Fairy tales subject of films, talks at CU library
A series of film-showings and talks this fall will highlight one of the most highly regarded fairy tale collections in the country, which is held by the Special Collections Department in the University of Colorado at Boulder Libraries.
Encompassing French, German, English and Italian fairy tales, the collection includes a large number of 17th–20th century editions by Perrault, Madame d'Aulnoy, and Madame d'Auneuil, as well as the Brothers Grimm and the Italian Straparola.
Highlights of the collection include a 1700 Dutch edition of Charles Perrault's “Histoires ou Contes du temps passé,” and the unique 1697–98 first edition volume one of Madame d'Aulnoy’s “Contes des Fées.”
In 2009, Special Collections curated a major exhibition of fairy tales in honor of Professor Jacques Barchilon, professor emeritus of French and Italian, whose donations and expertise greatly enhanced the collection.
Impressed by the success of the exhibition, Alison Hicks, French librarian, and Holley Long, digital initiatives librarian, applied for a grant from Colorado Humanities, a nonprofit group, to digitize and promote this collection throughout Colorado.
A fall film and talk series forms part of the outreach and brings together fairy-tale scholars and enthusiasts from throughout the College of Art and Sciences.
All events are scheduled in the Norlin Library first floor east Commons, room E113. They are free and open to the public. Presentations include the following:
Mark Leiderman, associate professor of Germanic and Slavic Languages and Literatures, will show the Soviet film "The Stone Flower" directed by Alexander Ptushko on Oct. 13 from 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m.
The film is based on tales by Pavel Bazhov, a little-known Soviet writer from the Urals, the region where Leiderman is from. Leiderman teaches courses on Russian literature and culture of the 20th century.
Jacques Barchilon, professor emeritus of French and Italian, is one of the important pioneers of French fairy tale scholarship. Founding editor in 1987 of the scholarly journal Marvels and Tales, originally Merveilles et Contes, Barchilon has also edited several collections of fairy tales.
Suzanne Magnanini, assistant professor of French and Italian, won the 2010 Kayden Book Prize for Literature for her book, “Fairy Tale Science” (Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2008). The prize is awarded by the College of Arts and Sciences for the outstanding books published by its faculty in the field of literary criticism. Magnanini's book, on the crossings of fairy tales and science in the Renaissance, has already been hailed as a major contribution in the field. Barchilon and Mignanini will give a talk titled “Eroticism/Sexuality in Early Modern French and Italian Fairy Tales” on Oct. 21 from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
Vicki Grove, senior instructor of Germanic and Slavic Languages and Literatures, will show a Soviet film directed by Alkesandr Rou, “Morozko” or “Father Frost,” (1966) on Oct. 27 from 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. The film is loosely based on a Russian fairy tale of the same name. It features elements of popular folk belief as well as the colorful figure of Baba Yaga—the cannibalistic witch of Russian fairy tales. Grove’s primary research interests are in Dostoevsky, Russian folklore and Russian gothic literature.
Claudia Mills, associate professor of philosophy, has published widely on moral and philosophical questions in children’s literature. She loves occasions when she can bring her love of children’s literature into the philosophy classroom. In addition to her many scholarly articles, she is the author of 40 books for children, including “Makeovers by Marcia,” “Ziggy’s Blue-Ribbon Day,” “7 x 9 = Trouble!” and “Being Teddy Roosevelt.”
Her talk, “Sleeping Beauty Awakes: Unexpected Retellings in Recent Children’s Literature,” will be on Nov. 4 from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
Ann Schmiesing, associate professor and chair of Germanic and Slavic Languages and Literatures, will show the East German film “Die Goldene Gans” (“The Golden Goose,” 1964), directed by Siegried Hartmann. It is scheduled for Nov. 10 from 6:30 to 9 p.m. The film is based on the Brothers Grimm story of the same name. Her research interests include 18th and 19th-century German and Norwegian literature and culture.
This program is sponsored by Colorado Humanities, the National Endowment for the Humanities and the DEFA Film Library at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.
For more information, see http://ucblibraries.colorado.edu/fairytales/index.htm.
Encompassing French, German, English and Italian fairy tales, the collection includes a large number of 17th–20th century editions by Perrault, Madame d'Aulnoy, and Madame d'Auneuil, as well as the Brothers Grimm and the Italian Straparola.
Highlights of the collection include a 1700 Dutch edition of Charles Perrault's “Histoires ou Contes du temps passé,” and the unique 1697–98 first edition volume one of Madame d'Aulnoy’s “Contes des Fées.”
In 2009, Special Collections curated a major exhibition of fairy tales in honor of Professor Jacques Barchilon, professor emeritus of French and Italian, whose donations and expertise greatly enhanced the collection.
Impressed by the success of the exhibition, Alison Hicks, French librarian, and Holley Long, digital initiatives librarian, applied for a grant from Colorado Humanities, a nonprofit group, to digitize and promote this collection throughout Colorado.
A fall film and talk series forms part of the outreach and brings together fairy-tale scholars and enthusiasts from throughout the College of Art and Sciences.
All events are scheduled in the Norlin Library first floor east Commons, room E113. They are free and open to the public. Presentations include the following:
Mark Leiderman, associate professor of Germanic and Slavic Languages and Literatures, will show the Soviet film "The Stone Flower" directed by Alexander Ptushko on Oct. 13 from 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m.
The film is based on tales by Pavel Bazhov, a little-known Soviet writer from the Urals, the region where Leiderman is from. Leiderman teaches courses on Russian literature and culture of the 20th century.
Jacques Barchilon, professor emeritus of French and Italian, is one of the important pioneers of French fairy tale scholarship. Founding editor in 1987 of the scholarly journal Marvels and Tales, originally Merveilles et Contes, Barchilon has also edited several collections of fairy tales.
Suzanne Magnanini, assistant professor of French and Italian, won the 2010 Kayden Book Prize for Literature for her book, “Fairy Tale Science” (Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2008). The prize is awarded by the College of Arts and Sciences for the outstanding books published by its faculty in the field of literary criticism. Magnanini's book, on the crossings of fairy tales and science in the Renaissance, has already been hailed as a major contribution in the field. Barchilon and Mignanini will give a talk titled “Eroticism/Sexuality in Early Modern French and Italian Fairy Tales” on Oct. 21 from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
Vicki Grove, senior instructor of Germanic and Slavic Languages and Literatures, will show a Soviet film directed by Alkesandr Rou, “Morozko” or “Father Frost,” (1966) on Oct. 27 from 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. The film is loosely based on a Russian fairy tale of the same name. It features elements of popular folk belief as well as the colorful figure of Baba Yaga—the cannibalistic witch of Russian fairy tales. Grove’s primary research interests are in Dostoevsky, Russian folklore and Russian gothic literature.
Claudia Mills, associate professor of philosophy, has published widely on moral and philosophical questions in children’s literature. She loves occasions when she can bring her love of children’s literature into the philosophy classroom. In addition to her many scholarly articles, she is the author of 40 books for children, including “Makeovers by Marcia,” “Ziggy’s Blue-Ribbon Day,” “7 x 9 = Trouble!” and “Being Teddy Roosevelt.”
Her talk, “Sleeping Beauty Awakes: Unexpected Retellings in Recent Children’s Literature,” will be on Nov. 4 from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
Ann Schmiesing, associate professor and chair of Germanic and Slavic Languages and Literatures, will show the East German film “Die Goldene Gans” (“The Golden Goose,” 1964), directed by Siegried Hartmann. It is scheduled for Nov. 10 from 6:30 to 9 p.m. The film is based on the Brothers Grimm story of the same name. Her research interests include 18th and 19th-century German and Norwegian literature and culture.
This program is sponsored by Colorado Humanities, the National Endowment for the Humanities and the DEFA Film Library at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.
For more information, see http://ucblibraries.colorado.edu/fairytales/index.htm.