Once Upon a Time – Fairy Tales of the World Tell me a story! We will examine the complex, inter-connected folk fairy tale traditions found in every society. Comparing fairy tale variants from around the world, we will explore their convoluted and fertile relationships as observed in the rise of fairytale collections in 15th Century Europe, reaching a culmination in the Brothers Grimm collection, often synonymous with the fairy tale itself.  To attain a more dispassionate critical stance we will explore theoretical approaches to the fairy tales by such authers as Jack Zipes, Ruth Bottigheimer, Maria Tatar, and Kay Stone, and conclude by examining modern variants in prose, poetry, and film.

Introduction to World Literature This course is an introduction to the critical analysis of imaginative literature of the world, the dissemination of themes and myths, and the role of translation as the medium for reaching different cultures. Through the careful reading of selected classic texts from a range of Western and non-Western cultures, students will deepen their understanding and appreciation of the particular texts under consideration, while developing a critical vocabulary with which to discuss and write about these texts, both as unique artistic achievements of individual and empathetic imagination and as works affected by, but also transcending their historical periods.

Once Upon A Time ... Folk Fairy Tales Of The World Tell me a story! We will examine the complex, inter-connected fairy tale traditions found in every society. Comparing fairy tale variants from around the world-including Japan, China, India, Near East, Africa-we will explore their convoluted and fertile relationships as observed in the rise of fairy tale collections in 15th-century Europe, reaching a culmination in the Brothers Grimm collection, often synonymous with the fairy tale itself. To attain a more dispassionate critical perspective we will explore theoretical approaches to the fairy tales through authors such as Zipes, Bottigheimer, Tatar, and Rölleke, and conclude by examining modern variants in prose, poetry, and film.

Roger Russi

Reviews and ratings for Roger Russi at Middlebury College.Roger Russi teaches Fairy Tales of the World, Intro to World Literature, Folk-Fairy Tales of the World and more.  Explore top rated instructors and find the best for you.Is Roger Russi good ? Find out on MiddCourses.

Fairy tales of the world was a very interesting class. I took it as my first year seminar but I felt the reading expectations were a bit excessive, spanning from chapter due the next day or presentations that were a bit wierd.

Fun J-term. You look at different versions of childhood fairy tales and then get to write your own at the end! Prof is very fun adn engaging, ton of group work, great j term pick and gets you a CMP and LIT

This class had a great mix of readings that broke out of what I would typically expect in a 101 literature class - which I highly enjoyed and appreciated. The texts worked nicely together which made writing the essays much easier, and the opportunity for rewrites for points took pressure off. Overall the class was pretty enjoyable, occasionally the class itself could be slow if it was more lecture than discussion based but that kind of just depended on the day. 