English Literature and Fairytales
Discover how fairy tales have been shaped by their time and culture. In this course, you read English-language fairy tales, analyse their themes and symbols, and explore how they reflect and influence society – both then and now.
Start
Autumn 2026
Level
Bachelor's
Language
English
Place of study
Lund
Course code
ENGC21
In this course, you learn about fairy tales as a literary genre, narrative technique and cultural phenomenon. You mainly read fairy tales from the English-speaking world, both old and more modern, but you also encounter variations of the same tales from different cultural contexts.
Throughout the course, you work with key themes and theories associated with the genre. These include how fairy tales are structured, how they relate to the norms and ethical issues of their time, and how they can be interpreted from feminist, queer and postcolonial perspectives. You also study important symbols and metaphors that frequently recur in fairy tales.
As you analyse and discuss the texts, you will have the opportunity to reflect on the role fairy tales play in today’s culture and society – and why they continue to fascinate, challenge and influence us.
Course syllabus
The syllabus contains the formal and legal details of the entire course. It’s a legal document outlining the course structure and requirements, intended mainly for administrative use.
Syllabus (PDF, new tab)Course literature
The course literature listed may be updated up to eight weeks before the course begins.
Course literature ENGC21 (PDF, New tab)Entry requirements
General entry requirements and 30 credits in English.
Selection criteria
Seats are allocated according to the following: The general average (GPA) of your higher secondary school leaving certificate: 34 %, The Swedish national university aptitude test: 34 %, number of previous ECTS at the application deadline (up to 165): 32 %.
Tuition fees for non-EU/EEA citizens
Citizens of countries outside:
- The European Union (EU)
- The European Economic Area (EEA) and
- Switzerland
are required to pay tuition fees. You pay an instalment of the tuition fee in advance of each
semester.
Tuition fees, payments and exemptions
Full programme/course tuition fee: SEK 15,625
First payment: SEK 15,625
Note that you may also need to pay an application fee, or provide proof of exemption.
No tuition fees for citizens of the EU, EEA and Switzerland
There are no tuition fees for citizens of the European Union (EU), the European Economic Area (EEA) and Switzerland.