Types of Traditional Literature

Little Red Riding Hood survives as an example of European traditional literature.

Traditional literature is a technical name for a literary form also called folklore or folk literature. This genre encompasses various narratives, songs and poems which have been passed down through the generations by storytellers. Traditional literature illustrates the characteristics of a particular culture including its values, traditions and superstitions. The literary community classifies this literature into subcategories according the story's purpose, form and character types.

Folk Tales and Tall Tales

Though many categories in traditional literature overlap, many of these fall into the larger category of folk tales. Common in all parts of the world, folk tales reflect a particular culture and involve the lower class or peasant class engaged in an everyday conflicts. Folk tales frequently include personified animals, and events often occur in a cycle of three. For example, in "Goldilocks and the Three Bears," Goldilocks helps herself to three objects in the bears' home before they discover her. Tall tales are typical American folk lore and greatly exaggerate heroic events. The legend of "Paul Bunyan" exemplifies a classic American tall tale.

Myths, Legends and Heroic Epics

These forms of traditional literature may be loosely based on historical events. Myths are well-known stories that involve the gods or spirits of specific cultures. Myths usually attempt to explain the origin of a society or justify its traditions or beliefs. The ancient Greek and Native American cultures preserved myriad myths for many generations. Alternatively, heroic epics and legends share some similarity with the myth, with the exception that the antagonist in these types of traditional literature is human. "The Odyssey" is an early example of heroic legend.

Fairy Tales and Numskull Tales

Fairy tales are a popular form of traditional literature which employs magical solutions to fanciful conflicts. In the fairy tale, good characters triumph over evil ones, and the former lives "happily ever after." Fairy tales are characteristically longer stories with a timeless setting like that found in "Cinderella." Meant for good entertainment and general amusement, the numskull tale reports about fools and dimwits who repeatedly err until the story's conflict is resolved. The tale of "Lazy Jack" falls within this category.

Pourquoi Tales and Fables

Pourquoi Tales (pourquoi means "why" in French) explain real world phenomena misunderstood by past generations who sought to explain the unknown. For example, the African tale "How the Leopard Got its Spots" is a fanciful explanation for the unique pattern on the animal's fur. The short stories known as fables impart an unmistakable lesson to their audience. The purpose of these gems was to teach and guide the behavior of the young and the foolish. Fables end with a proverb which removes any doubt about the moral of the story. The main characters in fables are usually animals who represent a singular human trait such as greed or impatience.

References

• Frank Serafini: Traditional Literature

Resources

• Hawaii Edu: Oral Literature and Traditional Literature Online
• American Folklore Society: Homepage