LITERARY TERMS
Folk Tradition
The traditional beliefs, customs, stories, songs, and dances of
a culture. Folklore is based on the concerns of ordinary
people and is passed down by word of mouth.
Oral Tradition
Literature that passes by word of mouth from one
generation to the next. Oral literature was a way of
recording the past, glorifying leaders, and teaching morals
and traditions to young people.
Genres of folklore:
How many do you recognize?
folk tales*
myths*
fairy tales*
epics*
tall tales*
legends*
fables*
parables*
spirituals*
proverbs*
folk songs (including ballads)*
*In future slides, any word containing an asterisk means that the
term is a genre of folklore.
Science fiction meets parable:
“He—y, Come on Ou—t!”
(pp. 1014-1017, blue textbook)
A parable* is a brief and simple story that is intended
to teach a lesson about human behavior or society. In
Western European-based cultures, the most famous
parables are those told by Jesus in the Bible, such as
“The Prodigal Son” (pp. 25-26, green textbook), or the
wise builder versus the foolish builder. Parables and
fables often contain a moral, which is a practical lesson
about right and wrong conduct.
“Echo and Narcissus”
“The Story of Daedalus and Icarus”
(pp. 7-9 and 12-14, green textbook)
A myth* is a story that explains objects or events
in the natural world as resulting from the action of
some supernatural force or entity, most often a
god. Every early culture around the globe has
produced its own myths. The best-known myths
are related to ancient Greece and the Romans.
Arachne (Greek myth, where spiders
come from)
“The White Snake,” by the Brothers Grimm
(pp. 19-21, green textbook)
Fairy tales* are stories that deal with mischievous
spirits and other supernatural occurrences, often
in medieval settings. The name generally is
applied to stories of the kind collected by the
Brothers Grimm in Germany or told by Hans
Christian Andersen of Denmark. Examples:
“Cinderella” and “The Little Mermaid.”
“Goha and the Pot,”
a North African folk/trickster tale
(p. 30, green textbook)
Folk tale*: A brief story passed by word of mouth from
generation to generation. One Thousand and One Knights,
from the Islamic Golden Age (about 750 through 1250 C.E.,
or Common Era), is one of the more popular collections of
folk tales. Remember Aladdin?
Trickster tale: A folk tale that usually involves deceit, or a
trick of some kind. The trickster figure, most often a clever
underdog, outwits another character who isn’t as smart.
One of the oldest of such tales is “Jack and the Beanstalk,”
which is believed to have been an oral legend brought to
England by the Vikings.
“The Fox and the Crow,” by Aesop
(p. 34, green textbook)
“Coyote and Crow”
(Native American legend)
(p. 956, blue textbook)
What characteristics do we often associate with
crows, foxes, and coyotes? Why do you think people
attribute human characteristics to animals? The
above two stories are part of these two genres:
A fable* is a brief story, often with animal
characters, told to express a moral. Famous fables
include those of Aesop (such as “The Tortoise and
the Hare”) and Jean de La Fontaine.
A legend* is a story often based on real events or
characters from older times. Unlike myths, legends
are popularly regarded as historical, but they may
contain elements that are fantastic or unverifiable.
Examples of legends are George Washington
chopping down the cherry tree and St.
Nicholas/Santa Claus.
Folk song: “John Henry”
(pp. 46-49, green textbook)
Folk songs* are traditional or composed songs
typically made up of stanzas, a refrain, and a
simple melody. A form of folk literature, folk songs
are expressions of a culture’s commonly shared
ideas. They are anonymously authored songs that
have been passed down orally.
Stanza: A group of lines in a poem or song.
Refrain: A line or group of lines repeated in a poem
or song.
Epic*
A long story, often told in verse, involving heroes
and gods. Grand in length and scope, this genre
provides a picture of an entire culture, of the beliefs,
values, laws, arts, and ways of life of a people.
hero: An epic’s hero is an inspiring character who
represents a culture’s ideals of courage, intelligence,
etc. In early literature, a hero is often part divine
and possesses remarkable abilities, such as magical
powers or superhuman strength.
Examples of epic heroes:
Odysseus from The Odyssey
(Greek epic poem by Homer, about 600 B.C.E.)
Beowulf from Beowulf
(Old English epic, unknown author, 700 C.E.)
Proverb*
A proverb, or adage, is a traditional saying that offers an idea of a
culture’s values and beliefs. Some well-known proverbs include:
“You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make it drink.” “A dog is
man’s best friend.” “A chain is only as strong as its weakest link.”
http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/proverbs.html
The graphic above shows the words that are used in English proverbs,
with the size of each word indicating how often it occurs.
Spiritual*
Religion-based songs from the African-American folk tradition
that were created largely by enslaved men and women of
African heritage in the United States. Many of these songs also
contain political undertones, such as “Go Down, Moses” (green
textbook, pp. 56-57), which reminds people about the bad
things that happened to the pharaoh who refused to free his
slaves, the Hebrews, in ancient Egypt.
Tall Tale*
American folk tales that are often light-hearted and humorous,
and contain highly exaggerated, unrealistic elements, such as
Paul Bunyan singlehandedly digging and creating the Great
Lakes, Pecos Bill riding on a tornado as if it were a wild horse,
and Johnny Appleseed planting trees throughout the U.S.