Folktales
Definition of "folktale": A traditional, usually anonymous, story that has been handed down orally (aloud, not written down) among a people or culture.
Elements of Folktale Literature:
- Usually depicts characters of the lower class. (commoners, ordinary working people)
- Often depicts a historical event. (example: slavery, the passing of a comet, or a particular war)
- Characters are from a geographical area. (example: a tale from Africa)
- Tells of special deed(s) or actions by a person or group. (example: In Little Red Riding Hood, the woodcutter opens up the wolf to save Grandmother and Red Riding Hood.)
- May contain an explanation for a phenomena or happening. (example: why there are four seasons, or how the elephant got its trunk)
- May be retold in many versions. (example: Little Red Riding Hood)
Examples of folktales:
- Bringing the Rain to Kapiti Plain: A Nandi Tale by Verna Aardema
- Why Mosquitos Buzz in People's Ears: A West African Tale by Verna Aardema
- How the Camel Got Its Hump by Rudyard Kipling
- Little Red Ridinghood
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