ENG 110 - Myth, Legend, and Folklore for Storytellers and Gamers

1.00

In this course we will focus on the folklore of the European continent. The term “folklore” will be considered in its broadest sense to include folk narratives, rituals, customs, traditions, and beliefs. Although our central focus will be verbal lore, we will study folk art, traditional festivals, and folk costume. Special emphasis will be given to food traditions. The verbal lore read and discussed will include animal tales, fairy tales, legends, myths, riddles, jokes, and proverbs. Students will learn to prepare ancient Slavic dishes: kutia, blini, kasha, and kvas. The European fairy tale will be a centerpiece of the course. Students can expect to read and write about tales from Russia, Ukraine, Germany, France, Italy, and Poland. Readings in these traditions will be extensive. In addition to the tales themselves, students will become acquainted with major theoretical approaches to studying folklore. These approaches include the works of Vladimir Propp, Claude Lévi-Strauss, Bruno Bettelheim, Karen Rowe, Alison Lurie, Max Lüthi, Carl Jung, and others. The transposition of traditional narratives into modern poetry, film, and visual art will complement our study. (Group III)