Event Description
Linda J. Lee will talk about how European fairy tales combined scientific and magical thinking to address a multitude of anxieties surrounding birth.
Many fairy tales begin with a king and a queen who desperately want to have a child. The range of remedies suggested in early modern fairy tales suggest uncertainty and anxiety about women’s bodies, where children come from, and how to prevent pregnancies from going horribly wrong. For example, fairy tales are filled with monstrous births that happen as the result an imprudent wish, unfortunate cravings, or failing to follow directions. This talk will consider how early modern European fairy tale writers and collectors combined the scientific and magical thinking of their times to address anxieties about infertility, pregnancy, sex selection, and anomalous births.
Linda J. Lee is in the Graduate Program in Folklore & Folklife at the University of Pennsylvania. Her research interest include gender issues in forlore, the interconnections of women's popular fiction and folklore, and Italian and Italian-American folklore.
Science on Tap is a monthly science café in Philadelphia for anyone who is interested in getting together with other people to discuss a range of engaging science topics. Learn more about Science On Tap.
This Science on Tap is presented by the Mütter Museum of the College of Physicians of Philadelphia |
