Traditional Literature Dawn Dunsing Jamie Poettker Julie Duggan

Traditional Literature Traditional Literature contains something that appeals to all interests: humorous stories, magical stories and adventure stories. Traditional tales have been handed down from generation to generation by word of mouth.

Types of Traditional Literature Folktales Fables Myths Legends

Values of Traditional Literature for Children Helps Children Understand the World Helps Children Identify with Universal Struggles Gives Children Pleasure

Folktales “Prose narratives which are regarded as fiction. They are not considered as dogma or history, they may or may not have happened, and they are not taken seriously.” (Norton, pg.279)

Plot in Folktales Contains lots of conflict and action Conflict between characters representing good and evil is typical of folktales Reoccurring actions account for the uniformity and repetitiveness of folktales Most folktales end with some version of “and they lived happily ever after”

Folktales Characterization Folktale characters are less completely developed than are characters in other types of stories Characters are easily typed as bad and are accompanied by those who are always good Folktales usually establish the main characters’ natures early on

Setting in Folktales The time in folktales is always the far distant past, usually introduced by some version of “once upon a time” The symbolic settings found in many folktales are not carefully described because there is no need for description

Theme in Folktales Folktales contain universal truths and reflect the values of the times and societies in which they originated, many of which are still honored today

Style of Folktales The style of folktales is simple, which makes them appropriate for children

Common Motifs of Folktales Supernatural adversaries (troll, giant) Supernatural helpers (fairies, fairy godmother) Deceitful or ferocious beasts (wolf, lion) Magical objects (cloak of invisibility) Magical powers (granted wishes) Magical transformations (human to animal)

Subcategories of Folktales Cumulative Tales: –Tales that sequentially repeat actions, characters, or speeches until a climax is reached Beast Tales: –Tales about talking animals, show the cleverness of one animal and the stupidity of another Magic and Wonder Tales: –Contain some element of magic Pourquoi Tales: –“why” tales -- answer a question or explain how animals, plants or humans were created and why they have certain characteristics Realistic Tales: –Tales that have realistic plots and involve people who could have existed

Fables Brief tales in which animal characters that talk and act like humans indicate a moral lesson or satirize human conduct Legend credits the origin of the fable in Western culture to a Greek slave named Aesop, who lived in the sixth century B.C. Aesop’s nimble wit supposedly got Aesop’s master out of numerous difficulties In contemporary editions, fables are popular subjects for modern storytellers and illustrators

Characteristics of Fables They are fiction in the sense that they did not really happen They are meant to entertain They are poetic, with double or allegorical significance They are moral tales, usually with animal characters Fables are short, and they usually have no more than two or three characters

Myths Myths account for the origin of the world and humans; for everyday natural phenomena, such as thunder and lightning; and for human emotions and experiences, such as love and death A myth is a story containing fanciful or supernatural incidents intended to explain nature to tell about the gods and demons of early peoples

Myths In the distant past, and in some traditional cultures today, the stories were taken as fact made sacred by religious belief Myths proved an understanding of the rich cultural heritage that we have acquired from ancient civilizations all over the world Myths provide children with knowledge about ancestral cultures and allow the children to look at other cultures from the inside out.

Myths Myths are models for belief; they are serious statements about existence They provide a framework for understanding the things that other people did or thought Myths are tools for understanding and expanded expression

Myths Myths are models for belief; they are serious statements about existence They provide a framework for understanding the things that other people did or thought Myths are tools for understanding and expanded expression

Myths They offer new dimensions for imagination and suggest ways for children to gain insights from their daydreams Myths also provide means of introducing children to literary allusions

Types of Myths Greek Roman Norse

Functions of Myths Mystical: –allows people to experience the awe of the universe Cosmological: –shows the shape and mystery of the universe Sociological: –supports and validates a certain social order Pedagogical: –teaches people how to live

Legends “the territory of legend has history on one of its borders, myth on another, and folktale on a third.” (Cavendish, 1982) Closely related to mythology Many of the heroes and heroines in epic legends reflect a strong sense of goodness as they overcome various worldly evils

Legends Early legends usually enlarged upon the lives of religious figures, such as martyrs and saints. In more recent times, legends developed around royal figures and folk heroes and heroines Legends help children understand the conditions of times that created a need for brave and honorable men and women

Legends Stress the noblest of actions Justice reigns over injustice Children can feel the magnitude of the oral tradition as they listen to these tales, so reading legends aloud is the best way to introduce them to children