characteristics of folk literature

Chivalry, Feudalism, Religion, and The Absurd are all important themes in Arthurian tales. All Arthurian tales have these themes and they are important to the story. Provide these stories a satire twist, and now the themes can misshapen. With Monty Python and the Holy Grail and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight these movies and stories make it so that there are differences and similarities in these. These important themes make it so their are differences in these important movie and stories.

Cinderella, Aschenputtel, Little Saddleslut, and Cenerentola. These are all examples of different versions of the same story. What is the appeal in adapting a story? Why or how is the meaning changed for adaptations? How have stories been adapted? What effects do the stories and adaptations have on people? There are numerous renditions of the same folktales, most differentiating due to the fact that they were each adapted to be based on their cultures. Certain cultures alter specific aspects of the story so that it can be more relatable to their society. However, these alterations can affect how people interpret the meaning or purpose of the story.

With every corner we turn in today’s culture, we become more and more aware of the archetypes that surround us. Archetypes are the works of a typical character, situation, setting, or symbol that can be found in fantasy and reality. An example would be the renowned medieval story Sir Gawain and the Green Knight by Pearl Poet. The author permeates the story with situational, symbolic, and character archetypes that illustrate the profound life of Sir Gawain. Sir Gawain was apprehensive of his journey at first, but as time passes, he began to make choices that unveils to the audience the true flawed knight that he was.

Ashliman, D. L., et al. "Cruel Parents, Motif S10." Archetypes & Motifs in Folklore & Literature: A

A motif is a repeating symbol that takes on a figurative meaning. A motif can be an object, a color, the weather, or even an idea or a concept. Motifs are usually used to establish a certain mood or a theme, and they have a symbolic meaning. For example, in a fairy tale, some motifs would be: the handsome prince, the wicked witch, talking animals, and magic fairies. Another example would be the song “Beasts of England” in Animal Farm by George Orwell, and it is a motif that mainly serves as propaganda to the animals. In Macbeth by William Shakespeare, motifs are seen all throughout the book, like the motif of blood and how it represents guilt. The motifs of blood, sleep, and birds affect the character development and relationship of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth.

Folk tales are stories that are most often passed down orally from generation to generation. These stories are often changed slightly due its old age and variety in versions. Details and dialogue may differ by a speck, but one thing that never changes is the archetypes in the stories, in other words, the common example of a character based on their role in the story. Washington Irving, an author associated to the Romantic Era with a gothic twist in the 1800’s, is a prime example of a folk tale with archetypical characters. “The Devil and Tom Walker,” published in 1824 illustrates a story of a greedy man who makes a covenant with the Devil selling his soul for wealth.

Fairy tales is the term also used to describe something adored with unusual happiness, like “fairy tale ending” a happing ending or “fairy tale romance”, though not all fairy tale as a happy ending. A fairy tales is a type of short story that consistently features European folkloric fantasy characters, such as dwarves, elves, fairies, giants, gnomes, goblins, mermaids, trolls, or witches, and usually magic or enchantments. Fairy Tale Fairy tales may be acclaimed from other folk narratives such as legends which generally involves belief in the veracity of the events described and explicitly moral tales, including beast fables. Fairy Tale." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 11 June 2014. Web. 13 Nov. 2014. According to Arthur Schlesinger, classical tales “tells children what they unconsciously know-that human nature is not innately good, that conflict is real, that life is harsh before it is happy-and thereby reassure them about their own fears and their own sense of self” (229). Fairy tales, according to the British illustrator Arthur Rackman have become “part of our everyday thought and expression, and help to shape our lives” (229). Fairy tales are mostly used in any story that is not only true, but could not possibly be true. Maria Tatar the author of numerous articles on fairy tales and also ten scholarly books wrote that “fairy tales are up close and personal, telling us about the quest of romance and riches, for power and privilege, and, and most important, for a way

In literature, insights into characters, places, and events are often communicated to the reader through the use of imagery within the text. Thus is the case with "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight". The Pearl Poet's use of imagery runs rampant within the work culminating to set forth the theme of mysticism and/or the supernatural. In this Medieval romance, the types of imagery used are that of the season or climate, the colors and textures of fabrics and jewelry, and that of the introduction of the Green Knight himself.

The settings are used appropriately to the characters. For example the Hamilton’s land is completely dry of any water, but Samuel is one the kindest man in the county. Adam Trask’s land is full of water, but goes through a rough time and does become depressed for a time. Also for Cathy as it describes the different places where she goes that reflect her strange and manipulative personality. All of these settings help you see the difference between good and evil. The rooms in which certain things take place help add to the effect for certain events.

It is interesting to see how some folktales are similar to each other even though they can be from a different region of the world. An example of this happening is the stories of Odysseus and Sinbad. Both of these folktales have much in common but on is from the Middle East while the other from Greece. The way their travels are similar, how their adventures are being told, and how their personalities are alike prove this concept. These tales were told as entertainment and educate people about growth and perseverance.

Literature during the medieval period is where magic and the supernatural are constantly present: in otherworldly encounters such as when the knight Lanval meets the lady who becomes his love, in the strange adventures experienced by knights on quests as Sir Gawain does, and in mystical objects such as the green girdle given to Sir Gawain by Lady Bertilak. Without the magic and otherworldly circumstances that exist in these stories, none of them would have been interesting and they probably wouldn’t have survived the test of time, and would not exist today for us to read. Having an element as fantastic as the supernatural being used in poems like Marie de France’s Lanval and the anonymously written Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, can be explained in different ways, including illogical manifestations being brought to life in order to carry the plot of a story, and to illustrate lessons about medieval society through magical and supernatural elements. Examples from Lanval and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight can be used as demonstrations to support these claims of how the supernatural serves its purpose in medieval literature.

The Wizard of Oz, is a classic fantasy that takes us to a world of fairies, dreams and childhood memories. The symbols, characters and use of situational archetypes offer the reader an understanding of Archetypal theory. Archetypes are used to impact the understandings of myths, legends and fairytales as it allows the audience to make connections and link other stories together. Furthermore, it helps in deeper analyzation, interpretation and connections in literature and show 's the characters behavior or personality. Not only does identifying archetypes help the reader to understand the morals of the story better, it also speaks to the basic human experiences and communicates meaning and emotion in all forms of literature. The portrayal

The traditions of storytelling have long been used as a means to impart wisdom and life lessons to others. One of the most effective ways in which this is done is through the use of archetypes. While it is possible to look at these images in a general way, one may also focus an analysis on a single tale. In this way it is possible to explore the particular images used and their significance in a given situation, (often a coming of age rite of

    It is common when considering The Canterbury Tales to discuss how some tales seem designed to emphasise the themes of others. Two such tales are the Miller's Tale2 and the Knight's Tale3.

Fairy Folk Tales are the most popular types of literature. The tale is an orally transmitted tradition by generations through the time; some events are changed to fit reality and society. Folk fairy tales deal with the dualism of the good and the evil. They are basing on a conflict between the good and the evil forces. The conclusion comes from aspirations of the human desire to achieve the justices. There are no known authors and sources for ancient’s literature. We have many versions of the story; they are credited by many authors later. Each tale is very like some other culture’s tale. Each culture has own tales, but all the tales are similarities and differences in some points. This essay will compare between two fairy tales, “Cinderella” and “In the Land of Small Dragon”. The tale of Cinderella is a French tale. It is credited by Charles Perrault; it is published in 1697. The in the Land of Small Dragon is a Vietnamese folktale; it is told by Dang Manh Kha in 1979.