Presentation The Lost Princess: Recovering the Heroines Of Historic Fairy Tales (Live via Zooom)

People often associate fairy tales with Disney films, and with the male authors from whom Disney often drew inspiration – notably Charles Perrault, the Brothers Grimm, and Hans Christian Andersen. In these portrayals, the princess is a passive, compliant figure. By contrast, our speaker this month, in her book The Lost Princess, Dr. Anne E. Duggan will show us that classic fairy tales such as "Cinderella," "Rapunzel," and "Beauty and the Beast" have a much richer, more complex history than Disney's saccharine depictions. Dr. Duggan recovers the voices of women writers, who penned popular tales about ogre-killing, pregnant, cross-dressing, dynamic heroines who saved the day. This new history will appeal to anyone who wants to know more about the lost, plucky heroines of historic fairy tales.

Dr. Anne E. Duggan is a professor of French Studies and a member of the Academy of Scholars at Wayne State University. She is the author of three monographs, two of which have been translated into French and Chinese, and she has edited numerous volumes on fairy-tale cultures. Professor Duggan served as associate and co-editor of the journal Marvels & Tales: Journal of Fairy-Tale Studies, for 25 years, and she currently edits the "Donald Haase" Series in Fairy-Tale Studies at Wayne State University. She is currently working on a book about politically committed animated tales.

Live Presentation:

If you can attend the live presentation, you will have the opportunity to mingle with your fellow Mensans and guests at our usual location:

Northwest Unitarian Universalist Church in Southfield
23925 Northwestern Highway
Southfield, MI 48075

Doors open at 6:30 pm (EDT). The program begins at 7:00 pm (EDT).

Ticket Prices:
Members 13+ years old: $5 or buy a strip of 4 tickets for $15
Guests 13+ years old: $7
Members and guests 12 & under: Free

Exact change is appreciated!

Virtual Presentation (via Zoom):

All attendees must pre-register by clicking the link below:

• Click: https://tinyurl.com/SEMM-Gathering

• Choose "April 18, 2026, 6:30 p.m." from the drop-down box

• Fill in your name and email address

• Click the "Register" button

The Zoom room opens at 6:30 pm (EDT) for mingling. The program starts at 7:00 pm (EDT).

There is no charge for the Zoom presentation, but, due to rising costs (Meetup charges alone went up 70% during the past year!), your donation via PayPal is greatly appreciated. Please donate $5! To donate, go to paypal.com, log in, and click on the "Send" button. Enter the e-mail address: treasurer@mensadetroit.com, click on "Next", fill in your payment amount, and in the "What's this for" dialogue box enter: "SEMM Zoom Presentations". Click 'next", select your payment method, and click "send".

If you're in the Detroit area following the presentation, please join us for dinner at:

Buddy's Pizza
31646 Northwestern Highway
Farmington Hills, MI 38334

For more information, contact Harley Berger at MensaDetroit@gmail.com.