NEWBERRY LIBRARY FOLKTALE AND LITERATURE SEMINARS
Welcome to a description of seminars at the Newberry Library taught by
Joyce Goldenstern.
The
Brothers Grimm and Folktales: Though
first collected in the nineteenth century in
Interpreting European Folktales: This course will focus on the act and art of interpreting folktales. Using studies by Marie Van Franz and Max Luthe, we will specifically consider psychological and structural interpretations. But we will also note other view points: allegorical, feminist, deconstructionist and so forth. The primary focus will be on the European tales collected by Steth Thompson. However, these European tales will be contrasted with tales from other continents as well as literary adaptations. (Course taught summer 1999)
Magic in Folk and Fiction: We will explore the "magic" in folktales as a source of inspiration for the "magic" in fiction. Of special interest will be versions of "Little Red Riding Hood" and their inspiration to Angela Carter's "The Company of Wolves," Tanith Lee's "Wolfland," and Gabriella Garcia Marquez's "Innocent Erindera." We will read a couple of other stories by Marquez, trying to understand their roots in folklore (Course taught Spring 2002.)
Introduction to the Poetry of T. S. Eliot: How do you read a modern poem? T. S. Eliot's The Wasteland, published in 1922, now a classic, is often cited as the quintessential modern epic poem. Its predecessor "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" is Eliot's first experiment with some of the techniques and themes of modern poetry. Eliot's poetry can be challenging, sensual, prudish, intelligent, witty. We shall first encounter humor in "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" -- the title itself speaks volumes of Eliot's ability to mix, prudery, formality, irony, and humor. How to read a modern poem will be one of the main problems that we address through discussion, short journal entries, lecture, and film clips. (Summer 2002, Summer 2005)
Introduction to the Poetry of Walt Whitman:“Loos’d of limits and imaginary lines” – these uncompromising words from Walt Whitman’s Song of the Open Road announce his independence and embrace the democratic and expansive spirit of nineteenth century America. The nation’s first great poet, Whitman spoke the American idiom and celebrated America’s people and geography with inclusive and exuberant spirit. A wisdom figure to the Beats of the 1950s, Whitman is essential to understanding the origins of American literature. “His barbaric Yelp” and the spiritual yearnings of his poetry will startle and inspire. (Summer 2006).
Introduction to the Poetry of Emily Dickinson: My Life Had Stood a Loaded Gun. Dickinson’s metaphor of “a loaded gun” suggests a much different understanding of her life and work from the usual stereotypes: demure spinster, droll maiden, eccentric poetess. Being one of the first great American poets, Dickinson’s poetry is essential to defining and understanding the origins of American literature. Through time, her solitary life has lent itself to different stories – lost loves, cold parenting, Puritan repression, feminine oppression, feminist power – sometimes providing insight into her sensibilities and sometimes saying more about the needs of the societies which invented such diverse interpretations. We will read about Dickinson’s life and controversies surrounding the publication of her poems as a way to inform our understanding of her remarkable poetry. (Summer 2007)
The Short Story: Two Contemporary Masters: Raymond Carver and Alice Munro have been called “totemic writers” – writers “able to excite recognition even in readers who grew up in times and societies very different from [theirs].” Their work provides the opportunity to explore philosophical issues associated with contemporary short fiction – issues such as “the death of the author,” the arbitrary nature of story telling, the gendering of language, and minimalism – and to enjoy precisely crafted stories about love, friendship, family, class, and gender. (Spring 2003)
Red Riding Hood: Deconstructing and Reconstructing a Tale: A single folktale will offer us a portal to a number of provocative issues relating to criticism, story telling, myth making, and popular culture. Seemingly a children’s tale, “Little Red Riding Hood” introduces themes of evil, sexuality, otherness, avarice, and intergenerational strife, making it an inexhaustible source of inspiration for modern fiction, poetry, film, as well as advertising campaigns. Of special interest will be folktale versions of "Little Red Riding Hood" and their deconstructions and reconstructions by authors Angela Carter, Tanith Lee, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Anne Sexton and Olga Broumas, and by filmmakers Neil Jordan, Ruy Guerra, and Kritof Kieslowski. (Summer 2003)
T. S. Eliot’s Four Quartets: Written after his religious conversion
and toward the end of his life, Eliot’s Four Quartets asks us to consider the paradoxes of religious mystical
experience as well as to appreciate this poet’s stunning gift of language.
(Summer 2008)
Flowering
Judas: The Collected Stories of Katherine Anne Porter: The title of one of Porter’s
most remembered stories – “Flowering Judas” –
introduces the theme of betrayal, both personal betrayal and historical. Born
in 1890, Porter witnessed and experienced key 20th century events
first hand: the devastation of the South, the Mexican Revolution, the influenza
epidemic of 1918, Berlin just before the outbreak of World War II to name a few.
She wrote about these events in the modernist style, with penetrating insight
into character, and with poignant images and language. (Summer
2009).
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Contact: jkaygolden@earthlink.net
Update: June 2009
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