GERST 1109

Last Updated

  • Schedule of Classes - April 13, 2026 10:10AM EDT

GERST 1109
FWS: From Fairy Tales to the Uncanny: Exploring the Romantic Consciousness

Course information provided by the 2026-2027 Catalog.

How did bawdy tales of peasants using magic to climb the social ladder get transformed into moral lessons for children? The answer lies in Romanticism and its appropriation of the imagination as a force for social transformation. As Romantics edited older tales for juvenile consumption they wrote new ones for adults. This new fiction created the matrix for modern pop genres like fantasy, science-fiction, murder mysteries, and gothic horror. To understand this paradigm shift in modern culture, we will read, discuss, and write about a variety of texts the Romantics collected, composed, or inspired, including poetry and film, in addition to classic fairy tales and academic scholarship on the topic.


Distribution Requirements (WRT-AG)

Exploratory Studies (EUAREA)

Last 4 Terms Offered 2025SP, 2023FA, 2023SP, 2022FA

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Syllabi: none

  •   FWS Session. 

  • 3 Credits Graded

  •  2321 GERST 1109   SEM 101

  •  
    • TR
    • Aug 24 - Dec 7, 2026

    • Brady, B

  • Instruction Mode: In Person

    For more information about First-Year Writing Seminars, see the Knight Institute website at http://knight.as.cornell.edu/.