Points to ponder Traditional Literature

1. Traditional Literature

2. Definition
• All forms of narrative, written or oral, handed through the
years
• Stories people created to help explain the world to their
primitive minds
• Tales told by storytellers again and again, transferred
from one generation to the next, until the stories were
smooth and polished

3. Origin of Folk Literature
• Most often labeled as “folklore”, “folk literature”, or
“mythology”
• Definition of the word myth: “imagined event”
• Mythology: a group of myths of a particular culture
• Grimm Brothers

4. Value of Folk Literature
• Children enjoy traditional literature because they are
good stories. They are sources of entertainment.
• They appeal to children’s sense of justice & moral
judgment.
• They kindle a child’s imagination.
• They contribute to our speech and vocabulary.
• They are a valuable source for introducing world cultures
and geographical regions

5. Types of Traditional
Literature
• Folktales (Cumulative Tales, Pourquoi Tales, Beast Tales,
Wonder Tales, Realistic Tales)
• Fables
• Myths
• Epic and Legendary Heroes
• Bible as Literature

6. Traditional Literature
Folktales
Cumulative
Tales
Beast Tales
Pourquoi
Tales
Wonder Tales
Realistic
Tales
Tall Tales
Trickster Tales
Fables Myths Epic Bible
as Literature

7. 1. Cumulative Tales: increasing repetition of
detail, builds to a quick climax
2. Beast Tales: animals talk and act like
humans
3. Pourquoi Tales: seeks to explain “why”
things in nature are the way they are
4. Wonder Tales: usually contain giants,
witches, monsters, anything magical
Types of Folktales:

8. 5. Realistic Tales : begins with a real person
6. Tall Tales : legendary heroes of superlatives
7. Trickster Tales: a weaker/smaller yet clever
animal outsmarts the larger more powerful
animal

9. Evaluation Criteria
• Is there some mention or citation of the original source
for this tale?
• Is the plot simple and direct?
• Is the language lively and engaging and in keeping with
the oral tradition?

10. Evaluation Criteria (cont.)
• Does a theme emerge from the telling of the tale? If so,
what is the story’s message or moral?
• Do illustrations add to and extend the story? Are
illustrations and details true to the culture represented?
• Does the story represent cultural norms, or is it rewritten
to conform to Western mores?

11. A Few Quality Traditional
Literature
Title Author/Illustrator Description
Pecos Bill Steven Kellogg American Tall Tale
Pandora Robert Burleigh Myth
The Gingerbread Man Paul Galdone Cumulative Tale
The Three Billy Goats
Gruff
Marcia Brown and Glen
Rounds
Beast Tales