The document discusses the genre of folktales. Folktales are stories passed down orally through generations that often include fantastical elements and teach moral lessons. They typically have simple settings and characters, involve conflicts between good and evil, and use an informal storytelling style. Common folktales genres include myths, legends, fables, fairy tales and tall tales. All cultures share similar folktales that reflect their traditions and values.

1. GENRE STUDY-FOLKTALES
The Folktale
A folktale is a story that is passed down through generations by word of mouth.
Storytellers recount folktales, adding their own personal touches to entertain listeners
and to teach a moral, or lesson. Myths, tall tales, legends, fables, and fairy tales are all
folktales. Below are descriptions of some common elements they share.
Setting: The setting is where the story takes place. It can be a place that exists or an
imaginary place.
Characters and conflict: Characters in folktales can be people or talking animals who
sometime have exaggerated or magical abilities. The conflicts are usually everyday
problems that regular people might have.
Style: The style of a folktale is informal and conversational.
Theme: The theme of a folktale, or the folktale's moral, is a lesson about human nature
from which listeners or readers can learn.

2. CULTURE AND FOLK TALES
 All cultures have stories that are shared. In
many cases a story from one culture will be
similar to the story of another culture. This is
because people share a lot of the same
experiences and move from place to
place. These stories are known
as folktales which are circulated orally among
a people. Folktales are part of the larger
category known as folklore which includes the
traditional art, literature, knowledge, and
practices of a culture that are shared usually
through oral communication and example.

3. CONFLICT AND MORALS
 In folktales the characters are not well
developed nor the location clearly described.
What is more important to the story is that
there is usually conflict between good and
evil with good usually being rewarded and
evil being punished. Often, the purpose of
these stories is to teach a lesson or to
describe characteristics of
one’s culture. The stories are also
entertaining.

4. These stories can have different forms which are sometimes similar to one
another. These can include:
Fairy Tales: These entertaining stories, which reveal a lot about human nature,
are about characters that have magical adventures. Animals in the stories can
speak. They always end happily with the "underdog" usually triumphing or good
overcoming evil. Wishes come true as a result of a test or struggle.
Myths: These are stories that contain action and suspense and seek to explain
the origins of life and elements of nature. They are usually about the gods and
supernatural beings which existed before or shortly after humans first appeared
on the earth.
Legends/Epics: These usually refer to individuals, heroes or kings who lived in
the period before written records. While they may be based in some ways on
fact, they have been embellished over time.
Tall Tales: These exaggerated cultural stories revolve around the pioneer spirit
and a person who performs superhuman feats. While these can be based on
real characters, they often deal with invented or exaggerated incidents and
traits.
Fables: These short, simple tales, which teach a lesson, have few characters
(often animals). There is a moral which can be pulled from the simple story to
represent a larger lesson in life.
Religious Stories/Parables: These are religious stories that communicate
values.

5. THEMES AND MORALS
 There are numerous themes or “general topics”
that make up the essence of the stories. Often
the stories will deal with opposites. These may
include:
Good vs. evil
 Rich vs. poor
Wise vs. foolish
Age vs. youth
Beauty vs. ugliness
 Stinginess vs. generosity
Fairness vs. unfairness

6. SACRIFICE
 Often, the “happy ending” of the stories will be
brought about because of the sacrifice of one or
more of the characters on behalf of others. Usually
this represents a selfless act for the benefit of
the common good. Explain that the common
good represents “wealth shared by the whole group
of people.” Wealth can mean money, property, and
otherresources but it can also mean a clean
environment, a safe community, a friendly
neighborhood where people care for each other,
honest civilservants, etc. Looking at their
own community, what examples of thecommon
good can the learners identify?

7. MAIN CHRACTERISTICS
 Exactly how to define what is or is not a folktale is under debate, but
stories that fall into this category generally exhibit some very
distinguishable characteristics, such as starting with "once upon a time"
and ending with "and they all lived happily ever after." They traditionally
feature fantastic elements or magic, as well as creatures such as giants,
goblins, fairies, elves and dwarfs. They are usually fairly short, often
taking just a few minutes to tell or read, and the plots often are
melodramatic in nature, featuring a conflict between a hero and villain
where everything ends happily, good triumphs and justice properly is
served.
 Another trait of a folktale is that it survives through or is well known by
multiple generations. Initially, people passed down these stories orally,
and this method of sharing the tales, coupled with general difficulties
and slowness in travel, often resulted in more than one version of the
same story developing. Even so, the heart of the plots and the reasons
for telling them typically remain the same, mirroring the values and
culture of the society from which they originated.

8. REALISM AD PURPOSE
 In general, these stories usually are fiction, meaning that the
people, places and events depicted are largely imaginary. In fact,
people usually readily admit that they probably aren't true. They
are connected closely to legends, however, in that people
sometimes come to see at least one aspect or character as real.
A good example might be a tale about a witch told among a group
that believes witches really exist.
 Regardless of how true audiences believe the stories are,
folktales almost always provide some practical or moral lesson.
Alternately, it can explain how something works or came into
being. The Three Little Pigs, for example, teaches that being
willing to work and thinking critically about how to prepare can
protect someone against intruders or general danger. The fact
that people can derive and apply practical meaning from the
characters and plots is part of what makes them so popular and
enduring.

9. REASONS FOR COMMON USE
 Before the Internet, newspapers, radio,
television and other types of media, it wasn't
possible to rely on technology to pass the time,
and much of the world was illiterate. People
relied on storytellers for both entertainment and
education as a result. Furthermore, groups
needed ways to preserve their cultures.
Folktales met all these needs, providing long-lasting
lessons while being constructed in a way
members of a group could understand based on
their experiences and beliefs.