SCAND 232A: Hans Christian Andersen and the Fairy Tale (5 credits, A&H)
with GLITS 252B: Introduction to Global Literatures: Literary Genres Across Time and Place
Professor and Department Chair: Marianne Stecher-Hansen (marianne@uw.edu)
Department of Scandinavian Studies
318 Raitt Hall: office hours: Tuesdays 2:30pm – 4:30 pm or by appointment.
Teaching Assistant: Amy Swanson King (swanson@uw.edu)
Teaching Assistant Office Hours: TBA
The Fairy Tale and Hans Christian Andersen. This course explores the fairy tale genre in a wide range of cultural, historical and political contexts, while also focusing on the celebrated tales of Danish writer Hans Christian Andersen (1805 - 1875). In Spring quarter 2026, we will consider how fairy tales have "made sense of the world" over the centuries in difficult and often chaotic political climates. Two tales by Hans Christian Andersen, namely "The Emperor's New Clothes", a parable about a vain and ineffectual ruler surrounded by loyal courtiers, and "The Wicked Prince," a story about a powerful tyrant who is felled by a flea, exemplify the main theme of the class.
The quarter begins with an investigation of globally recognized fairy tales, such as “The Little Red Riding Hood,” “Hansel and Gretel,” “Snow White,” and “Cinderella.” The class engages various critical and theoretical approaches to interpreting fairy tales. Students explore the origins and authorship of the folk fairy tale and the variants of some of the most ancient and well-known tales; for example, a Cinderella tale from ancient China (“Yeh-shen”) are studied alongside modern variants attributed to Charles Perrault and the Brothers Grimm. The course also explores the Grimms’ version of “Snow White” in relation to Disney’s cinematic production (“Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs,” 1937) and the new adaptation released in 2025.
In the second half of the quarter, we engage a closer study of Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy tales in relation to history, politics and modern adaptations. To what extent do Hans Christian Andersen’s tales constistute "children's literature"? How did a pedagogical concept of children’s literature develop in the 19th century? We'll delve further into readings of tales, such as “The Little Mermaid,” “The Emperor’s New Clothes,” "The Wicked Prince," “The Snow Queen,” “The Ugly Duckling,” “The Red Shoes,” “The Shadow” and “The Little Match Girl” and consider the historical and cultural contexts of these original tales written by H.C. Andersen as well as some of the contemporary adaptations. This course is an opportunity to study fairy tales in relation to literary history, social-economic contexts, and cultural politics and to examine the continued relevancy and popularity of Andersen’s celebrated tales and fairy tales in general.
Required Books to purchase (University Bookstore - or used copies available on Amazon or with other vendors):
- Hans Christian Andersen, Fairy Tales, trans. Tiina Nunnally (Penguin, 2005). ISBN: 0 14 30.3952 0
- Maria Tatar, ed., The Classic Fairy Tales. Second Norton Critical Edition (Norton, 2017). ISBN: 0-393-97277-1
Student Learning Objectives:
- To practice the skill of daily “deep reading” (i.e. 30 minutes of uninterrupted reading of printed text – ideally, without electronic devices present; highlighting with pen or pencil).
- To exercise critical thinking and critical writing in order to address topics in the arts, culture, literature, and politics.
- To acquire knowledge to identify literary genres (the fairy tale, the folk tale) and other forms of literary narrative.
- To improve skills for discussing and writing about literary texts and other media.
- To optimize educational opportunities and build inclusive community at UW.
Evaluation: Grades will be based on two exams (including objective and essay questions), two short essays, regular online "discussions” and in-person contributions to class discussions.
20% Four online 'Discussions' (ca. 150 words each; worth 5+ points each)
15% Short, peer-reviewed essay #1 (max. 750 words)
15% Short, peer-reviewed essay #2 (max. 750 words)
20% Midterm quiz (multiple-choice/short blue-book essay)
30% Final Test (multiple-choice/short blue-book essay).
Writing Assignments: SCAND 232 is not a W (Writing) course, although student writing is important. Ad Hoc W (Writing) credit is not available for this course. Please make an appointment” with the Odegaard Writing and Research Center for writing assistance: https://depts.washington.edu/owrc
Additional Resources: H.C. Andersen’s Fairy Tales:
- The entire collection H.C. Andersen's tales and stories, translated by John Irons, is available here: https://hcams.andersen.sdu.dk/exist/apps/andersen-irons/index.html (Note: this is not the translation required for this course). We will refer to a few these tales on this site.
- Here is a research guide for online sources and relevant scholarship on H.C. Andersen: https://guides.lib.uw.edu/research/hca
AI generated writing, Plagiarism, and Academic Misconduct: Please review documents on Academic Misconduct (WAC 478-121-107) and other materials in the first course Module. The assignments in this class have been designed to challenge you to develop creativity, critical-thinking, and your 'voice' in writing. Using AI technology will limit your capacity to develop these skills and hinder you from reaching the learning goals of this course.
Religious Accommodations Policy: Washington state law requires that UW develop a policy for accommodation of student absences or significant hardship due to reasons of faith or conscience, or for organized religious activities. The UW’s policy, including more information about how to request an accommodation, is available at Religious Accommodations Policy (/staffandfaculty/religious-accommodations-policy/). Accommodations must be requested within the first two weeks of this course using the Religious Accommodations Request form (/students/religious-accommodations-request/).”
Reading and Lecture Schedule: Spring 2026
The lecture schedule and reading assignment for each class meeting will be listed at the bottom of this Syllabus page on Canvas.
In addition to the two required books (print copies), you will find scans of any additional reading assignments posted in the weekly Modules
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Preliminary Reading and Lecture Schedule: Spring 2026 (subject to minor changes)
Assigned Reading to be read in advance of class.
FT = Fairy Tales by H.C. Andersen, translated by Tiina Nunnally.
CFT = The Classic Fairy Tales, ed. Maria Tatar.