For as long as I can remember, fairy tales have been a very important part of my life. Growing up, I was obsessed with fairy tales. Every time a new Disney movie came out on video, I’d rent it and watch it immediately. I think I single-handedly destroyed the local video stores copy of The Princess and the Goblin. I bought all of the Disney princess Barbie dolls and decorated my room with Jasmin curtains and Cinderella sheets. Eventually my mom started buying me fairy tale anthologies that she found at yard sales. I remember reading tons of stories like “The Emperor’s New Clothes,” “Jack and the Beanstalk,” and an old favorite, “Rapunzel.” As I grew older, I stopped reading those tales and watching those Disney movies, but they always stuck with me. So when I scrolled through the list of first-year seminars, “Once Upon a Time” immediately caught my eye. I had been moving in a more social studies oriented direction, but I simply could not resist the chance to study something that I had once loved so much.

With this first-year seminar, I hope to learn more about fairy tales and their beginnings. I would love to learn about the more obscure fairy tales that I have never heard of. But most of all, I just want to have fun with this class. Studying fairy tales is just about the coolest thing anybody could do, and I’m eager to learn.

My personal favorite fairy tale is “Rumpelstiltskin.” I read it for the first time when I was in second grade and loved it. I cheered when the miller’s daughter found out Rumpelstiltskin’s name. It’s less well-known than some of the more famous fairy tales, but it is without a doubt my favorite.

Rumpelstiltskin + Rocky and Bullwinkle = Amazing.