Youth," pp. 76-79 (Dahlia G.)
      • AA, "Baba Yaga," pp. 194-95 (Brittany F.)
      • AA, "Vasilisa the Beautiful," 439-47 (Jenny L.)
      • AA, "Koshchei the Deathless," pp. 485-93 (1)
      • AA, "Maria Morevna," 553-62 (Alice C.)
      • Study questions

October 4: Psychological approaches/Folk Narratives (evaluation)

      • AA, "Prince Ivan, the Firebird, and the Gray Wolf," pp. 612-24 (1)
      • AA, "Salt," pp. 40-44 (1)

October 9 (2x): Sibling and Simpleton tales/Animal Brides and Grooms (intro.)

      • AA, "The Three Kingdoms," pp. 49-53 (Kaia B.)
      • AA, "The Wicked Sisters," pp. 356-60 (Mariya Z.)
      • AA, "Ivanuskho, the Little Fool," pp. 62-66 (Emily H.)
      • CP, Bruno Bettelheim, "'The Three Feathers': The Youngest Child as Simpleton," CP pp. 9-13
      • Optional: To read the Grimm's "Three Feathers," go to http://www.pinkmonkey.com/dl/library1/story177.pdf]
      • Study questions
      • (Due Sunday night, Oct. 7!) Student-collected folk narratives (rankings & analysis)
        • Read through the selected narratives posted here and be prepared to discuss the similarities and differences between folk narratives collected by classmates and those read earlier from the Ivanits collection.
        • Send an email to me (mgorham@ufl.edu) by midnight Sunday (Oct 7) ranking the three best submissions (with #1 being your top choice). After your ranked list, include in the body of the email message a brief rationale for your top choice. What makes it so good? How does it reflect, echo, etc. course readings and themes?

October 11: Animal Brides & Grooms

      • AA, "The Frog Princess," 119-23 (1)
      • AA, "The Snotty Goat," 200-02 (1)
      • OL, Aksakov, "The Little Scarlet Flower" (2)
      • CP, Bruno Bettelheim,
          • "The Animal Groom' and 'The Frog King'," CP pp. 15-19
          • "Beauty and the Beast," CP pp. 25-29
      • Study questions

October 16 (2x): Feminist Approaches

      • “Bad Wife” tales
        • AA, "The Wondrous Wonder, the Marvelous Marvel," 13-15 (Naushine D.)
        • AA, "The Mayoress," 141 (Natalie K.)
        • AA, "The Bad Wife," pp. 56-57 (Naz U.)
        • AA, "The Taming of the Shrew," 161-62 (Lacie L.)
        • AA, "The Goldfish," 528-32 (Alex M. )
        • AA, "Husband and Wife," 369-370 (Dylan S.)
        • Study questions
      • CP, Ruth B. Bottigheimer “Silenced Women in the Grimms’ Tales: The “Fit” Between Fairy Tales and Society in Their Historical Context,” pp. 31-39.

October 18: Feminist Approaches (con't)
      • “Wise Maiden” tales
        • AA, "The Wise Little Girl," 252-55 (David S.)
        • AA, "The Sea King and Vasilisa the Wise," 427-37 (Heather L.)
        • AA, "The Feather of Finist, the Bright Falcon," 580-88 (Lynzee M.)
        • AA, "Maria Morevna," 553-62 (review)
        • AA, "The Maiden Tsar," 229-34 (review)
      • CP, Marsha K. Lieberman, “‘Some Day My Prince Will Come’: Female Acculturation Through the Fairy Tale,” CP pp. 41-49.
      • Study questions

October 23: Movie Day!

October 25: Film discussion/Test 2 preview

October 30: Test 2

November 1: Wicked Stepmothers

  • AA, "Burenushka, the Littlel Red Cow," 146-50 (Ashley M.)
  • AA, "Daughter and Stepdaughter," 278-79 (Amy S.)
  • AA, "The Grumbling Old Woman," 340-41 (Michael C.)
  • AA, "Jack Frost," 366-69 (Raleigh A.)
  • AA, "The Maiden Tsar," pp. 229-34 (review)
  • AA, “Vasilisa the Beautiful,” 439-47 (review) 
  • Optional: CP, Warner, "Wicked Stepmothers," CP 61-83
  • Study Questions
  • Extra-credit Fairy Tale Assignment (Due Monday, Dec. 10, 5 p.m.)

November 6 (2x): Snow White Tales; The Disney-fication of Fairy Tales (A Marxist Approach)

          Wednesday, November 7: Evening Film Screening!

          • Feature presentation: Snow White: Tale of Terror
          • Start time: 6:00 pm
          • Location: Florida Gym 270
          • Study Questions

November 8: Snow White/Literary tales

November 13 (2x): Medieval Lore

November 15: Soviet Folklore (No class meeting!)

November 20: Literary Tales ~~ Nikolai Gogol

  • CP, Gogol, "Viy," CP pp. 109-129 (everyone!)
  • AA, "The Sorceress," pp. 567-68 (Rachel V.)
  • AA,  "The Vampire," pp. 593-98
  • Study questions

November 22: [Thanksgiving -- no class]

November 27 (2x):  Modern retelling of classic tales

November 29: Test 3 review session

December 4: Test 3

December 10, 5:00 PM: Optional extra-credit Fairy Tales due. Please consult Extra-credit Fairy Tale Assignment for details on composition and submission.

Name, Department of Languages, Literatures, and Cultures

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Department of Languages, Literatures, and Cultures

Russian Studies at UF

Russian and East European Area Studies

Center for European Studies

Russification issues

Contact Information

Languages, Literatures
& Cultures
301 Pugh Hall/P.O. Box 115565
University of Florida
Gainesville, FL 32611-5565

352-273-3786
mgorham@ufl.edu