Episode notes
What happens when Harvard's leading fairy tale scholar becomes the alien? Professor Maria Tatar, the renowned expert on folklore and children's literature, embarks on her lunar mission with three transformative films that explore connection, hope, and liberation. As we send this master storyteller to help establish the moon's cultural foundation, her cinematic choices reveal profound truths about finding home in strange worlds.
Tatar's selection spans from heartwarming wonder to psychological thriller: Spielberg's "E.T." - a story she deeply connects with as someone who once felt like an alien navigating kindergarten; "The Shawshank Redemption
Keywords
Fairy taleFolkloreChildren's literatureStorytelling theoryCultural mythologyNarrative psychologyLiterary analysisStory as survivalThe Annotated Classic Fairy TalesJordan PeeleSteven Spielberg Morgan Freeman The Marriage of FigaroThe Quiet ManEinsteincroissantsImmigration