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Folk Literature
Definition: Folk or traditional literature is the collection of tales passed from generation to generation and from the old to the young by word of mouth (also called the oral tradition).
- Folk literature is believed to be people¹s efforts to organize their experiences into meaningful patterns.
- Folk literature includes fairy tales, myths, legends, fables, tall tales, and other oral traditions of preliterate societies.
Theories of the origin of folk tales:
- Aryan myth theory (or monogenesis--²single origin²): all folk tales came from the Teutonic myths of a single ancestral people.
- Polygenesis (³many origins²) theory: people everywhere in the world experience the same emotions--love, pity, fear, anguish, jealousy, hatred--and results of these emotions--greed, selfish ambition, courage, kindness--and conditions of people--cruel step-parents, neglected children, resulting in many variants of the same story (such as Cinderella).
- Psychoanalytic theory: folk tales come from the dreams, nightmares, unconscious emotions of the storyteller.
Problems with theories:
- We know today that all peoples do not share the same emotions, for example some groups of people are indifferent to whether children they bring up are their own.
- Yet, there is striking similarities among folk tales found in different parts of the world.
Science of folklore:
- Folktales are the cement of society: they codified and reinforced the way people thought, felt, believed, and behaved.
- Folktales are created by most people at an early level of civilization.
- Folktales may contain elements of past religions, rituals, superstitions, or events.
- Folktales are carried orally by migrating peoples, travellers, captives.
- Storytellers altered [edited] tales, combined tales, and adapted tales for the lands and peoples listening. [Tales carried over water versus land usually had fewer alterations.]
Distinctive elements of folktales:
- Pattern of form:
- Introduction: introduces the leading characters, the time (once upon a time, in olden times when wishing still helped, long ago and far away) and place (bridge, palace, forest, hut--a very minimum of details), and the problem to be solved or the conflict which is the essence of the story (winning security, earning a living, accomplishing impossible tasks, escaping powerful enemies, outwitting wicked schemes and schemers, succeeding with nonchalance).
- Development: the heart of the story--quests begin, tasks are initiated and performed, flight gets underway, obstacles appear, hero or heroine reduce despair or helplessness or plunge into more and more perilous action--until a climax when the problem or conflict will be resolved one way or another. The plots are vigorous and full of suspense and action. The unity of the tale is held together by an economy of incidents--generally limited to three tasks or three riddles or three trials.
- Conclusion: usually swift and brief; and accounts for everything that was started in the introduction--heroes/heroines achieve a happy solution, villains are satisfactorily punished.
- Pattern of style
- Meant to be told or read aloud--not read silently.
- Often story has a cadence with words suited to the tempo.
- A rapid and natural give-and-take in dialogue.
- Words carefully chosen to make long descriptions unnecessary.
- Often uses rhyme for a particular character¹s speech.
- Pattern of character portrayal
- Plot is more important than characters.
- Characters are used typed, for example the good are altogether good and the wicked are completely wicked--leading to no sympathy and easy liquidation in the conclusion.
Types of folk literature:
Folktales
- Animal tales--generally the principal characters are animals that talk and act like humans and interact with humans (who have negligible and negative roles).
- Fables--a form of animal tale in which animals portray human virtues and vices for the purpose of conveying a [usually blatantly stated] moral message. Most fables require abstract thinking and are lost on young children.
- Märchen or wonder tales (magic)--magical wonders (a person or object or enchantment) long ago in faraway lands usually depict the conflict between good and evil, usually with characters of royal birth; usually end in a happy marriage.
- Pourquoi (³why²) tales--explain natural phenomena; many Native American and African folktales fall into this category, such as ³Why mosquitos buzz in people¹s ears.²
- Noodlehead (or simpleton) tales--main characters are lovable fools (underdogs) who trade one possession for another of lesser value until they are left with nothing except happiness.
- Cumulative tales--include repetitious patterns, such as three wishes, three deeds or a repeated list that is added to.
- Tall tales--comic stories of preposterous exaggeration, such as Paul Bunyan, which defy logic and almost always without a moral lesson.
- Ghost stories, including ³jump tales² (Œit got you¹). Most children prefer to hear ghost stories in groups (for safety?).
Myths
- Stories of gods, goddesses, heroes of a given culture.
- Help define human relationships with a deity or deities.
- Explain origin of customs and societal beliefs.
- Help to reinforce cultural values, such as primary good and evil.
- Help to explain natural phenomena, such as desolation of winter.
- Help to resolve people¹s fear of the unknown, such as thunder, lightning, death.
Epics and legends
- Grew out of mythology but focus on stories of humans as heroes.
- Derive from Christian sources (King Arthur), saints¹ legends, local legends (such as Johnny Appleseed).
- The typical legend grows up around a real person--although facts are lost.
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