Once Upon a Time: Fairy Tales and Their Magic

Instructor: Barbara Kalis
March 11, 13, 15
1-3 p.m.

“Once Upon a Time” – words that conjure up evil stepmothers, good fairies, dragons and dwarves, handsome princes rescuing beautiful princesses, and Happily Ever Afters.  But what if the fairy tales your parents read to you at bedtime are not what was originally written?  What if the little mermaid sacrifices her immortality and her voice for the prince she loves who ultimately jilts her, causing her to throw herself into the sea?  What if the ugly stepsisters cut off their toes to fit into the glass slipper and it isn’t until the prince notices the coach floor covered in blood that he realizes that the shoe doesn’t fit?  What were these stories intended to teach?  How is the culture of 250 years ago, when they started to be written down, reflected in the lessons fairy tales were intended to teach?  Who was the audience for these stories anyway?  Hint:  it wasn’t always children!  What caused the shift in focus from adults to children?  Where do these stories come from anyway? What do we learn about treatment of women, views of men, how children are to behave, who has worth and who doesn’t?  What did we grow up with anyway?  This course will explore fairy tales, the origins of these stories, and why they were written in the first place.  And perhaps answer the question “Why do we still remember them?”

Barbara Kalis, Associate Director of the Lifelong Learning Program, is an avid reader born in part from the many fairy tales her mother read her before bed.  Grimm’s Fairy Tales, Hans Christian Andersen and others were precious tales and joined many books on her bookshelf.  Barbara succumbed to the lure of Mexico for retirement, which gave her time to explore all those topics that have interested her all these years.  It is no surprise to her that Fairy Tales, a course that has been waiting in the wings, now takes center stage!