Folklore encompasses the rituals, customs, superstitions, and manners of a particular group that are passed orally or in writing from one generation to the next.

Benefits of Folk Literature

1.      Tales, verses, and songs embody a child’s conception of the world.

2.      Individuals are aware of the potential of the human imagination to explain history, philosophy, and psychology as depicted in the tales they encounter.

3.      Young people enjoy hearing and producing the language in folk literature.

4.      Folk literature gives individuals an opportunity to experience fantasy worlds and simultaneously to reflect on realistic human conditions.

5.      Through experiences with folk literature, young people can observe the consequences of acceptable and unacceptable behavior, the failures and successes of characters, and their determination to reach their goals.

6.      Individuals encounter historical and folk heros of particular groups.

7.      Young people can compare and contrast motifs or universal truths valued by various cultures, such as the importance of families or caring for others.

8.      Exposure to folk literature increases literary options available to young people.

Folk Literature

Category 1

Poetry

Mother Goose and Nursery Rhymes- Anonymous jingles, riddles, chants, verses, and songs in couplets, quatrains, and limericks; meant to be heard, to be recited, and to entertain young children; contains fanciful adventures of animals and humans; children delight in the rhythmic, repetitive, and sometimes nonsense language of the verses.

Ballads- Short compact songs glorifying the deeds and adventures of ordinary/legendary regional/national heroes; objective tone represented communal concerns, lifestyle, beliefs, and emotional needs of the audience; accompanied by instruments; encouraged audience to dance; entertained royalty and folk; Oral ballads were invented by ordinary people; Literary ballads were written by identified poets.

Epics-Long narrative, written in grandiose language, relating heroic deeds of historical/regional hero; Represents national values and culture; Authentic setting; Primary epics were oral; secondary were written; Found in all countries; hero closely identified with region.

Category 2

Prose

Myths-Anonymous, symbolic stories presented as having occurred in a previous age; Explain supernatural traditions of a people, their gods, heroes, cultural traits, beliefs, and natural phenomena; Two Main Types: Creation myths (explain natural phenomena and other creations); Hero Myths (describe values, customs, and human interactions).

Legends-Exaggerated tales told as fact by one in the “Know” about real places, people, and events; The teller embellishes the facts to make the character “bigger-than-life.”

Tall Tales-Boisterous, extraordinary character endowed with physical prowess; may be loosely based on real person; May represent an occupation or commercial invention, i.e., “fake tales.”

Tales-Short, imaginary stories about real or unknown times, people, events, and animals; Characters have supernatural experiences; Tales reflect human dreams, wishes, and fantasies, as well as cultural mores and beliefs of ordinary “folk”; Tales provide insight into human behavior; Began in oral tradition, resulting in variants worldwide; Include folk, fairy, novella, jests, animal (pourquoi, trickster, fables).

SOURCE: Literature and the Learner

                Goforth