"The Insoluble Riddle of the Fairytale"

About the Lecture:

The European fairy tale emerged late, and its origin is unknown. Its male protagonist is a weakling, which is another surprise. The talk will address both problems. The character of the heroine needs special treatment.

About the Speaker: 

Anatoly Liberman is a professor in the Department of German, Nordic, Slavic and Dutch at this university. His main areas of specialization are historical linguistics and oral tradition. In language history, most of his works are devoted to phonetics and etymology. His recent book (2023), published by the University of Minnesota Press, deals with the origin of English idioms and is titled Take My Word for It.  In medieval literature and folklore, Anatoly's contributions deal with Germanic myths and fairy tales. For many years, he has been investigating the most prominent features of the medieval mentality as it differs from the post-Renaissance way of looking at the world.

Cosponsored by the Medieval Studies Fund.