In celebration of Halloween, we are pleased to present this discussion about fairy tales. Fairy tales and folklore are prevalent across cultures and history, dating back thousands of years. In this talk, we will discuss the history of fairy tales in Western Europe and some of the disagreements that have occurred over defining the genre. Then, using Grimm’s Fairy Tales as our reference, we will discuss the major themes typically found in fairy tales. How are heroes and villains represented in such stories, how are women characterized, and what are the portrayals of family and family roles? We look forward to this talk revisiting many of the stories that we have grown up with, but be forewarned these tales may not be quite what you remember from their Disney renditions.
This talk was presented with Dr Katelyn Arac for History Indoors on 2 November 2022.
Dr Johanna Strong 