WILD WONDER: ANIMISM AND ECOLOGY IN FAIRY TALES
Recording of an online talk presented by Dr Joanna Gilar, followed by a Q&A with the audience.
Across the world, Cinderella's godmother is cow, snake, dove, sheep, crab, crocodile and even a forest, and Cinder's job is to gather together the bones of the dead. Yet when we tell the story, we remember only wand, shoe, and a dress that changes everything.
Weaving storytelling and scholarship, exploring variants of 'Cinderella', 'Sleeping Beauty', 'Little Red Riding Hood' and 'The Frog King'; this talk will explore the ecological complexity and animist history hidden deep within our best-loved tales. We will hear of shapeshifting Cinderellas, warrior queens who sleep in golden flames, and princesses who quest the world over to learn the water-wielding secrets of forgotten frog kings.