What is a FOLKTALE?

Lets begin by reviewing the Characteristics of Fairy Tales:

·         Begins with Once Upon a Time, Once long ago, Long, long ago etc.
·         Story setting is usually in a castle, forest or town
·         Story has good / nice characters
·         Story has mean / bad characters
·         Many of the characters are animals or members of royalty
·         Story has magic
·         Story has the numbers 3 or 7 in it
·         Story has a problem
·         Problem in the story is solved
·         Good wins / outsmarts bad
·         Ending is "happily ever after"

In order for a story to be a Fairy Tale it must have most of these characteristics - 6 or more.

From Class discussion and reading four FOLKTALES the class came up with the following ideas of what they thought were the characteristics of a FOLKTALE:

Characteristics of Folk Tales: (ideas from students)

          ·       There is a lesson at the end / or in the story

·        There is a conflict

·         The characters are people

·         Some characters can be animals as well

·         Some things are symbols for emotions/feelings (sweetness = love)

·         Very old story

·         Explain how things originated

·         Sun/rain can be characters

·         Teaching you a something using not real characters (sun)

·         Begins with Once Upon a Time, Once long ago, Long, long ago etc.

·         The characters are mean or good

·         Some pictures are realistic

·         Bad person usually loses and good people usually win

·         Usually story comes from somewhere

·         Stories come from different cultures

·         Weakest characters can solve the problem

Characteristics of Folk Tales:

·         Originates in the oral tradition

      ·         Characters are drawn very clearly, and are generally depicted as symbols
           of good, evil, wisdom or foolishness, power of weakness

·         The magic in the tales lies within the people and creatures being shown
      as they really are, not as results of wishes or dreams

·         Natural good, intelligence and goodness generally outsmart evil

·         Magical power is limited

·         Evil does not win, but receives its due or is recognized as evil

·         Plot structure is clear, with chronological sequence and repetitive phrases, or cumulative patterns with predictable problem-solving structure