Often events glossed over or forgotten by the oral tellers are tidied up, made cleaner, elaborated upon, fixed to serve a specific purpose. tales that are set down and then transported through time on the pages of a book have a slightly different character from those orally transmitted. Each place, each culture, each teller leaves a mark. Folktales from the oral tradition carry with them the thumbprint of history. No one kind of story is better than the other. 39)īasically, there are three kinds of folk stories: the oral, the transcribed, and the literary or art tale. The themes in folktales are universal and timeless
Because folktales are created by the people they give us many insights into the cultures from which they spring. I have selected key elements from those I like best:Ī folktale is a story which bas been handed down through word of mouth, and thus belongs to a particular culture rather than an individual. What is a folktale? There are many definitions. It is a mirror charged with echoes of the past and hints of the future. This unit is based on the premise that in folk stories, we encounter a mirror in which we can see who we are and what we have been. The very existence and longevity of the countless number of tales told and recorded today attests to the power of this very special means of expression. The settings and characters may change but the heart and soul feelings are always there. We see the reflection of humankind: its strength, flaws, fears, and hopes.
When we explore folk stories, we explore ourselves and our many facets as human beings. For me, there is something very exciting and powerful about this idea. Folktales interest me primarily, because these stories are among the oldest accounts shared in the oral tradition.įolktales encompass a unique body of stories from all people in all places, told throughout the existence of humankind. Through story we find a means of dealing with the endless stream of questions and ponderings that have always been a part of our human nature. Understanding the past gives them important clues about the present, as well as keys to the future. A child is driven to know their place in the world. I talked like that when I was first born, right?”, I have to marvel at what seems to be evolution in motion. Oftentimes, when my four year old daughter bombards me with questions after question: “ Where did I come from?. As humans this has always been our quest. In order to understand and make sense of who we are, it is essential to know who and what we have been. It must delve into our past our collective memory and understanding.
Yet, this quest must extend further than our present reality. Who am I? Why am I here? What is my purpose? Why me? Why now? Religion, art, schools of scientific and philosophical thought all reflect our endless search for meaning our need to understand and make sense of our existence. This is a very good example of the use of folktales in literature.As we peer into the mirror of our world and our humanity, we seek answers to ageless questions. The novel is set in Alderley Edge in Cheshire and Macclesfield. One of such children’s novels is, The Weirdstone of Brisingamen: A Tale of Alderley, which took a local legend from The Wizard of the Edge, and described landscapes and folklore of neighboring Alderley Edge, where Alan had grown up. His works are mainly rooted in history, landscape, and folklore of his native country Cheshire. Example #4: Alan GarnerĪlan Garner is a renowned English novelist popular for writing fantasy tales and retellings of traditional English folk tales. His popular essay, Where Mirrors Are Windows: Toward an Anthology of Reflections, and commentaries done on Indian folktales, including Oral Tales from Twenty Indian Languages, and The Interior Landscape: Love Poems from a Classical Tamil Anthology, Present Perfect examples of Indian folk literature studies.
For example, in his works Three Hundred Ramayanas, and Where Mirrors are Windows, he talks about intertextual quality of written and oral Indian literature. Ramanujan has written a lot about context sensitivity as a theme in many cultural essays, classical poetry, and Indian folklore.
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