French Fairy Tales (in French)

About the Project:

In ancien régime France, women in salons were writing, collaborating, and storytelling fairy tales that markedly contrasted with our modern-day notion of the fairy tale. Today, many of the tales that inspired Disney were drawn from these seventeenth- and eighteenth-century predecessors. While Charles Perrault remains the most famous of fairy tale writers today with “Little Red Writing Hood,” “Cinderella” and “Sleeping Beauty,” it was, in fact, a woman, Marie-Catherine d’Aulnoy, that coined the term “fairy tale” (conte de fées) in the late seventeenth century. These salonnières were writing tales by adults for adults, and many of the stories had deep sociopolitical resonances, advocating for women’s intellectual and reproductive freedom, among many other feminist agendas. This project will tap into either Plant Studies (an interdisciplinary field that examines connections between humans and the botanical world), Animal Studies, or Queer Studies, depending on discussions between Dr. Bastin and the ideal candidate and their mutual academic interests and goals. The research associate selected for this project must have intermediate high or advanced proficiency in French and should feel at ease researching, reading, and summarizing both primary and secondary sources in French.

Kate Bastin received her Ph.D. in French/Francophone Studies from Indiana University in 2016. At Indiana University, she was the Acting Director of French Language Instruction for the 2017-2018 academic year and taught and supervised elementary and intermediate French language and culture courses. She also has taught at two small liberal arts colleges, DePauw University and Marian University, leading all levels of French courses, from introductory to advanced literature and culture courses. Her teaching and research interests include French language and culture, early modern French literature, women’s writing, animal studies, fairy-tale studies, and birth and maternity in Old Regime France. Bastin has had the pleasure of living in Aix-en-Provence and Lille, first as a student and then as a teacher. She has published in Cahiers du dix-septième and has a forthcoming article in Early Modern French Studies. Her current book project is on the simian in Old Regime France.

The First-Year Research Associate Program at Eckerd College honors academically outstanding students with awards of up to $1,000. The program also provides the opportunity, during the freshman year, for the award winners to work closely with a sponsor (faculty or administrative personnel) on a project of mutual interest. Associates might assist with research for faculty publication or new courses, conduct scientific experiments, work with creative artists, or develop projects related to any phase of the academic, cultural, and social life of the college. Scholars are selected on the basis of achievement in high school and on the creativity and depth of responses to items on this application.​

Online submission due no later than February 1, 2027 at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Standard Time.