Green 10

Traditional Literature
Traditional Literature is stories that were passed down orally through history. They include folktales, fairy tales, myths, legends, fables, epics, ballads, folk rhymes, etc.

Here are some characteristics of traditional literature.

Variations
Traditional Literature is passed down orally, and each generation tells it a little differently. When people started to write it down, each person's telling is different. That's why there are a lot of variations of the same story.

Point of View
Traditional Literature is almost always told in third person, which is the view of an outsider looking into the action.

Types
There is mainly two types of traditional literature- folklore and religious literature. Part of folklore are folktales, which include fairy tales, animal tales, and some other types of stories that you can see in this chart here.

Courtesy of Jennifer Stanbro, Teacher resource: What is Traditional Literature

I will give a brief description of the types of traditional literature.

Religious/ Cultural Literature

Myths

Setting

• Time is the ancient past
• Place is the region where the myth started

Character

• Characters are humans and gods
• Characters are recognized by their actions
• Gods have superpowers but are similar to humans

Plot

• Plot mostly moves through action

Theme

• Myths tend to explain nature

Style

• A collection of myths is called a mythology
• Myths are told as if they are true

A really good book on Greek and Roman Mythology

Legends/Epics

Setting

• Time is a specific historical past
• Place is also more specific

Character

• The main character is a real person who has probably actually lived in the time and place
• Other characters may be gods or humans

Plot

• Could be one tale or a series of tales
• Actions are exaggerated
• Events follow a logical sequence

Theme

• The human strengths desired at the time ex.honor or strength

Style

• Legends, like myths, are told like they were true

I haven't read this but it looks good ^_^

Folklore

Fables

Setting

• Time and place is vague

Character

• Characters are animals and sometimes objects
• Characters are flat and stand for one human trait

Plot

• Plot is simple with only one incident

Theme

• Good and bad
• The story teaches a lesson

Style

• Tries to teach the reader a lesson
• There is a lot of talking between characters

Aesop's fables are about the most well known fables (fact not proven)

Folktales

Setting

• Time is vague ex. Once upon a time, long ago
• Place is general and vague ex. a castle, a forest, a hut

Character

• Characters are simple. They usually have one strong trait ex. Evil witch, kind old lady, lazy pig
• There are usually opposing characters ex. Brave knight vs. evil king, smart child vs. wicked stepmother

Plot

• The story is fast-paced with lots of suspense and excitement
• The beginning is very short. It introduces the setting, conflict and characters and starts right in with the action
• The story ends quickly. Good is rewarded and evil is punished

Theme

• Good and evil
• Tells about human nature

Style

• Often include rhymes and repetition
• Sounds like it was told orally rather than written down
• Includes rich language, lots of imagery

I have never read this, but I like the cover.

Summary
Story is short and has a simple problem
Characters are often flat and represent one thing
Books are either

1. Composed of many different stories
2. A picture book

It is usually light (not serious) and teaches people something (often that good will be rewarded)
Usually third person
Stories are passed down orally for generations