Where do fairy tales come from, what do they tell us and why do they continue to be a source of inspiration for artists and writers? We will study Russian fairy tales, starting with nonsense and animal tales, moving to coming-of-age “magic tales” that give us insight into the nature of human desire. We'll consider these stories in contexts of Russian folk belief, high culture and global popular culture. Lecture M, W, 1:00-1:50 HLMS 201; Recitations F, 1:00-1:50 HLMS 201 (wait list); F, 12:00-12:50 HLMS 263; or F, 3:00-3:50 GUGG 3.