Folk Literature

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Folk Literature

• Sometimes called folklore.
• Usually doesnt have a single, identifiable
  author.
• Begins with oral tradition, not written down, so
  there may be many different versions.
• At least some part of the story is unrealistic.
• Usually has good guys and bad guys.
• Usually set in the past long ago or once upon
  a time.

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FANTASY

• Fantasy is NOT folklore, because it has an
  identifiable author (for example, we all know who
  wrote Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets).
• Fantasy often has many of the same elements as
  folklore (for example, magic and mythical
  creatures).

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Types of Folk Literature

• Fairy Tales
• Special beginning and/or ending words- Once upon
  a timeand they lived happily ever after.
• Royalty and/ or castle usually present
• Good/Evil characters
• Magic happens
• Problem and a solution
• Things often happen in threes or sevens

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Types of Folk Literature

• Cinderella is an example of a fairy tale.

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Types of Folk Literature

• Folk tales
• Are about common people.
• Are not realistic.
• Can have ghosts, goblins and ogres.

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Types of Folk Literature

• The Teeny-Tiny Woman is an example of a folk tale.

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Types of Folk Literature

• Legends
• Are usually set in a recognizable place and time.
• Have a main character who performs heroic or
  superhuman deeds.
• Are often based on a real person from history.
• Include tall tales, which are American legends.

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Types of Folk Literature

• King Arthur is an example of a legend.

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Types of Folk Literature

• Myths
• Are early mans desire to explain the universe
• Feature gods and goddesses.
• Often tell how things came to be or how things
  were in the beginning of time.

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Types of Folk Literature

• Hercules is an example of a myth.

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Types of Folk Literature

• Pour quoi stories
• Are imaginative stories of why or how things in
  nature came to be that way.

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Types of Folk Literature

• Why Mosquitoes Buzz in Peoples Ears is an
  example of a pour quoi tale.

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Types of Folk Literature

• Fables
• Are short teaching stories.
• Often have animal characters that act like people
  and have human flaws.
• End with a moral that tells the lesson of the
  story.
• The most famous fables were those told by Aesop.

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Types of Folk Literature

• The Hare and the Tortoise is an example of a
  fable.

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Types of Folk Literature

• Trickster tales
• Are folk tales about clever animals (or people)
  who like to trick others.
• Are the root of some cartoon characters, like
  Bugs Bunny or the Road Runner.

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Types of Folk Literature

• Borreguita and the Coyote is an example of a
  trickster tale.