ENGL 2000 (Alonso)

1. Choose a Traditional Fairy Tale: Select a fairy tale from The Classic Fairy Tales or another reliable source on folklore.

2. Conduct Research: 

• Historical Context: Investigate the origins and cultural significance of you chosen tale, including its historical and regional variations.
• Tale Type and Themes: Identify the tale type (e.g., ATU classification) an explore common themes, character archetypes, and moral lessons.
• Modern Adaptations and Scholarship: Examine at least two modern adaptations (e.g., books, movies, or shows) and two scholarly articles. Analyze how these adaptations engage with or reinterpret the tale’s core elements.

3. Write Your Retelling:

• Length: 4-5 pages double-spaced (approx. 1200-1500 words). 
• Content: In your retelling, engage creatively with the themes, characters, or settings of the original tale while bringing a unique perspective or twist to the story. Consider how your retelling reflects modern sensibilities or cultural shifts as well as how it might respond to or challenge the tale’s traditional morals.
• Creative Freedom: Your retelling can be set in any time or place, real or imagined, but should maintain some recognizable connection to the original tale

Option 1: Two Shorter Papers

• Description: Write two research papers (1300-2000 words each, 5-8 pages double-spaced) on topics related to specific fairy tales, their cultural contexts, or their impact on modern media.
• Due Dates: The first paper is due in Week 8, and the second is due in Week 1
• Guidelines:
  • Choose two fairy tales to explore through literary analysis or cultural critique.
  • Focus on each tale’s themes, cultural significance, or impact on moder interpretations.
  • Use 5-6 scholarly sources for each paper

Option 2: One Longer Research Paper

• Description: Write a single in-depth research paper (2500-4000 words, 10-16 pages double-spaced) on a fairy tale or folklore theme. This includes an abridged first draft due in Week 8 and the final draft in Week 16.
• Guidelines:
  • Select a tale or theme to analyze in depth (e.g., the portrayal of gender roles, hero archetypes, or morality in fairy tales).
  • Consider a comparative analysis across cultures or adaptations.
  • Use 5-8 scholarly sources for your paper.

Option 3: Creative Retelling with Research Integration

• Description: Create a modern interpretation or retelling of a selected fairy tale. You may choose to submit this in written form (1300-2000 words for shorter, or 2500-4000 words for longer).
• Integration of Research: Include a 2-page double-spaced (~500 words) statement explaining how your retelling draws on and reinterprets the original tale’s themes and motifs, using research to frame your choices.
• Collaboration: For video submissions, you may work with a classmate; however, each student must submit their own proposal and Research Integration Statement.