1_Unit 5 Folk Literature

1_Unit 5 Folk Literature

1. Elements of Folk Literature p. 628

   • Themes
     • Universal: Express insights about life that can be understood by people of most cultures.
     • Culturally Specific: Reflect local customs and beliefs.
   • Forms
     • Folk Tales
     • Fairy Tales
     • Fables
     • Wise Sayings
     • Folk Songs
     • Legends
     • Myths
   • Purposes
     • Teach an important life lesson
     • Explain something in nature
     • Entertain or amuse

2. Oral Tradition in print p. 629

   • Folk Tales
     • Stories that often deal with heroes, adventure, magic, or romance.
   • Fables
     • Brief stories or poems that teach lessons.
   • Folk Songs
     • Present the ideas, values, feelings, and beliefs of a culture in musical form.
   • Myths
     • Fictional tales that explore the actions of gods and heroes or explain why things are a certain way in the natural world.
   • Legends
     • Traditional, familiar stories about the past.

3. Characteristics of Folk Literature p.629

   • Fantasy
     • Writing that is highly imaginative and contains elements not found in real life
   • Personification
     • Type of figurative language in which a nonhuman subject is given human characteristics
   • Hyperbole
     • Exaggeration or overstatement that is often used to create a comic effect
   • Irony
     • Involves surprises, unexpected events,and interesting or amusing contradictions
   • Dialect
     • Form of language spoken by people of a particular region or group

4. Analyzing Structure and Theme p. 630

   • Stated and Implied Theme
     • At the end of stories
     • Readers must analyze the characters, setting, and events in the story
   • Symbols and Theme
   • Common Themes in Folk Literature
     • Those who seem foolish are actually wise.
     • Too much pride can lead to a fall.
     • Wisdom comes through suffering
     • The virtues of kindness, generosity, and modesty are stronger than their opposites.
     • Unappealing outward appearance may disguise a noble soul.
   • Simple Diction
     • Plain, common words,everyday language, and simple sentence construction.
   • Repetition
     • Rep. of events, lines of dialogue, descriptions, and sound patterns is a familiar element in folk literature.
     • Refrain
       • a repeated line or number of lines in a poem or song.
   • Archetypes
     • Plot
       • Dangerous Journey
       • Quest to prove one's honor
       • Search for a valuable item
     • Characters
       • Enchanted princess
       • Superhuman heroes and villians
       • Trickster, or wise fool
     • Ideas
       • Evil disguised as good
       • Good vs. Evil
       • Magic in the normal world
       • Hero or heroine aided by supernatural forces