My parents have long been fans of The Great Courses classes and have exhausted the history and art offerings there. Rewatching is one of their tasks before a trip, too.
I've always wished for a fairy tale related course offering. The closest option they have is Masterpieces of the Imaginative Mind: Literature’s Most Fantastic Works which contains a lecture on the Grimms as well as one on Propp. I admit my knowledge was already beyond what was offered here, but that's because this is what I do. It's a fine course, all the same. I haven't tried The Art of Storytelling: From Parents to Professionals, but that one also interests, despite my many forays into storytelling in the past. It, too, offers lectures on fairy tales and myth. I'd love to hear them.
Anyway, there is a new course now available: Heroes and Legends: The Most Influential Characters of Literature. It doesn't focus on fairy tales either. But lecture 22 is "Fairy-Tale Heroines—New-Style Princesses". The lecture description includes Angela Carter and Margaret Atwood (surprise! not!) so this would be of interest to readers here, too.
And, no, I'm not affiliated with The Great Courses. I'm just reminded every time I see them how much I'd love to offer a fairy tale course to the web. A lecture series open to the world on fairy tale themes would be awesome, wouldn't it? With guest lectures from all of those awesome professors who have taught classes to students over and over again. That way no one professor would have to reveal their entire lecture syllabus to the world, of course. I admit I collect syllabus outlines--or I used to--I haven't done a search for them in a while.
I dream big, don't I?
It would be pretty cool!
ReplyDeleteI want the same thing! Every semester I do a search over at Coursera to see if there is a "fairy-tale" themed class, and always to no avail. I will be there to sign up as soon as you put together your dream-team for such a course. ;)
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