Russian Fairy Tales (RUSS 0090): Syllabus

Spring 2002 (02-2)

Prepared by: David J. Birnbaum (djbpitt+tales@pitt.edu)
Last modified: 2002-01-06
Location: http://clover.slavic.pitt.edu/~tales/02-2/syllabus.html

Abbreviations:

• AA: Aleksandr Afanas'ev. Russian Fairy Tales. New York: Pantheon. 1973.
• BB: Bruno Bettelheim. The Uses of Enchantment. New York: Random House/Vintage. 1977.
• CP: Supplement to Russian 0090. Course pack, available in Pitt Book Center.
• LI: Linda Ivanits. Russian Folk Belief. NY: M. E. Sharpe. 1982.

Lecture, Monday, January 7

Topics for Monday, January 7

• Course introduction
• Film Clip: Tennant, Ever After (1998)

Assignment due Monday, January 7

• None

Lecture, Wednesday, January 9

Topics for Wednesday, January 9

• Quiz on course description (see assignment, below)
• Russian paganism. Pagan deities and festivals
• Film clip: Tarkovskii, Andrei Rublev (1966)
• Terminology

Assignment due Wednesday, January 9

• Study Course Description (http://clover.slavic.pitt.edu/~tales/02-2/description.html) and Syllabus (http://clover.slavic.pitt.edu/~tales/02-2/syllabus.html) for quiz
• LI, pp. 3-18, 51-63, 169-77

Recitation, Thursday, January 10 and Friday, January 11

Topics for Thursday, January 10 and Friday, January 11

• Introduction
• Domestic and nature spirits
• Terminology

Assignment due Thursday, January 10 and Friday, January 11

• List of terms on web site at http://clover.slavic.pitt.edu/~tales/definitions.html
• LI, pp. 64-82, 178-89

Lecture, Monday, January 14

Topics for Monday, January 14

• Saints and devils
• How to read an Icon
• Music: Mussorgskii, "Night on Bald Mountain"
• Film clip: Disney, Fantasia (1940)

Assignment due Monday, January 14

• LI, pp. 19-50, 130-45

Lecture, Wednesday, January 16

Topics for Wednesday, January 16

• Film clip: Paradjanov: Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors (1964)
• Sorcery and healing. Shrieking

Assignment due Wednesday, January 16

• LI, 83-124

Recitation, Thursday, January 17 and Friday, January 18

Topics for Thursday, January 17 and Friday, January 18

• Russian folk belief (wrap-up)

Assignment due Thursday, January 17 and Friday, January 18

• LI, 190-205

Lecture, Monday, January 21

No class. Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday.

Lecture, Wednesday, January 23

Topics for Wednesday, January 23

• Stylistic characteristics of folktales
• The authorship of folklore

Assignment due Wednesday, January 23

• Deadline for notifying instructors and Office of Disability Resources of special accomodation requests. (See Course Description or consult with one of the instructors for details.)
• CP, Bogatyrev and Jakobson, "Folklore as a Special Form of Creativity." (Note: Many students find this reading particularly difficult. We'll go over it carefully in class, but read it ahead of time so that you'll know what you already understand and what you need to ask about.)
• (Optional: The lecture on "Stylistic Characteristics of Folktales" will be based on the first three chapters of one of the recommended books: Max Lüthi, The European Folktale. You do not have to read this book [it is recommended, and not required, and we'll summarize the most important details for you in lecture], but if you'd like to read it, this is the best time to do so.)

Recitation, Thursday, January 24 and Friday, January 25

Topics for Thursday, January 24 and Friday, January 25

• General review for examination #1

Assignment due Thursday, January 24 and Friday, January 25

• Review for examination #1. Review LI, the Bogatyrev and Jakobson article in the CP, and your class notes and come to class with questions or requests to review specific material
• Write out two multiple-choice questions (four answers each; indicate the correct answer) based on the material for Examination #1 and bring them to recitation. These questions will be collected and used in the in-class review, and good questions will earn a participation point.

Lecture, Monday, January 28

Topics for Monday, January 28

• Examination #1. Topics:
  • All readings in LI
  • Bogatyrev and Jakobson article from CP
  • All information presented or discussed in lecture or recitation (including film, music, art, etc).

Assignment due Monday, January 28

• Review for examination #1

Lecture, Wednesday, January 30

Topics for Wednesday, January 30

• Psychoanalytic approaches to fairy tales
  • Freudian: Bruno Bettelheim
  • Jungian: Carl Jung

Assignment due Wednesday, January 30

• BB, pp. 3-19, 35-53

Recitation, Thursday, January 31 and Friday, February 1

Topics for Thursday, January 31 and Friday, February 1

• Typologies of tales
• "Youngest Child" tales
• "Ivan Durak" ('Ivan the Fool')

Assignment due Thursday, January 31 and Friday, February 1

• BB, pp. 97-111
• AA, "Salt," pp. 40-44
• AA, "The Three Kingdoms," pp. 49-53
• AA, "Ivanuskho, the Little Fool," pp. 62-66
• AA, "The Princess Who Wanted to Solve Riddles," pp. 115-17
• AA, "The Wicked Sisters," pp. 356-60
• AA, "Prince Ivan, the Firebird, and the Gray Wolf," pp. 612-24

Special Meeting, Friday, February 1, 7:00 a.m.

Makeup Examinaton #1

Students who miss Examination #1 may take a makeup examination on this date at 7:00 a.m. in the Department of Slavic Languages, 1417 Cathedral of Learning. In order to be eligible to take a makeup examination, you must have notified one of the instructors of your intention to do so no later than the day after the regular examination. If you fail to notify the instructors, you may not take the makeup examination. There are no alternative or additional makeup examinations; if you must take a makeup examination, this is your opportunity to do so. See the Course Description for more information about makeup examinations.

Lecture, Monday, February 4

Topics for Monday, February 4

• "Two Sibling" tales

Assignment due Monday, February 4

• BB, pp. 78-83, 90-96, 159-65
• AA, "Misery," pp. 20-24
• AA, "The Armless Maiden," pp. 294-99
• AA, "The Magic Swan Geese," pp. 349-51
• AA, "Two Ivans, Soldier's Sons," pp. 463-75
• AA, "Shemiaka the Judge," pp. 625-27

Lecture, Wednesday, February 6

Topics for Wednesday, February 6

• "Animal Bride" and "Animal Groom" Tales
• Film clip: Cocteau, Beauty and Beast (1946)
• Film clip: Disney, Beauty and Beast (1991)
• Film clip: Adamson/Jenson, Shrek (2001)
• Video clip: Swan Lake (ballet)

Assignment due Wednesday, February 6

• BB, pp. 277-310.

Recitation, Thursday, February 7 and Friday, February 8

Topics for Thursday, February 7 and Friday, February 8

• "Animal Bride" and "Animal Groom" Tales
• Review of Bettelheim and psychoanalysis.

Assignment due Thursday, February 7 and Friday, February 8

• AA, "The Frog Princess," 119-23.
• Review Bettelheim and the application of psychoanalysis to Russian fairy tales.

Lecture, Monday, February 11

Topics for Monday, February 11

• Feminism and the study of fairy tales

Assignment due Monday, February 11

• CP, Bottigheimer
• CP, Rowe
• CP, Lieberman

Lecture, Wednesday, February 13

Topics for Wednesday, February 13

• Feminist approaches to fairy tales
• "Bad Wife" tales
• "Wise Maiden" tales
• Riddles

Assignment due Wednesday, February 13

• AA, "The Wondrous Wonder, the Marvelous Marvel," pp. 13-15
• AA, "The Taming of the Shrew," pp. 161-62
• AA, "The Wise Maiden and the Seven Robbers," pp. 134-40
• AA, "The Wise Little Girl," pp. 252-55

Recitation, Thursday, February 14 and Friday, February 15

Topics for Thursday, February 14 and Friday, February 15

• Feminist approaches to fairy tales
• "Bad Wife" tales
• "Wise Maiden" tales
• Riddles

Assignment due Thursday, February 14 and Friday, February 15

• AA, "The Bad Wife," pp. 56-57
• AA, "The Indiscreet Wife," pp. 226-27
• AA, "The Sea King and Vasilisa the Wise," pp. 427-37
• AA, "The Goldfish," pp. 528-32
• Review for Examination #2. Reread what we've read in BB, Bottigheimer, Rowe, Lieberman, all tales read since Examination #1, and your class notes and come to class with questions or requests to review specific material.
• Write out two multiple-choice questions (four answers each; indicate the correct answer) based on the material for Examination #2 and bring them to recitation. These questions will be collected and used in the in-class review, and good questions will earn a participation point.

Lecture, Monday, February 18

Topics for Monday, February 18

• Examination #2. Topics:
  • Psychoanalytic approaches to fairy tales. Bettelheim (the portions we've read). Jung (lecture)
  • Feminist approaches to fairy tales. Bottigheimer, Rowe, Lieberman
  • Tales read since Examination #1 (Youngest Child, Two Sibling, Animal Groom, Animal Bride, Bad Wife, Wise Maiden)
  • All information presented or discussed in lecture or recitation (including film, music, art, etc)

Assignment due Monday, February 18

• Review for Examination #2

Lecture, Wednesday, February 20

Topics for Wednesday, February 20

• Wicked stepmothers
• Film clip: Disney, Snow White (1937)
• Film clip: Disney, Cinderella (1950)

Assignment due Wednesday, February 20

• CP, Warner

Recitation, Thursday, February 21 and Friday, February 22

Topics for Thursday, February 21 and Friday, February 22

• Wicked stepmothers

Assignment due Thursday, February 21 and Friday, February 22

• BB, pp. 66-73, 194-99
• AA, "Burenushka, the Little Red Cow," pp. 146-50
• AA, "The Maiden Tsar," pp. 229-34
• AA, "Daughter and Stepdaughter," pp. 278-79
• AA, "The Grumbling Old Woman," pp. 340-41

Special Meeting, Friday, February 22, 7:00 a.m.

Makeup Examinaton #2

Students who miss Examination #2 may take a makeup examination on this date at 7:00 a.m. in the Department of Slavic Languages, 1417 Cathedral of Learning. In order to be eligible to take a makeup examination, you must have notified one of the instructors of your intention to do so no later than the day after the regular examination. If you fail to notify the instructors, you may not take the makeup examination. There are no alternative or additional makeup examinations; if you must take a makeup examination, this is your opportunity to do so. See the Course Description for more information about makeup examinations.

Lecture, Monday, February 25

Topics for Monday, February 25

• Wicked stepmothers
• Film clip: Rou, Morozko (Jack Frost) (1964)
• Cinderella tales
• Music: Prokof'ev: Cinderella (ballet)
• Film clip: Tennant, Ever After (1998)

Assignment due Monday, February 25

• BB, 236-77
• AA, "Jack Frost," pp. 366-69
• AA, "The Golden Slipper," pp. 44-46
• AA, "Vasilisa the Beautiful," pp. 439-47

Lecture, Wednesday, February 27

Topics for Wednesday, February 27

• Structuralist approach to fairy tales

Assignment due Wednesday, February 27

• AA, "The Magic Swan Geese," pp. 349-51
• CP, Propp
• (Optional: The Propp excerpt from the CP is taken from Propp's Morphology of the Folktale, which is one of the recommended books for this course. Except for the excerpt reproduced in the CP, you do not have to read this book [it is recommended, and not required, and we'll summarize the most important details for you in lecture], but if you'd like to read it, this is the best time to do so.)

Recitation, Thursday, February 28 and Friday, March 1

Topics for Thursday, February 28 and Friday, March 1

• Structuralist approach to fairy tales

Assignment due Thursday, February 28 and Friday, March 1

• AA, "The Crystal Mountain," pp. 482-84. As you read this tale in preparation for class, think about it from a structuralist perspective, looking for Proppian functions as listed and described in the Course Pack and the February 27 lecture. The focus of the recitation meeting will be your structuralist analysis of this tale.

Lecture, Monday, March 4

No class. Spring recess

Lecture, Wednesday, March 6

No class. Spring recess

Recitation, Thursday, March 7 and Friday, March 8

No class. Spring recess

Lecture, Monday, March 11

Topics for Monday, March 11

• Baba Yaga and Koshchey the Deathless

Assignment due Monday, March 11

• AA, "Baba Yaga and the Brave Youth," pp. 76-79
• AA, "Baba Yaga," pp. 194-95
• AA, "Koshchey the Deathless," pp. 485-93

Lecture, Wednesday, March 13

Topics for Wednesday, March 13

• Snow White Tales
• Film clip: Disney, Snow White (1937)

Assignment due Wednesday, March 13

• CP, Gilbert and Gubar
• BB, pp. 199-215

Recitation, Thursday, March 14 and Friday, March 15

Topics for Thursday, March 14 and Friday, March 15

• Baba Yaga and Koshchey the Deathless
• Snow White Tales

Assignment due Thursday, March 14 and Friday, March 15

• AA, "Vasilisa the Beautiful," pp. 439-47
• AA, "Maria Morevna," pp. 553-62

Lecture, Monday, March 18

Topics for Monday, March 18

• Film: Cohn, Snow White: A Tale of Terror (1997) (part 1)

Assignment due Monday, March 18

• All students who wish to submit extra-credit work must have discussed this work with an instructor by 5:00 p.m.
• On-line viewing guide to Snow White: A Tale of Terror (http://clover.slavic.pitt.edu/~tales/02-2/terror.html)

Lecture, Wednesday, March 20

Topics for Wednesday, March 20

• Film: Cohn, Snow White: A Tale of Terror (1997) (part 2)

Assignment due Wednesday, March 20

• No assigned reading

Recitation, Thursday, March 21 and Friday, March 22

Topics for Thursday, March 21 and Friday, March 22

• Discussion of Snow White: A Tale of Terror

Assignment due Thursday, March 21 and Friday, March 22

• None

Lecture, Monday, March 25

Topics for Monday, March 25

• Epics and byliny
• Film clip: Ptushko, The Sword and the Dragon (1956)

Assignment due Monday, March 25

• AA, "Ivan the Simpleton," pp. 142-45
• AA, "Foma Berennikov," pp. 284-87
• AA, "Ilya Muromets and the Dragon," pp. 569-75

Lecture, Wednesday, March 27

Topics for Wednesday, March 27

• Marxist approaches to fairy tales

Assignment due Wednesday, March 27

• CP, Zipes

Recitation, Thursday, March 28 and Friday, March 29

Topics for Thursday, March 28 and Friday, March 29

• Review for Examination #3

Assignment due Thursday, March 28 and Friday, March 29

• Review for Examination #3
• Write out two multiple-choice questions (four answers each; indicate the correct answer) plus one short essay question based on the material for Examination #3 and bring them to recitation. These questions will be collected and used in the in-class review, and good questions will earn a participation point.

Lecture, Monday, April 1

Topics for Monday, April 1

• Examination #3. Topics:
  • Stepmother tales
  • Cinderella tales
  • Snow White tales
  • Structuralism
  • Baba Yaga and Koshchey the Deathless
  • Epics
  • Marxist approaches to Fairy Tales
  • All tales read since Examination #2.
  • All materials presented in class since Examination #2 (film, art, etc.).

Assignment due Monday, April 1

• Review for Examination #3.

Lecture, Wednesday, April 3

Topics for Wednesday, April 3

• Sleeping Beauty tales
• Video clip: Sleeping Beauty (Ballet)

Assignment due Wednesday, April 3

• BB, 225-36
• AA, "Prince Ivan and Princess Martha," pp. 79-86
• AA, "The Enchanted Princess," pp. 600-11

Recitation, Thursday, April 4 and Friday, April 5

Topics for April 4 and Friday, April 5

• Literary fairy tales
• Ostrovskii, "The Snow Maiden"

Assignment due April 4 and Friday, April 5

• "The Snow Maiden", available on the web at http://clover.slavic.pitt.edu/~tales/snow_maiden.html

Special Meeting, Friday, April 5, 7:00 a.m.

Makeup Examinaton #3

Students who miss Examination #3 may take a makeup examination on this date at 7:00 a.m. in the Department of Slavic Languages, 1417 Cathedral of Learning. In order to be eligible to take a makeup examination, you must have notified one of the instructors of your intention to do so no later than the day after the regular examination. If you fail to notify the instructors, you may not take the makeup examination. There are no alternative or additional makeup examinations; if you must take a makeup examination, this is your opportunity to do so. See the Course Description for more information about makeup examinations.

Lecture, Monday, April 8

Topics for Monday, April 8

• Fairy Tales in verse
• Pushkin

Assignment due Monday, April 8

• CP, Pushkin, Tsar Saltan
• CP, Pushkin, The Golden Cockerel

Lecture, Wednesday, April 10

Topics for Wednesday, April 10

• Gogol'
• Film clip, Kropachev/Ptushko, Vij (1967)

Assignment due Wednesday, April 10

• CP, Gogol', "Vij"
• AA, "The Sorceress," pp. 567-68
• AA, "The Vampire," pp. 593-98

Recitation, Thursday, April 11 and Friday, April 12

Topics for Thursday, April 11 and Friday, April 12

• Tolstaya
• Mythical Birds

Assignment due Thursday, April 11 and Friday, April 12

• CP, "Date with a Bird"
• CP, "The Poet and the Muse"
• AA, "The Feather of Finist, the Bright Falcon, pp. 580-88

Lecture, Monday, April 15

Topics for Monday, April 15

• Sadur

Assignment due Monday, April 15

• CP, "The Cute Little Redhead"
• CP, "Rings"
• CP, "Silky Hair"
• CP, "The Witch's Tears"

Lecture, Wednesday, April 17

Topics for Wednesday, April 17

• Examination #4. Topics:
  • "Sleeping Beauty" tales
  • Literary tales
  • "Snow Maiden"
  • Pushkin, Gogol', Tolstaya, Sadur
  • BB and AA readings since Examination #3
  • All materials presented in class since Examination #3 (film, art, etc.)

Assignment due Wednesday, April 17

• Review for Examination #4
• Extra-credit assignments due by 1:00 p.m. Wednesday, April 17. If you haven't done so already, please hand it in on your way into class

Recitation, Thursday, April 18 and Friday, April 19

Topics for Thursday, April 18 and Friday, April 19

• Censored tales
• Course evaluation

Assignment due Thursday, April 18 and Friday, April 19

• Censored tales (handout)

Special Meeting, Wednesday, April 24, 8:00 a.m.

Makeup Examinaton #4

Students who miss Examination #4 may take a makeup examination on this date at 8:00 a.m. in the Department of Slavic Languages, 1417 Cathedral of Learning. In order to be eligible to take a makeup examination, you must have notified one of the instructors of your intention to do so no later than the day after the regular examination. If you fail to notify the instructors, you may not take the makeup examination. There are no alternative or additional makeup examinations; if you must take a makeup examination, this is your opportunity to do so. See the Course Description for more information about makeup examinations.