Abstract:

Typically, students tend to find analysis of literary works to be a complex task that is inaccessible to everyone. In teaching Scandinavian Literature, as an attempt to motivate and engage undergraduate students in the constructive literature analysis, we applied a semiotic approach. Our case study focused on the analysis of H. C. Andersen's fairy tales using the principle of binary oppositions and Greimassian semiotic square.

Binary oppositions enable students to gain a bigger picture of a literary text, as well as to profoundly understand the semantic layers of a literary work. This method provides a systematic foundation which aids students in understanding abstract and seemingly chaotic concepts or ideas with more ease by putting the ideas into complementary pairs, such as good and bad, up and down, truth and lies, living and existing, etc. (Putri & Sarwato, 2016). The Greimassian semiotic square reflects the main thematic oppositions and implications that constitute the meaning of the text (Greimas, 1987). Andersen’s tales are characterized by the fact that the content of the narratives is uncomplicated but at the same time they contain a philosophical metaphorical meaning, an exaltation of goodness and condemnation of human limitations and weaknesses (Lewis, 2002), making the semiotic approach perfectly suitable for developing analytical skills of undergraduate students in literature analysis.

During the Scandinavian Literature course, undergraduate students chose five well-known Andersen’s fairy tales for the semiotic analysis: The Ugly Duckling, The Little Match Girl, The Brave Tin Soldier, The Nightingale and The Little Mermaid. The aim was to help students to reveal new meanings of the fairy tales with the help of the semiotic analysis that contains three main aspects. First, it helps to identify the main binary oppositions allowing for a revelation of the deeper meaning of these fairy tales. Second, the plot of the selected tales is analysed from a scarcity-abundance perspective to assess the characters’ physical, as well as symbolic, journey towards their aspirations. Finally, the main idea of the narrative is revealed in the context of the whole symbolic journey of the protagonist.

The analysis revealed that the semiotic approach expanded the understanding of the semantic structures of the literary works, provided deeper insights and served as an appropriate method that can be universally applied to various narratives. In addition, the semiotic approach was helpful in structuring and analysing the abstract level of the fairy tales, distinguishing its main ideas and revealing the hidden structures of the meaning. The research shows that the application of a semiotic approach to the analysis of literary works is a motivating, innovative and promising way of teaching literature analysis, positively regarded by students. It served as a creative key that helped in unlocking new meanings in well-known literary works.

Keywords:

H.C. Andersen, fairy tales, binary opposition, Greimassian semiotic square, semiotic approach, Scandinavian Literature studies.