The teaching of German in America is analyzed from a postmodernism perspective and in comparison with the long-term commitment to learning a foreign language in Europe. Two points are considered: (1) most innovative teaching methodologies were derived in the 1970s from humanist psychology, not from second language acquisition theory; and (2) the core of most American foreign language textbooks is grammar. An argument is presented for using German fairy tales as an instructional approach. Among the reasons are the following: students are empowered because they know the story; the content is simple; there is a sense of closure in that students can master many aspects of a foreign language and feel that there is a stopping point; students can compare cultural similarities and differences by analyzing how the same fairy tales are presented in different languages and contexts; and teachers who have little exposure to the target culture also feel empowered. "Little Red Riding Hood" is used as an example of how a German fairy tale can be used in the classroom. Contains 13 references. (LB)