Elements of Folk Tales

1. Elements of Folk Tales Characteristics of the genre

2. Folk tales are… • A collection of literature that grew out of the oral tradition (telling stories out loud) • Includes: myths, folk tales, tall tales, legends, fables, fairy tales, trickster tales, etc.. • Told to teach and/or amuse the reader

3. Folk Tales often contain… • Repetition—which makes them easier to remember • Dialect—vocabulary and grammar of a specific region. • Cultural Context

4. Cultural context • The folk tale reveals the customs and beliefs of the culture (such as Mexican, Native American, etc.) from which the story was originally told. It may teach us how to behave and act, or explain to us about events in nature (i.e. Why volcanoes erupt)

5. Author’s purpose • The reason why the author wrote or told the story. • Often told to: • Explain nature • Transmit beliefs or values (morals) or to caution young people how to behave • Entertain

6. Predictable • The reader oftentimes expects what happens next. • Good characters and deeds are rewarded; bad characters and negative traits are either banished or reformed. We expect this to happen in these types of stories. • Oftentimes, things happen a repeated number of times (3 Little Pigs)

7. More specific Types of Folk Tales • Fables—a short simple story that teaches a lesson. The characters are usually animals who speak and act like people. The lesson is very easy to understand. • Examples “The Boy Who Cried Wolf” or “Chicken Little”

8. Specific Types of Folk Tales, cont. • Legend—a story based on history or an actual real person. A legend is usually exaggerated (but not ridiculously like a tall tale) and gains elements of fantasy over the years. Examples are Daniel Boone, John Henry & Davy Crocket.

9. Specific types of Folk Tales, cont. • Myth—a traditional story of unknown authorship, often involving gods and goddesses, that attempts to explain a natural phenomenon, a historic event, or the origin of a belief or custom. Example is “Icarus and Daedalus”

10. Specific types of folk tales cont. • Tall Tales—a wildly imaginative story (using hyperbole), usually passed down orally, about the fantastic adventues or amazing feats of folk heroes (not real people) in realistic settings. Examples are Pecos Bill and Paul Bunyon.