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Active Germanics
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| Teaching through Fairy Tales, Plays |
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| Nicole Campbell as Lysistrata. |
The ravens came down and squawked at the jealous princess: ‘You’re pretty now, but like a cow you’ll look like when eighteen rolls in.’ And with that, eighteen years had passed and the girl began to moo and snort, and still green with envy, she transformed completely into a cow, tearing her pretty clothes.
Ravens, princesses, and magical spells: all part of a day’s homework? For Paige Cramond and her classmates in “The German Fairy Tale,” these things were just par for the course. German 356, the outreach course of the Department of Germanic Languages and Literatures, doesn’t require its students to speak German, only to approach this aspect of German culture and literature with an attitude of both seriousness and fun.
After exploring the stylistic and formal narrative styles of the German fairy tale tradition, Cramond wrote “Elendelle,” and others wrote equally fanciful tales. Their professor, Dorothee Ostemeier, explained that she includes the assignment so that “the students learn to transform their theoretical knowledge.”
The class studied 18th and 19th German tales within the context of tales from other European countries, and observed how cultural shifts affect the revision of tales. They also considered the presentation of fairy tales in contemporary media culture. For example, they compared cynical versions of the Little Red Riding Hood tale, such as depicted in Anne Sexton’s poem “Red Riding Hood,” to the rosier tale by Charles Perrault, later adopted by Walt Disney.
As part of the course, Ostmeier invited Jack Zipes, an internationally renowned fairy tale and folklore scholar to give two lectures and lead a colloquium. “This was an eye-opener for undergraduate students,” said Ostemeier. “[A visiting lecturer] always engages new ideas, approaches, and discourses.”
In another innovative course, “German Play Performance,” students rehearsed and performed Lysistrata—the classic Greek play, translated into German—which played to packed audiences in the University Theater’s Pocket Playhouse.
For Karla Shultz, professor and director of the play, this was the seventh year to lead such a production. Handling everything from the costumes, scenery and props to the annunciation and expression of the actors, the class is a labor of love for her.
“I am always just so proud of the students,” she said.
For German major Nicole Campbell, the class was particularly instructive. “I’ve always liked theater, so being able to combine my favorite foreign language with being on stage was wonderful,” she enthused. “Acting in German also makes you so much more aware of the language.”
Campbell played Lysistrata, the title character. A powerful persuader, Lysistrata convinces the women of Greece to abstain from sex with their husbands in a scheme to end the twenty-year war between Athens and Sparta. Though the controversial play has landed on many banned books lists since its inception, Campbell appreciated its message—and its ending. “The women get their way,” she said, smiling.
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1245 University of Oregon • Eugene, OR • 97403-1245
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Copyright © 2004 University of Oregon
Updated June 1, 2004
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