Lecture 2

Grimms’ Fairy Tales

Cupid & Psyche

First written fairy tale — 150-180 A.D.

Moral: arranged marriage, sex, and pregnancy are scary, but better than the alternative of being destitute and without a provider.

Green Serpent

Written in 1698, and very influenced by Cupid & Psyche.

Idea: maybe magic and individual beauty aren’t as important as socially beneficial intelligence.