Happily Ever After: UCF Students Study Fairy Tales

By Courtney Gilmartin April 22, 2009

Students studied the history and psychology behind fairy tales in an Honors class.

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Snow White and Rapunzel might be the stuff of childhood memories. But a group of University of Central Florida students is learning that we never really outgrow them.

During the “Fairy Tales From Disney to Grimms to Beyond” course offered this semester in The Burnett Honors College, students studied the history and psychology behind fairy tales.

For the past few months, the class discussed their origins, longevity and roles in popular media and culture.  

“Students in this class learn to recognize fairy tale traditions in the context of their evolution over time,” said Kevin Yee, who has taught the course for four semesters.

Stories were analyzed from multiple angles, including their historical, literary and feminist contexts.

“A modern-day version of a story like Cinderella no longer looks flat and one-dimensional,” Yee said.  “Instead, the symbols and common motifs layer upon each other, and a more complicated, three-dimensional story emerges.”

Movie screenings, group work and a course blog were all integrated into the class’ curriculum.

The class, open to 20 students, has been offered since 2005.

Lillian O’Connell, a graduate student studying Environmental Sociology, took the course in Fall 2006 while completing her undergraduate degree.

“To be honest, I thought that the class would be very light and familiar,” O’Connell said. “I was surprised to find out how dark and symbolic many of the stories are, rather than just children’s fluff.”

O’Connell said the class was similar to watching a “making of” documentary of a favorite movie.

“In some ways, you lose a little bit of the magic you may have had once you know the behind-the scenes trick,” O’Connell said.  “In other ways, you learn how much deeper and more involved the story is, and it sparks a greater interest in the subject.”

Carolanne Vann, a 2007 Hospitality Management graduate and former classmate of O’Connell, also found her preconceived notions shot down during the class.

“Everyone in my generation grew up watching Disney movies and reading Grimm’s Fairy Tales, and I think that’s what most of the students thought we would be studying the whole semester,” Vann said.  “I don’t think people realize how many versions of the stories actually exist.”

“You grow up with this sugar-coated version of a story that you have memorized and then find out that its original version takes on a much scarier meaning,” she added. “These stories were originally written to scare children, and the notion of ‘happily ever after’ is not so glamorous after all.”

Vann also used the knowledge she gathered from the class as a Walt Disney World cast member.

“I found this class to be one of the most interesting courses I took at UCF,” she said.  “I was able to free my mind from my major and still get excited about course material.”

UCF Stands For Opportunity: The University of Central Florida is a metropolitan research university that ranks as the 5th largest in the nation with more than 50,000 students. UCF's first classes were offered in 1968. The university offers impressive academic and research environments that power the region's economic development. UCF's culture of opportunity is driven by our diversity, Orlando environment, history of entrepreneurship and our youth, relevance and energy. For more information, visit http://news.ucf.edu.

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