Reading and discussion of Hans Christian Andersen's major works, including fairy tales, short stories, novels, autobiographies, and diaries. Reading and discussion in English.

Hans Christian Andersen is one of Scandinavia's best known authors, widely beloved for his fairy tales. In this course, we delve into this enthralling collection of stories, and explore the interaction between HC Andersen as storyteller and the rich folklore traditions of Scandinavia and Europe with which he was in dialogue. Andersen's authorship stretched far beyond the fairy tale, and included poetry, drama, short stories, travel descriptions and novels. Casting an eye toward the past, Andersen was enthralled by classical art. Casting an eye toward the future, he was equally fascinated by innovation and the possibilities of technology. Andersen's artistic expression was not solely limited to writing and storytelling--he was also a material artist, and his paper cutouts have been an increasing field of exploration for Andersen scholars. Andersen lived during a time of extraordinary social and artistic change in Denmark, the Nordic region and throughout the world. We will situate his work in this rapidly changing cultural context, and at the same time explore the increasingly global reception of his work. Andersen was apparently not an easy person to get along with and we will, among other things, spend some time exploring his friendship--and its complete collapse--with Charles Dickens. We will of course also explore the intersection of Andersen's life and his authorship with film, both in various biographical depictions of Andersen in film and, more popularly, the impact Andersen's tales have had on global animation and entertainment, from Disney world to animated features such as "The Little Mermaid", "Frozen," and "Frozen II". We will try to secure a guest appearance by Elsa or, depending on weather, Olaf. This course consists of lectures and in-class discussions. There will be assigned texts and supplemental materials for each class meeting. Occasionally, there will be a film viewing or other at-home project. Readings and lectures will form the basis of the midterm and final paper, so class attendance and participation is essential.

Repeat Rules

Course is not repeatable for credit.

Requirements class fulfills