The Final Blog: A Bittersweet Goodbye

One of my favorite fairy tales: The Swan Maiden

Hi, guys! I can’t believe it’s already been fourteen weeks. We’ve grown so much in a short period of time, and, while I can’t say I’m not excited about the prospect of summer, this ending is bittersweet: it’s sad to say goodbye. I have enjoyed my time in this class, reading and analyzing these stories. But I think I’m also ready to move on. At the beginning of class (the first blog), I said I hoped to learn more about different versions of fairy tales and different cultures from different perspectives. I’d say I have successfully accomplished these goals. I have read countless stories, and I can honestly say that I spent enough time with them - I read them thoroughly. I know so much more about stories in general, more than just their plot structures and similar patterns of events. I know more about different cultures through their stories, including Kenyan, Jewish, Native American, Indian, Arabian stories and more. My knowledge-base has grown exponentially, in many different ways.



I had no idea about the scholarship behind fairy tales and folk tales. When talking about analysis, as an English major, I normally think of literary analysis first and foremost. But there are so many different types of analysis, especially concerning fairy tales. You can look at the structure, morphology, or origin. I learned about the tale-type index (ATU) and in doing so discovered that many stories from different cultures have the same archetypes, the same motifs. All around the world, in all times of human existence, people have been telling the same stories, just with slight differences based on the culture and time period. I also learned about Vladimir Propp’s functions of the dramatis personae, the idea that stories follow the same type of plot-structure. You can also look at analyzing psychology behind fairy tales. They have healing power, showing kids about themselves that would be difficult to understand otherwise. Thanks to our lovely friend Bettelheim (and I mean that as sarcastically as possible), I know way more about the oedipal complex than I ever wanted to. And, besides those two, there are other types of analyses and perspectives to look at fairy tales from, including feminist, religious, etc.

I think this class has helped me improve as a person. It helped to determine the power and importance of storytelling, especially in the building of communities, entertaining peoples, and teaching (cultural) lessons. Every class period, I practiced my analytical kills a LOT. I compared and contrasted the modern world with the past and with the fairy tale world; by now, I’m very used to looking at the difference between fantasy and reality. I think my favorite parts of the class were looking at the non-western fairy tales because they allowed me to explore things new to me. Most of those stories I had never heard of before. Through them, I got to explore other peoples, other cultures that were different from my own. Even though these stories were different from the ones I’d heard as a child, reading them let me feel more connection with the world. We are all united through are stories; stories are linked to a community’s culture, their history. Everyone tells stories, and I feel like a more informed citizen. I’m glad for this knowledge I gained. Even though it was a lot of hard work, it was magical, guys. I’ll miss ya!