A Public Space | The Brothers Grimm

#APSTogether,  • October 29, 2020

A Public Space | The Grimm Reader: The Classic Tales of the Brothers Grimm

In 1806, the Napoleonic armies invaded Hesse-Cassel, where Jacob and Wilhelm, the Brothers Grimm were researching for their folk-tale projects in their spare time. Speaking of the turmoil of the time, Wilhelm wrote: “Those days of the collapse of all existing establishments will remain forever before my eyes…. Undoubtedly, the world situation and the necessity to draw into the peacefulness of scholarship contributed to the reawakening of the long-forgotten literature; but not only did we seek something of consolation in the past, our hope, naturally, was that this course of ours would contribute something to the return of a better day.”

This fall, as history presents uncertainty and turmoil in more than one form, we invite you to read tales from the Brothers Grimm with A Public Space and Yiyun Li, not merely for consolation, but for the hope of the return of a better day.

Reading Schedule
Day 1|October 29: The Frog King, or Iron Heinrich. The Poor Miller’s Boy and the Cat. Mother Trudy.

Day 2|October 30: The Wolf and the Seven Little Goats. The Twelve Brothers. The Hand with the Knife.

Day 3|October 31: Little Brother and Little Sister. How Children Played Butcher with Each Other.

Day 4|November 1: The Three Little Men in the Woods. The Brave Little Tailor. Hans Dumm.

Day 5|November 2: Mother Holle. The Seven Ravens. The Evil Mother-in-Law.

Day 6|November 3: The Bremen Town Musicians. The Devil and His Three Golden Hairs. The Children Living in a Time of Famine.

Day 7|November 4: The Magic Table, The Gold Donkey, and the Club in the Sack. The Elves. The Stubborn Child.

Day 8|November 5: The Robber Bridegroom. Godfather Death. The Rose.

Day 9|November 6: Fircher’s Bird. The Juniper Tree. The six Swans.

Day 10|November 7: Briar Rose. The Golden Bird. The Three Feathers.

Day 11|November 8: Furrypelts. The Singing, Soaring Lark. The Goose Girl.

Day 12|November 9: A Fairy Tale about a Boy Who Left Home to Learn about Fear. The Worn-out Dancing Shoes. Snow White and Rose Red.