9
“Jack and the Beanstalk”: Archetypes
Lecture no. 9 from the course: A Children's Guide to Folklore and Wonder Tales
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Taught by Professor Hannah B. Harvey | 33 min
Many scholars believe that the beanstalk in “Jack and the Beanstalk” is a reference to the Tree of Life, which is one of our most iconic global images. In Hinduism, The Tree of Life is known as the Eternal Banyan Tree (the Akshaya Vata). In Islam and Christianity, it is the one tree that God ordered humans not to eat—Christianity extends this image into the New Testament when Christ the immortal is nailed “to a tree” (making the cross a tree that brings eternal life). Dr. Harvey presents these insights and more through the telling of “Jack and the Beanstalk” and the Norse myth “Yggdrasil The World Tree.”
24 Lectures
1
“Sleeping Beauty”: Once Upon a Time
0
of 33 min
2
“Beauty and the Beast” I: The Sleeping Prince
0
of 29 min
3
“Beauty and the Beast” II: Being Brave
0
of 35 min
4
“The Sorcerer’s Apprentice”: Transformations
0
of 29 min
5
“Cinderella” I: If the Shoe Fits
0
of 35 min
6
“Cinderella” II: Baba Yaga and Goddesses
0
of 35 min
7
“Cinderella” III: The Mooing Godmother
0
of 27 min
8
“The Brave Little Tailor”: Giants!
0
of 30 min
9
“Jack and the Beanstalk”: Archetypes
0
of 33 min
10
“Hansel and Gretel”: Ogres
0
of 31 min
11
“Rumplestiltzkin”: Naming Our Fears
0
of 33 min
12
Tom Thumb and Thumbelina: Little Heroes
0
of 30 min
13
“Emperor’s New Clothes”: Looks Can Deceive
0
of 31 min
14
“Town Musicians of Bremen”: Unwanted Animals
0
of 30 min
15
“Puss in Boots” and “The Frog Prince”: Fitting In
0
of 30 min
16
“Three Little Pigs”: Third Time’s a Charm
0
of 34 min
17
“The Little Red Hen”: Formula Tales
0
of 30 min
18
“How the Camel Got His Hump”: Pourquoi Tales
0
of 26 min
19
Lions and Tigers and Bears: Fables
0
of 31 min
20
“Snow White”: Beauty and Handsomeness
0
of 31 min
21
“Rapunzel”: Maiden/Mother/Crone
0
of 30 min
22
King Arthur and Winnie the Pooh: Heroic Quests
0
of 32 min
23
American Tall Tales and Folk Songs
0
of 31 min
24
Happily Ever After: How Our Stories End
0
of 37 min
