Course Syllabus

European Storytelling:

From Myth to Marvel

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Semester & Location:

Spring 2022 - DIS Copenhagen

Type & Credits:

Elective Course - 3 credits

Major Disciplines:

Classics, History, Literature

Prerequisite(s):

None

Faculty Member:

Bettina Sejbjerg Sommer, bss@dis.dk 

Program Coordinator:

Sanne Rasmussen, sra@dis.dk 

Time & Place:

Mondays & Thursdays 10:05 - 11:25 in Fi6-metro 06

Description of Course 

An introduction to the tradition of European storytelling, encompassing myths, fairytales and medieval legends; and how these traditional stories live on in fantasy, movies, role playing and other modern uses of storytelling. As well as introducing the stories in their historical context, the course will explore various theoretical approaches to them.

Course Content

This course, taught at the upper-division level, is an introduction to European oral tradition, as expressed in European myth-cycles, legends and fairytales, from the earliest known sources up to and including modern uses of this tradition.

After a brief introduction to the field, we will start with discussing fairy tales and folk tales. The reason for beginning with the fairy tales is that this allows us to introduce some of the main methods and theories for working with oral narratives, which will be relevant throughout the course. This encompasses the folkloristic methods and theories of Axel Olrik, Alan Dundes and Vladimir Propp.

We will continue with introductions to the main mythologies of Europe: Greek, Nordic and Celtic.

Parallel with the presentation of these mythological traditions, some of the major theoretical approaches will be introduced, such as the psychology of C.G. Jung and the Hero Pattern theories of Joseph Campbell, Otto Rank and Lord Raglan.

The purpose for this is to present these theories early on in the course, so that we may be able to apply them to the material presented in the rest of the course.

Therefore the beginning of the course will be weighted towards introducing theories, but in the second half of the course there will be an increased emphasis on introducing the story material itself, as well as its historical context.

We will continue with the great heroic legend cycles of the medieval age: King Arthur, the Nibelungenlied and the Volsung-cycle.

Finally, the course will move on to modern uses of traditional storytelling and how traditional stories live on in modern culture in the form of fantasy literature, movies, role-playing and computer games.

Faculty

Bettina Sejbjerg Sommer

Telephone: 6169 6973

E-mail: bss@dis.dk 

Bettina Sejbjerg Sommer is mag. art. in the History of Religion, University of Copenhagen 2006. She is a specialist in Folklore and Nordic Religion and has published articles on Nordic Religion in periodicals. She teaches Nordic Mythology at the University of Copenhagen and at DIS. With DIS since 2006.

Office Hours 

By appointment. Please call between 10 am and 10 pm or send an email.

Course Learning Objectives

At the end of the course, students should be able to:

  • Demonstrate a familiarity with all the major myth- and story cycles of European tradition
  • Demonstrate a familiarity with a variety of major theoretical schools
  • Demonstrate an understanding of the historical context of the various myth- and story cycles
  • Apply the theories to traditional texts of the type introduced in the course
  • Recognize the influence of traditional texts in other, more modern forms of literature
  • Apply certain of the theories to these other forms of literature as well
  • Compose a research paper which will demonstrate ability to independently identify and analyze a problem-field in traditional literature, using an appropriate theoretical approach

Class Format

Lectures, questions and answers, and class discussion. Field Studies. Examinations, quizzes, and research papers.

Reading Assignments

The reading for each class meeting is indicated in the Canvas course calendar and can be found on Canvas under files and through links in the syllabus. Students are expected to have done the reading before each class and to be active participants in class discussion.

Please print out all these readings and bring them to class on paper during the assigned class.

You need to bring the texts to class on paper, because I have a no laptop policy in class. If any of you need to use a laptop because of learning-related issues, talk to me, and we will make an arrangement.

Written Assignment

This Research Paper of 6-7 pages is on a topic selected by the student together with the instructor. The purpose of this paper is to allow the student to work in-depth on a specific topic of special interest.

It is important that you read the document "Storytelling Research Paper", which can be found under "Files."

To help you in the writing process of the research paper, you will have the opportunity to sign up for a consultation session of 10 minutes. There time slots within which you can select your 10 minute session will be announced later.

Tests

Tests

  • Two essays of app. 600 words each on a topic given by the instructor. The topics will be announced on the days indicated in the syllabus and are to be submitted in Canvas at the end of the same day.
  • Final two-hour exam: two essays of app. 600 words each on topics given by the instructor. The topics will be announced on the day and time indicated in the syllabus, and much be submitted in Canvas max. two hours after the announcement time.

 

Field Studies

  • Screening of relevant movie
  • Trip to Glyptoteket

Time and place will be announced in the calendar.

Please note that participation in both field studies is mandatory. Exams and quizzes will contain questions which have only been addressed on field studies.

Grading Elements

Assignment

Percent

Class Attendance and Participation

15%

Short essay 1

10%

 Short essay 2

10%

Research Paper (6-7 pages)

35%

Final Exam

30%

Please note: All written assignments, quizzes and exams MUST be completed to pass course.

General Information

Assignments must be delivered in Canvas on time, which is at midnight on the day due. Late papers will be penalized by a third of a grade per day, e.g. an A- papir three days late will count as a B- paper.

The Research Paper should be submitted in Canvas.

Papers must be written in accordance with the conventions listed in the MLA Handbook (available from DIS reference-library) and general guidelines of DIS. Bibliographies and endnotes are mandatory.

Schedule is subject to change if necessary with as much notice as possible. 

Laptops

In the interest of concentration and participation, the use of laptops will not be permitted in this class. Note-taking will have to be on paper. I expect your understanding and cooperation in this.

Cell phones and other electronic devices should be turned off and stored away.

If for some reason you feel that you require a laptop for note-taking, please talk to me, and an arrangement can be made, provided that you sit in the front row.

Readings

In addition to the readings listed, we will vote on a topic within contemporary fantasy, which you will be expected to familiarize yourselves with, so that you can participate in a discussion of the story by the end of the semester :) 

Novel

J.R.R. Tolkien: The Hobbit.

Text Collection (binder)

Please note: not all binder texts are mandatory.

1: Thury, Eva & Margaret Devinney: What is myth? In: Thury, Eva & Margaret Devinney: Introduction to Mythology. Oxford: OUP, 2009. P. 3-20.

2: Zipes, Jack (ed.): The complete fairy tales of the brothers Grimm. Bantam Books, 1987. P. xviii-xxvi; 104-107, 250-268.

3: Olrik, Axel: Epic laws of folk narrative.In: Dundes, Alan (ed.): The Study of Folklore. Englewood Cliffs: Prectice-Hall, 1965. P. 129-141.

4: Dundes, Alan: The Motif-Index and the Tale Type Index: A Critique. In: Brown, Mary Ellen (ed.): Journal of Folklore Research, Vol. 34, No. 3 September-December 1997. Bloomington, Indiana: Indiana University Folklore Institute, 1997. P. 195-202.

5: Lacoss, Jann: Propp applied to Harry Potter. In: Lana Whited (ed.): The Ivory Tower and Harry Potter. University of Missouri Press, 2004.

6: The Morphology of the Folktale – Vladimir Propp. In: Thury, Eva & Margaret Devinney: Introduction to Mythology. Oxford: OUP, 2009.

7: Homer: The Odyssey. London, Penguin, 1988. P. 142-154.

8: Ovid: Metamorphoses. Trans. by A. S. Kline. From Project Gutenberg: www.gutenberg.org

9: Thury, Eva & Margaret Devinney: Man and His Symbols. In: Thury, Eva & Margaret Devinney: Introduction to Mythology. Oxford: OUP, 2009. P. 468-484.

10: Thury, Eva & Margaret Devinney: Heroes and Tricksters. The Hero with a Thousand Faces. In: Thury, Eva & Margaret Devinney: Introduction to Mythology. Oxford: OUP, 2009

11: Thury, Eva & Margaret Devinney: Hero Patterns of Rank and Raglan. In: Thury, Eva & Margaret Devinney: Introduction to Mythology. Oxford: OUP, 2009.

12: Excerpt from Peter Madsen et al, "Valhalla 1. Ulven er løs". Bagsværd, 1979,

pp. 3-10. Transl. Bettina Sommer.

13: Characters in the Edda, by Bettina Sommer.

14: Snorri Sturluson: Edda. London, Everyman, 2002. P. 37-52, 59-64.

15: The Saga of the Volsungs. The Norse Epic of Sigurd the Dragon Slayer. Introduction and Translation by Jesse L. Byock. Berkeley: Univ. of California Press, 1990. P. 55-72; 78-84.

16: The Nibelungenlied. Trans by A. T. Hatto. London, Penguin, 1966. P. 17-32, 53-54, 87-93.

17: Burns, Marjorie: Bridges, gates and doors. In: Perilous Realms, Univ. of Toronto Press, 2005.

18: Characters in the Mabinogion, by Bettina Sommer.

19: The Mabinogion. Trans. by Sioned Davies. OUP, 2007. The First Branch of the Mabinogi, p. 3-21

20: Malory, Thomas: Le Morte D´Arthur. Ware, Hertfordshire: Wordsworth Ed. Ltd., 1996. a: Malory p. 1-9, 151-152, 166-170, 178-179, 742-746. b: Malory. P. 563-571, 664-672.

21: De Troyes, Chrétien: Perceval. The Story of the Grail. Trans. by Burton Raffel. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1999. P. 101-105.

22: Introduction to the Silmarillion, by Bettina Sommer.

23: Tolkien, J.R.R.: The Silmarillion: Valaquenta. Allen & Unwin, 1977. P. 25-32.

24: Shippey, Tom: Tolkien and the appeal of the pagan: Edda and Kalevala. In: Jane Chance (ed.): Tolkien and the Invention of Myth. Lexington, Kentucky: University Press of Kentucky, 2004. P. 145-161.

25: Burns, Marjorie J.: Norse and Christian gods: the interactive theology of J.R.R. Tolkien. In: Jane Chance (ed.): Tolkien and the Invention of Myth. Lexington, Kentucky: University Press of Kentucky, 2004. P. 163-178.

26: Grimes, M. Katherine: Harry Potter – Fairy tale prince, Real boy, and Archetypal hero. In: Lana Whited (ed.): The Ivory Tower and Harry Potter. University of Missouri Press, 2004. P. 89-122.

Academic Regulations  

Please make sure to read the Academic Regulations on the DIS website. There you will find regulations on: 

 

DIS - Study Abroad in Scandinavia - www.DISabroad.org

 

Course Summary:

Date Details Due