Folklore

1. Folklore The American Folk Tradition or Oral Tradition

2. Definition of folklore… • Folklore grew out of the oral tradition – stories originally told at festivals around campfires, rather than shared in print. • Definition – Any of the beliefs, customs, traditions, stories, dances, riddles, crafts, passed from one generation to another.

3. Characteristics of Folklore • Theme – central idea, or message, that is revealed in a story. Sometimes theme is called universal – theme that can be seen in stories across cultures and throughout different time periods. • Hero/Heroines – larger than life figures whose virtues and deeds are often celebrated in stories from the oral tradition.

4. Storytelling Techniques • Hyperbole – exaggeration or overstatement, either for comic effect or to express heightened emotion • Personification – human characteristics given to nonhuman subjects • Idioms – expressions that develop in a language, region, community, or class of people that cannot be understood literally; example – “It’s raining cats and dogs.”

5. Types of Folklore • Myths – tales that explain the actions of gods, goddesses, and the heroes who interact with them. Every culture has its own collection of myths, or mythology, including creation myths – tells how the world came to be. • Fables – brief stories that often feature animals that act like humans. Fables usually end with a moral that is directly stated – a proverb. • Tall Tales – types of folk tales that use hyperbole; they often involve a hero who performs impossible feats.

6. Types continued… • Legend - stories based on fact that become less true with each retelling • Urban legend – stories based on modern day events and ideas • Epics – long narrative poems about larger than life heroes who engage in dangerous journeys, or quests, that are important to the history of a nation or culture.