Blog #1

I chose to take "From Grimm to Disney" as my Freshman Seminar because I have always loved fairy tales. Stories have always captured my imagination, and I have been reading and writing all kinds of stories practically since birth. I have always reveled in the mystery and magic behind classic tales such as "Little Red Riding Hood" and "Rapunzel." Tales such as these always sparked excitement in me and made me wonder about what kinds of enchantment and excitement could be found in the real world. I also love movies and have great appreciation for the childhood nostalgia that is associated with many Disney fairy tale films. I am very intrigued by the ways that English, literature, cinema, and society intertwined in order to transform the classic fairy tales from what they once were in the age of the brothers Grimm to what they are today.

I have many goals that I hope to achieve in this first year seminar as well as in my fall semester as a whole. I am very interested in English, and I am considering minoring in English, so I hope I can use this FYS and my other English classes this semester to further explore and gage my interest in the subject. I also hope I can use this FYS to meet new people who share my interests. Overall, I want to continue my academic success from High School and successfully transition into this new stage of my education. I plan on working very hard, but I also hope I will have a good time and gain a lot of new experiences.

My favorite fairy tale has always been "Beauty and the Beast." When I was younger the tale resonated with me for more superficial reasons, such as the princess's dress being my favorite color or her hair being the same color as mine. However, as I grow older the story still remains my favorite because I genuinely enjoy the complex plot and characters. I have always appreciated how Belle is more than just a damsel in distress and constantly displays her bravery by speaking her mind and standing up for her beliefs even when they differ from those around her. I love how she is also more than just a pretty face and has many admirable qualities and academic interests. I also really like how complex and misunderstood the character of the beast is and I love seeing his genuine transformation throughout the story. I think all versions of the story do good jobs of captivating the reader and telling a beautiful story of how love is about more than just superficial things.