Breaking the Spell: Dark Truths in Classic Lore
About the event
From ravenous wolves and scheming witches to mysterious imps like Rumpelstiltskin to to maidens entombed in desolate towers, the German fairy-tale tradition has always walked along a darker edge. Beneath their familiar surface lie unsettling themes, eerie warnings, and sharp political and social subversion. Enduringly haunting and endlessly reinterpreted, these tales serve as a revealing lens into the cultural anxieties and social pressures of the eras that birthed them. Through a carefully selected collection of the Brothers Grimm’s darker lore, Professor Jamele Watkins will look beyond the storybook surface and examine the quiet shadows hidden within these classic tales.
This event is free and open to the public. Registration is required.
About the presenter
Jamele Watkins researches the intersection of race and gender in the German-speaking world. Her current book project, Roses for Angela, focuses on Angela Davis in the GDR. Her articles cover Black hair in Germany, Black performance, and rap. As an assistant professor in German studies at University of Minnesota, she teaches everything from the premodern to the present. Watkins received a degree in German studies from the University of Massachusetts Amherst.
Dark Reflections: A Scholarly Series on Horror, Folklore, Death, and the Macabre
Oct 26 - 30 Confront your fears and discover the scholarly side of the supernatural through this Halloween event series. Join us for events, both virtual and in-person, that promises to enlighten, entertain, and send shivers down your spine.