Nancy Canepa is associate professor of Italian at Dartmouth College. Her publications include From Court to Forest: Giambattista Basile and the Birth of the Literary Fairy Tale (Wayne State University Press, 1999), Out of the Woods: The Origins of the Literary Fairy Tale in Italy and France (Wayne State University Press, 1997), and the translation of Giambattista Basile's The Tale of Tales (Wayne State University Press, 2007).
Teaching Fairy Tales is an inspiring volume and a testimony to
Nancy Canepa's vision and scholarship. She brings together the
voices of both world-leading and new scholars, thereby providing a
wealth of material on the teaching of fairy tales that is original,
creative and multidisciplinary. This volume is a major contribution
to the field and a demonstration of the tremendous pedagogical
significance of fairy-tale studies both within and beyond the
context of the humanities.--Lorenza Gianfrancesco "Gramarye: The
Chichester Centre for Fairy Tales, Fantasy, and Speculative
Fiction"
Teaching Fairy Tales is an extremely useful and much needed volume
in the burgeoning field of fairy tale studies, full of good ideas
and useful, practical examples, clearly presented from a variety of
approaches and organized to make it easy for instructors to find
useful materials. Anyone who teaches fairy tales from any
disciplinary perspective will find this volume valuable. This
reviewer will definitely make use of it in the classroom.--Timothy
H. Evans "Western Folklore"
Teaching Fairy Tales is an outstanding collection. In addition to
solid scholarship, the detailed descriptions of activities and
frank
narration about courses give the collection the feel of a lively
conversation among colleagues. Both new and experienced
undergraduate instructors will enjoy the straightforward language
and the common structure among most essays that clearly outlines
course descriptions, objectives, and activities. This collection
would make an excellent addition to the shelf of any instructor who
wants to teach fairy tales for the first time, or who simply wants
to continue refining their current pedagogical strategies.--Jessica
Stanley Neterer "Journal of the Fantastic in the Arts"
Teaching Fairy Tales will assist teachers at many educational
levels in guiding students to defamiliarize popular tales, conduct
critical readings, enjoy creative intellectual projects, and
contextualize fairy tales in their sociohistorical, ideological,
and cognitive conflicts and contributions to society. But don't
take my word for it. Put it to use and enjoy it for yourself.--Jill
Rudy "Journal of Folklore Research"
Aimed at instructors of undergraduate classes, this book provides
comprehensive guidance on using fairy tales to engage students and
further critical inquiry and learning. The introductory section,
"Foundations of Fairy-Tale Studies," provides historical and
cultural context for fairy tales and introduces key issues in fairy
tale studies by such notable figures as Donald Haase, Maria Tatar,
and Jack Zipes. The second section of the book, "Teaching and
Learning with Fairy Tales," comprises essays describing and
addressing the teaching of fairy tales. Many include sample
handouts and assignments, and an entire chapter consists of sample
syllabi, all of which serve as useful and practical examples for
instructors who want to incorporate fairy tales into their
classrooms. The contributors hail from a variety of disciplines,
including English, French, German, and Italian literature, as well
as classical studies, economics, and education, each one
representing different approaches to fairy tales and to teaching.
While the book focuses on college and university instructors, the
variety of contexts and methods would be of interest to any
undergraduate or graduate student interested in fairy tale
studies.--E. A. Nicol "CHOICE Connect"
Canepa's collection acknowledges that fairy tale studies is a broad
and multidisciplinary field. Each essay is detailed and contributes
meaningful ideas and activities to implement into the classroom.
Ultimately, Teaching Fairy Tales succeeds in its aim to bring
together the expertise of many individuals and invite students (and
teachers) to think critically about and read both new and familiar
tales.--Jamie Bienhoff "The Lion and the Unicorn"
If you are looking for a comprehensive, practical guide to teaching
fairy tales, this book provides valuable instruction. If you are
interested in learning more about fairy tales, the didactic
methodology in each chapter will improve your understanding of the
genre. This volume, drawing on the expertise of fellow teachers,
challenges and expands the notion of what it means when one is
teaching fairy tales.--Mary L. Sellers "Marvels & Tales: Journal of
Fairy-Tale Studies"
The essays on classroom teaching strategies are enlightening to
read because they address many of the questions, challenges, and
issues that teachers commonly encounter, such as the apparent
overfamiliarity with fairy tales that sometimes make students
disinclined to read the tales critically or think about them in new
contexts. The misconception of Disney's animated films as
'original' versions is another issue that is often brought up,
along with the strong sense of childhood memories associated with
fairy tales. The emotive response to fairy tales can at times take
student readers by surprise, and as many of the contributors
explain, it is important to create the classroom as a safe,
comfortable zone in which students can share their reactions in a
supportive setting. The fairy-tale world's harsh realities of child
abuse, abandonment, homelessness, and conflict resolution through
violence are factors in contemporary lives as well. So although the
book's overall emphasis is on literary analysis, the essays in
Teaching Fairy Tales examine these and many other salient, relevant
themes with exemplary insight and inspiring scholarship.--Kirsten
M�llegaard "Folklore Reviews"
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