german 386 midterm

german fairytales

difference between custom and tradition

custom = main “event” - birthdays, christmas, thanksgiving

tradition = things you do as a part of that event - blowing out candles, eating cake, decorating tree, singing christmas songs, eating turkey, giving thanks

difference between tradition and convention

A convention would be attending a funeral as it shows respect and provides closure for the family whose loved one passed. The decision of attending a funeral is often driven by a sense of obligation and as a part of expected social behavior in communities. A tradition would be wearing black to the funeral . 

Hobsbawm describes ‘inventing traditions’ as a process of “formalization and ritualization, characterized by reference to the past” (4). When does he claim we should expect to see this happen in greater concentration? Why?

Hobsbawm claims that we should expect invented traditions to grow during times of uncertainty or rapid transformation that cause disruption within a society. When these old traditions/ideas are proven to not be useful or flexible, they are eliminated and new traditions are formed.  

Making something up about a distant past that supports one’s own argument and is not easily verifiable. Please provide a modern equivalent for this kind of mythmaking from everyday life and explain how it functions in context (hobsbawm)

civil war- souths teachings differ from north. who is the good guy/who is the bad guy.

what are the three overlapping types of invented tradition. why are fairytales thought of as invented tradition and which of the three types seems to best describe fairytales

1.) symbolizing social cohesion or membership of groups

storytelling around the fire, people of all ages/genders

2.) legitimizing institutions, status or relations of authority

3.) inculcation of beliefs, values systems and conventions

each fairytale has a specific lesson that childeren learn after hearing these stories; listen to your parents; be kind; dont trust strangers (little red riding hood)

According to Anderson, even the most ‘messianic nationalists’ dream of uniting all of humanity under a single national banner.

False - the most messianic nationalists do not dream of a day when all the members of the human race will join their nation in the way that is was possible (bc the boundaries are limited/not possible to unite everyone) (anderson 7)

In the introduction to Imagined Communities, Anderson describes concepts like ‘nationality’ and ‘nationalism’ as cultural artefacts which developed spontaneously at what time?

the late 18th century

Which of the following is not one of what Anderson describes as the three fundamental paradoxes of nationalism?

Nationalism has always existed, but we have often lacked the proper vocabulary to describe it.

the three are:

1.) Societies generally conceive of the nation as a universal, but each individual nation conceives of itself in vastly different terms.

2.)Nations wield vast political power, but their respective philosophies are often incomplete or contradictory.

3.) Nations are a modern concept but are often portrayed as ancient.

According to Anderson, if a concept is a ‘cultural artefact’ of a specific time, it remains unchanged over different time periods.

false - to understand the cultural artifacts we need to consider how they have come into being and how their meanings have changed over time (anderson 4)

Anderson defines the nation as limited because, no matter how much space and how many citizens belong to one nation, all nations maintain finite boundaries—even if these boundaries sometimes shift.

true

According to Anderson, the concept of the nation as a sovereign state came into being at a time when:

Enlightenment philosophy and sociopolitical upheaval had weakened belief in existing social hierarchies (7 anderson).

Why does Anderson describe the nation as an imagined community?

We will never meet most of our fellow citizens, but we believe we exist in a community with them

• ex. university of michigan, oakland community, even highschool community

By Anderson’s definition, which of the following would not be an imagined community?

immediate friend group bc you know everyone personally

• what is an imagined community

  • german 386, university of michigan, usa

Anderson argues that the ‘cultural roots of nationalism’ are partly responsible for...

a shared sense of comradery that has frequently been exploited with violent consequences (anderson 7, bottom of page)

According to Anderson, communities should be distinguished according to...

how they create and conceptualize themselves (anderson 6)

Although the Brothers Grimm were born into a middle-class family and received a classical education, which one is false:

they did not learn Latin or Roman history.

Six of the Grimm’s nine children survived into adulthood. While Jacob and Wilhelm became famous from their lifework and scholarship, the remaining four Grimm siblings:

largely struggled to establish careers for themselves.

Although they are most famous for their collections of fairy tales, the Brothers Grimm also published…

ALL THESE!!!

collections of German myths and legends.

scholarly works on Germanic languages and literatures.

several volumes of the first comprehensive German dictionary.

The Brothers Grimm were inspired to study ancient German literature and folklore because…

of their professor’s belief in the relationship between language, customs, context, and the spirit of the law.

The Brothers Grimm were strongly opposed to the French occupation of German-speaking Europe…

but they were also opposed to the restoration of oppressive German princes.

The Brothers Grimm mostly collected folklore by…

inviting storytellers to their home and taking notes as they told their tales aloud.

What substantial plot detail existed in the 1812 edition of “Rapunzel” but was edited out of the 1857 edition?

Mother Gothel finds out about Rapunzel’s relationship with a male visitor because Rapunzel says her clothes are becoming too tight and no longer fit.

According to Zipes, which description of the Brothers editorial method is most accurate?

The Brothers Grimm made substantial changes to their stories both in the initial collecting process, as well as across subsequent editions of their collection.

When Clemens Brentano finally requested the folktales the Brothers Grimm had been collecting for him for many years, they sent him a collection of how many texts?

49

In 1837, along with five other professors, Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm (the Göttingen Seven)…

refused to swear an oath of allegiance to the King of Hannover and were fired from their positions at the university.

The Brothers Grimm published the first ever collection of German folklore in 1805.

False

Which of the following does Zipes not include in his list of the foremost critics of the Grimms’ fairytales?

politicians

According to Zipes, the Grimms were idealists and believed…

historical knowledge about one’s culture could increase self-awareness and social enlightenment.

Unlike their other works, because the collected fairytales were originally intended for children, even the Grimms’ earliest editions contain few scholarly annotations.

FALSE

The brothers Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm spent most of their lives wandering about Germany and gathering authentic tales from peasants.

false

In what way does “The Story of Grandmother” differ significantly from the Grimms’ version of the “Little Red Cap” fairytale?

german version has two wolves (review this story), french more explicity sexual, french girl is resourceful and frees herself (tells wolf she has to poop)

Roald Dahl’s poems draw an explicit connection between which two common fairytales?

little red and the three little pigs (little red kills wolf in both versions with pistol)

What is the surprise ending to Roald Dahl's poetry cycle?

shoots wolf (tatar 24/26)

What story element is shared by both the Italian and French versions of the story, but absent from the German version?

 

The girl is encouraged to eat part of her grandmother (tatar 15)

What “split” does Tatar describe taking place in Europe and the Americas over the 19^th century in the storytelling tradition around “Little Red Riding Hood”?

 

Two distinctive versions develop: one for children and one for adults (tartar 6).

True or false: All versions of the “Little Red Riding Hood” story in Tatar’s collection contain the trope of a little girl going out alone and encountering a dangerous situation?

false - tselane version bc she stays in house and tiger woman bc she goes w brother

In Italo Calvino’s “The False Grandmother,” the little girl’s grandmother is eaten by…

an ogress

“The Tale of the Tiger Woman” shares which of the following story elements with the French and Italian versions of this story?

 

The little girl escapes by pretending to go to the bathroom.

What is one major difference between “Tsélané and the Marimo” and all the other versions of the story contained in Tatar’s collection?

little girl never leaves house!!!!!!!!!!!!! (#staysafe)

According to Tatar, what famous British author describes Little Red Riding Hood as his first love?

charles dickens

True or false: All versions of the “Little Red Riding Hood” story in Tatar’s collection contain the element of a girl wearing a red item of clothing.

false - tslane and tigres

According to Benessaieh, which disciplines pioneered the use of the term transculturality?

psychology and psychiatry

The functionalist approach to anthropology defines culture as a highly permeable context in a state of constant flux.

false (bennesiah 1) - the functionalist systemic view of culture; distinct autonomist and stable ensembles of practices and beliefs

Interpretive anthropology…

 

proposed to study culture as webs and flows.

Which of the following is not one of the key interrelated assumptions Benessaieh describes as prevalent in the discourse on multiculturalism?

 

cultures can best be described as a spectrum.

these ARE interrelated assumptions:

cultures, by nature, tend towards conflict with one another.

cultures exist as self-contained, separate entities.

cultures are inherently stable.

How does the concept of transculturality differ from the concept of hybridity?

 

Hybridity implies a ‘hyphenated’ identity between two stable notions of cultural referents.

Benessaieh describes that, with some exceptions, most societies…

culturally mixed

Benessaieh identifies one fundamental problem in traditional approaches to studies of culture based on Bronislaw Malinowski’s functionalist approach (defining cultural units as a “coherent ensemble” whose practices are “distinct, autonomous, and stable”). What is this problem?

 

This view was largely based on the study of small communities studied in isolation from the impacts of a wider world. (small sample size, doesnt give the big picture)

difference between transcultura;ity and transculturation

transculturation centers the concept of cultural dominance.

 

transculturality is primarily concerned with culture today, rather than historical models.

 

transculturality emphasizes the swift transformation of cultures and shifting power relations.

 

transculturation retains the conviction that individual cultures remain hierarchical and distinct.

True or false, the term “multiculturalism” is often used to characterize specific public policies designed to manage questions of cultural diversity as it relates, for example, to immigration, education, public media, or the labor market.

true

According to Benessaieh, what of the following is not one major point of criticism for the term “multiculturalism”?

 

It questions the idea that cultures are different from one another.

these ARE major criticisms:

It can lead to the ghettoization of cultural communities.

It posits diversity as a collection of intrinsically distinct communities.

It encourages communities to cultivate differences.

True or false: “Interculturality” describes or models relations between majority and minority (or dominant and non-dominant) cultures which can be characterized as “the right to difference,” such as the push for increased self-government in Canada’s French-speaking province, Québec.

true

Which of the following best characterizes author Patrick Chamoiseau’s understanding of transculturality?

 

the capacity of certain identities, however plural, to transcend time or space

Which of the following is not a meaning Benessaieh describes as commonly used in association with “transculturality” in scholarly discourse?

diversity, equity and inclusion

these ARE commonly used in association with transculturality:

cross-cultural competence

plural sense of self

identitary continuum

True or false: According to Benessaieh, many of the current debates around nationalism and cultural diversity vis-à-vis increasing globalization mirror ongoing anthropological debates about the stability of culture.

true

Political scientists like Samuel Huntington and Anthony Smith…

 

reinforce essentialist views about national cultures as specific and exclusive.

Jorgensen’s study finds that the bodies of male characters in fairytales are subjected to all of the following except…

visibility

they are subject to:

transformation

violence

deformity

According to Tatar and the ATU index of folktales, how many “tale-types,” as described by folklore scholars, depict courtships between humans and beasts?

2 - search for lost husband and man on quest for lost wife

According to Jorgensen, the study of masculinity in fairytales in folklore scholarship has…

 

lagged behind the study of femininity.

According to Jorgensen’s initial findings, two of the most commonly commented on traits of male bodies in fairytales are…

 

physical stature and youth (not always stereotypical prince charming)

According to Tatar, what tropes of the animal-bride story most closely align with what anthropologists might describe as warnings about “the dangers of exogamy”: ie, marrying outside the tribe.

 

stories about the victims of seduction or abduction

Jorgensen argues that being able to observe rather than be observed is…

 

an expression of power.

Which of the following statements is false: Jorgensen observes that when feminist folklore scholars started investigating gender…

 

they also began reconsidering the role of masculinity.

these statements are true:

the study of masculinity was developing in adjacent academic fields.

they concentrated on the study of femininity

they argued that traditional approaches to folklore scholarship centered themes and genres relevant to men.

Summarizing existing scholarship on the qualities of male characters in fairytales, Jorgensen observes that these characters are…

 

more active than female characters.

According to Tatar, one unique aspect of the “Beauty and the Beast” story is that…

 

it accommodates a double trajectory, highlighting transformations for both Beauty and Beast (girl learns acceptance/empathy, boy learns compassion and has redemption arc)

Jorgensen describes “idealized masculinity” in her study as…

 

often rendered invisible or undetectable in the story.

Which of the following is not one of Jorgensen’s critical questions in response to Manly Traditions, one of the first collections of scholarship on masculinity and folklore?

 

whether traditional categories of the fairytale need to be rethought through the critical reassessment of gender

these ARE:

whether masculinity studies can be successful without separating the concept of men from the concept of masculinity

whether masculinity studies is a backlash against feminism or an independent, critical enterprise

whether activism is a central component of masculinity studies

For Tatar, tales about animal brides and animal grooms “stand as models […] for expressing anxieties about marriage.” However, she observes a significant transformation in these stories over the 20^th century, namely:

 

Beast increasingly assumes the leading role.

True or false: Gilbert and Gubar present one possible reading of “Snow White” as cyclical; ie: The story may repeat itself once Snow White becomes the Queen.

true

For Tatar, the Disney version of the “Snow White” story…

 

radically polarizes two stark representations of femininity.

What is meant by Tatar’s description of Gilbert and Gubar’s reading that “the father is acoustically present if physically absent”?

 

The father does not need to be physically present to enforce patriarchal structures that inform the narrative. (mirror represents voice of patriarchy (men))

Which of the following is not one of the possible interpretations of the mirror in the story as suggested by Tatar?

 

a reflection of latent sexual desire

the mirror IS

a reminder of temporality 

a trope of vanity

the voice of [external] judgment

a reminder of mortality

Gilbert and Gubar present the figure of the wicked queen as a possible archetype for:

 

artistic creativity (glazing paragraph)

For Gilbert and Gubar, what is the metaphorical significance of the first Queen’s (Snow White’s birth mother) framing in a window versus the second Queen (Snow White’s stepmother) being framed by a mirror?

 

The first retains outward facing prospects, while the second looks only inward. (first queen looks outside window- second looks inside at herself in mirror)

Which of the following is not one of the possible endings for the “wicked Queen” figure in a version of the Snow White story analyzed or presented in Tatar’s collection?

 

She is pecked to death by crows.

story ends from:

She falls to her death from a high cliff.

She dances herself to death in red hot shoes.

She is sent away into exile (dandellion story- the young slave/basile version)

True or false: The Grimms’ version of Snow White includes both a good biological mother and a wicked stepmother?

true

Which of the following story tropes is not presented by Gilbert and Gubar as proof of possible commonalities between Snow White and her stepmother?

 

Both take on passive roles when confronted with male characters.

IS PRESENTED:

 

Both struggle against their inner impulses (snow white taking the objects and evil queen wanting to be most beautiful)

eating same poisoned apple

displaying signs of vanity (taking the objects bc they are a sign of being more beautiful)

According to Tatar, which of the following is not a constant in the cycle of Snow White-related tales?

 

nature and industrialization

ARE a constant:

beauty and monstrosity

cannibalism and necrophilia

child abandonment and sexual rivalry