F ABLES, L EGENDS, AND T ALL T ALES : A R EVIEW

F ABLE A short narrative making a moral point Typically features animals or mythical creatures with human characteristics Found in the literature of almost every country

E XAMPLES ???

T HE FOX AND THE STORK

L EGEND Traditional tale handed down from earlier times Believed to have historical basis Usually not outside the realm of possibility May include miracles that were believed to have happened

L EGENDS Fountain of Youth Atlantis Robin Hood Holy Grail

E XAMPLES OF URBAN LEGENDS ???

T ALL T ALES An extravagant, fanciful, or greatly exaggerated story Often told to make the narrator seem to have been a part of the story Usually focuses on the achievements of the ultimate hero

E XAMPLES = Johnny Appleseed John Henry Paul Bunyan (Johnny Appleseed and John Henry – probably real people but stories about them have been exaggerated)

W RITING ACTIVITY Create your own fable, legend, or tall tale. You may also “borrow” the archetype of an actual fable, legend, or tall tale and modernize it