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Profs & Pints: Cinderella and the American Dream

Profs and Pints presents: Cinderella and the American Dream, with Kate Koppy, visiting assistant professor of composition and literature at Marymount University.

Forget the grand ball. On this night the place to be is La Pop, where we'll encounter Cinderella and get to know her like never before. Guiding the conversation will be Professor Kate Koppy, whose doctoral dissertation examined Cinderella and other fairly tales in the United States and Russia.

You'll learn how fairy tales play a significant role in twenty-first century American culture, as the stories that helps us to foster a sense of shared community identity. Of the many fairy tales Americans use in this way, perhaps none has as much influence as the story of Cinderella, which has inspired countless book, plays, movies, and television shows for both adults and children. Allusions to the story pop up everywhere in our speech, and it even shapes how think about ourselves, particularly in our pursuit of the American dream.

We'll look at the differences between American Cinderella stories and historical European versions from Italy, France, Russia, and Germany. American retellings notably emphasize Cinderella's low socio-economic status at the beginning, and the period of suffering and hard work she endured before rising to a higher station. The talk will examine not only how they do this, but why.

Cinderella fans on hand for the talk will wonder if their fairy godmother has granted them a wish. Don't worry, you can be home long before midnight. Just don't leave any footwear behind. (Advance tickets: $12. Doors: $15. Save $2 with student ID. Listed time is for doors. Talk starts 30 minutes later. Please arrive in plenty of time to place any order and be seated and settled before the talk begins.)