QUESTIONS

Please choose from one of the following:

Authority figures of various kindsfamilial, political, supernaturalare often featured in fairy tales. Choose two (or more) such figures from the assigned works in the fairy tale sections. Make an argument about these characters by analyzing how their authority functions in the work they are drawn from.  You might engage with some of the following questions:  what are the sources of the characters authority? How does the character use/abuse authority? Does the characters authority transform or shift in the course of the tale? Are there competing sources of power in the tale? How are conflicts in authority resolved?

Social categories (e.g., race, class, gender, as well as family/legal identities such as mother, stepmother, etc.) and their intersections (e.g., when a character exhibits multiple identity markers) provide a rich avenue to explore in many of the works we have studied. Choose two (or more) primary texts from the fairy tale sections and make an argument about how these roles are represented, questioned, critiqued, or [you fill in the blank].  In addition to paying attention to characterization, you may find imagery, symbolism, and/or setting useful to explore in your chosen works.

How can Gilbert and Gubars analytic concept of opposed-yet-linked characters be applied to two (or more) of the primary works assigned in the fairy tale sections? Make an argument about your findings. Character development is certainly an aspect of the works you should consider, but you might also think about setting; imagery; and symbolism in addressing this question.

Fairy tales often depend for their meanings on specific binary oppositions (e.g., between wild and tame, predators and prey, old and young, male and female, human and animal, etc.). However, fairy tales may also undermine such oppositions to allow for happy endings or other desired outcomes. Choose two (or more) fairy tales and make an argument about how they treat binary oppositions.