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fandomhigh2007-04-01 11:20 pm
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Traditional Fairy Tales, Class Twelve (04/02)
Monday, April 2, Period Two
Students, upon entering the classroom, discover that it is decorated in a strange mixture of very "boyish" sports themes and very "girlish" flowers and kittens. Aziraphale looks a little apologetic, as he stands to begin the lecture.
"As you may be able to tell from the unusual decorations, today we'll be discussing Gender Roles in fairy tales. There are, of course, exceptions to every rule, so please keep in mind that not every tale will fit the models we discuss today."
LECTURE: "Most fairy tales separate the genders into very traditional roles, according to whether they fulfill the purpose of hero or villain. Male heroic figures are generally either princes or poor but clever youths. They are adventurous, brave, and demonstrate an ability to overcome obstacles through the use of cleverness and often deceit. They fight, solve problems, find treasure, rescue princesses, and outwit monsters and witches. Male villains are very often monstrous -- giants, ogres, dragons, trolls -- and are gluttonous, lustful and wrathful. Both the heros and the villians share very stereotypical 'male' traits as well: skills in weaponry, outdoorsmanship, and the handling of animals; an interest in treasure or leadership; positions of social power. Even the poor 'Jack' figures are often the male representative in the household.
"Female heroic figures usually rely on their wits and their womanly skills. They use their ability to sew, cook and tend children in order to reach their goals. They generally do not use conventional weapons or go out into the world on adventures, and they are often put into the position of being the 'prize' or 'reward' in a story. Their lives are controlled by a male figure -- father, brother, husband, etc. Female villains are nearly always either evil sorceresses or hags, who cast curses and spells. They are motivated by jealousy, vanity, and greed."
CLASS DISCUSSION: "Using the three tales assigned for today's reading: "Rushencoatie", "Johnny Gloke", and "Baba Yaga"", choose a male character and a female character and discuss how they are portrayed in the stories. How do they represent the traditional stereotypes of men and women as they appear in fairy tales?
"To start you off, I'll give two examples, from earlier reading assignments. In "Little Snow White", the evil queen is an excellent example of the stereotypical Female Villain. She practices witchcraft, an art associated with women much more strongly than with men. She is motivated by her personal vanity, believing herself to be the most beautiful woman in the land until Snow White comes of age. To rid herself of her rival, she does not attempt to kill the girl with her own hands, but rather first sends a loyal male figure to do it for her, and then later uses a potion -- related to the art of cooking -- to create a poison apple. Instead of fighting, she employs disguise and subterfuge as her weapons.
In "Jack and the Beanstalk", the Male Hero is the only male in his household, therefore holding the traditional position of power in what would be his most immediate world. He exhibits bravery in setting off alone to climb the beanstalk, and although he doesn't fight with the giant directly, he does make use of an axe to bring down the beanstalk and kill his enemy."
READING ASSIGNMENT: "Read "The Fairy Serpent". We will meet next week in the Danger Shop for another Immersion Study.
ABSENCE LIST:
Matilda Wormwood (five absences) excused
Jude Lizowski (one absence)
[ooc:Please wait for OCD is up and class is now in session.]
Syllabus
Class Roster
Linkdrop for classes
Students, upon entering the classroom, discover that it is decorated in a strange mixture of very "boyish" sports themes and very "girlish" flowers and kittens. Aziraphale looks a little apologetic, as he stands to begin the lecture.
"As you may be able to tell from the unusual decorations, today we'll be discussing Gender Roles in fairy tales. There are, of course, exceptions to every rule, so please keep in mind that not every tale will fit the models we discuss today."
LECTURE: "Most fairy tales separate the genders into very traditional roles, according to whether they fulfill the purpose of hero or villain. Male heroic figures are generally either princes or poor but clever youths. They are adventurous, brave, and demonstrate an ability to overcome obstacles through the use of cleverness and often deceit. They fight, solve problems, find treasure, rescue princesses, and outwit monsters and witches. Male villains are very often monstrous -- giants, ogres, dragons, trolls -- and are gluttonous, lustful and wrathful. Both the heros and the villians share very stereotypical 'male' traits as well: skills in weaponry, outdoorsmanship, and the handling of animals; an interest in treasure or leadership; positions of social power. Even the poor 'Jack' figures are often the male representative in the household.
"Female heroic figures usually rely on their wits and their womanly skills. They use their ability to sew, cook and tend children in order to reach their goals. They generally do not use conventional weapons or go out into the world on adventures, and they are often put into the position of being the 'prize' or 'reward' in a story. Their lives are controlled by a male figure -- father, brother, husband, etc. Female villains are nearly always either evil sorceresses or hags, who cast curses and spells. They are motivated by jealousy, vanity, and greed."
CLASS DISCUSSION: "Using the three tales assigned for today's reading: "Rushencoatie", "Johnny Gloke", and "Baba Yaga"", choose a male character and a female character and discuss how they are portrayed in the stories. How do they represent the traditional stereotypes of men and women as they appear in fairy tales?
"To start you off, I'll give two examples, from earlier reading assignments. In "Little Snow White", the evil queen is an excellent example of the stereotypical Female Villain. She practices witchcraft, an art associated with women much more strongly than with men. She is motivated by her personal vanity, believing herself to be the most beautiful woman in the land until Snow White comes of age. To rid herself of her rival, she does not attempt to kill the girl with her own hands, but rather first sends a loyal male figure to do it for her, and then later uses a potion -- related to the art of cooking -- to create a poison apple. Instead of fighting, she employs disguise and subterfuge as her weapons.
In "Jack and the Beanstalk", the Male Hero is the only male in his household, therefore holding the traditional position of power in what would be his most immediate world. He exhibits bravery in setting off alone to climb the beanstalk, and although he doesn't fight with the giant directly, he does make use of an axe to bring down the beanstalk and kill his enemy."
READING ASSIGNMENT: "Read "The Fairy Serpent". We will meet next week in the Danger Shop for another Immersion Study.
ABSENCE LIST:
Jude Lizowski (one absence)
[ooc:
Syllabus
Class Roster
Linkdrop for classes
Re: Talk to the TAs
"Professor Aziraphale, what could I have possibly gotten into over the weekend?" It was more what she had got out of... or maybe the fact that she had gotten into this host was what he meant? She wondered if she was going to have to cast the same spell on him that she had cast on the boyfriend. "Sir, what exactly is wrong?"
Briana made sure she was calm and polite -- just like any other student she had observed.
Re: Talk to the TAs
Pulling up a chair, Aziraphale sat down, and leaned foward toward Phoebe. "Miss Halliwell, or whomever you are, I think you'd best tell me what's going on right now."
[ooc: Feel completely free to try and cast a spell on Phale, or do anything else you think would be IC for Briana. ;)]
Re: Talk to the TAs
"I think that you are having a very stressful day, Professor Aziraphale," Briana said with a worried smile at him.
After making sure none of the other students could see what she was doing, she pointed her fingers at him like she had done with Cole, and Madeline did the same thing. Their eyes flared pinkish-purple and pink light shot towards him and the chair. "Forget," they said together in Latin.
Re: Talk to the TAs
This was neither the time nor the place to confront whatever was affecting the three girls. They seemed to be unharmed, and he hadn't heard any reports about attacks lately. So perhaps the thing to do was to let them continue to believe that they were fooling people. Or that he at least had no interest in making a fuss. It would give him time to think, and to find out what was going on.
"I think perhaps it's time for the three of you to get back to your classwork," Aziraphale suggested, rising from his chair and giving all three girls a hard look.
Re: Talk to the TAs
This teacher was very prevalent in her host's memories, but Briana did get the opinion that it wasn't because she wanted to sleep with him. Therefore, she had no desire to push things with him as she had with the boyfriend. It was enough to know that he was done with the suspicious questions and that he was apparently affected by what she and Madeline had done.