Traditional Literature - PowerPoint Presentation

Slide1

Traditional Literature

CUR 513, Fall 2014, Professor J. Sapp

Presentation by:

Andrea T., Chris P., Ja’hnae J.Slide2

Traditional Literature

CUR 513, Fall 2014, Professor J. Sapp

Presentation by:

Andrea T., Chris P., Ja’hnae J.Slide3

Traditional Literature

How many of us can remember the stories that we were told during our childhood? Start naming some of these tales.

Most of us can recall stories such as “Little Red Riding Hood” “Jack and the Beanstalk” “Cinderella” “Beauty and the Beast”, etc. Well most of the stories are not indigenous to North America. They come from all around the world.Slide4

Trad’l lit. continued

Firstly, What is traditional literature?

“Traditional literature is the body of stories and poems that have come to us from teller to hearer, and from hearer to teller…” ( C. Temple, M. Martinez, J. Yokota 209)

Passed down from generation to generation which is also known as oral tradition

Trad’l lit. consists of: folktales

folktales- fairy tales, popular tales, household tales. Slide5

What makes trad’l lit. so endearing?

simple stories with ambiguous characters and strong plots

didactic in nature: most of these stories serve as moral lessons, learning tools

international & universal; almost every culture represented in the world have tales that they have passed down and there are certain archetypes present in every culture which can translate over into any text

Walt Disney was known for “borrowing” many different tales from around the world for his stories which generated millions, if not billions, of dollars.Slide6

Value of traditional literature

trad’l lit. has the ability to teach historical and cultural lessons

most cultural stories are infused with actual historical occurrences and they also do a good job at synthesizing the intricacies of diff. cultural phenomena

free talk therapy: gives children an avenue for revealing and addressing their own fears and urges that they may not be able to tackle on their ownSlide7

Elements of trad’l literature

Setting: certain motifs are present in the setting of folk tales. Most take place in:

a cottage or hoval e.g. Snow White, Hansel & Gretel

castle e.g Rapunzel, Cinderella

forest e.g Little Red Riding Hood, Robin Hood, The Crane Wife

Characters: characters in folktales are usually ambiguously described giving the narrator/ orator, more wiggle room to expand or reduce according to the plot. In folktales, the character is assigned a role according to the plot not the character is given a clear identity and is involved in the plotSlide8

Elements of trad’l lit

Characters cont.: four main characters in folktales

The Hero: their needs and desires drive the story e.g Jack in the Beanstalk

The Rival: this person stands in between the hero and his or her goal e.g. The Giant in Jack in the Beanstalk

The Helper: the person or force who helps the hero towards his goal Slide9

Elements cont.

Contrasts in Folktales

Charles Levi-Strauss (1957) stated that contrasts are not accidental in folktales.

“Humans learn about the truths of the world by first paying attention to those things that are starkly opposite to each other” (213)

e.g hero v. villan, home sweet home v. lands of adventure, good v. badSlide10

What makes trad’l lit endearing?

It’s human nature; “the instinct to make stories is one of our defining features as human beings” (209)

engaging for many audiences, both young and old

a rich source of multicultural material

unification: can unite different cultures due to the similarities in characters, plots, etc.

source material is part of the “public domain”

no authors= no copyrightsSlide11

Examples of various cultural folklore:

English Folklore

Due to density, this tale (epic poem) is recommended for

grades 6-12 but can be read to all ages

has all sort of “goodies,” dragons, a grendel (malformed human boy), a serpent/Medusa woman, a heroic almost superhuman protagonist, a round table, 14th century castle

good v. evil, strenght and skill, violence, religionSlide12

French Folklore-

Beauty and the Beast

“Tale as old as time, song as old as rhyme, Beauty and the Beast…”

Themes:

inner beauty v. outward beauty,

perception, judgment, societal pressure, society. v the individualSlide13

Native American Tales

-

Coyote, A Trickster Tale from the American Southwest

Brief synopsis: Wherever Coyote goes you can be sure he’ll find trouble. Now he wants to sing, dance, and fly like the crows, so he begs them to teach him how. The crows agree but soon tire of Coyote’s bragging and boasting. They decide to teach the great trickster a lesson. This time, Coyote has found real trouble!Slide14

African American Folktales-

The Tales of Uncle Remus: The Advntures of Brer Rabbit

Generations of children have been captivated by the hair-raising adventures and misadventures of Brer Rabbit. Come along as he sneaks into Mr. Man's garden, persuades Brer Wolf to be burned in a hollow log, and kicks Brer Fox's Tar Baby. Jerry Pinkney's lively and humorous illustrations are a perfect match for Julius Lester's contemporary approach, which expertly introduces a modern sense of humor to these forty-eight tales while paying homage to their roots as traditional American folklore.Slide15

African folklore

-

Anansi the Spider

Ghana

Anansi the spider knew there was something missing from the earth, and that thing was stories. He was a very clever trickster but getting the stories from the Sky God would not be easy. There would be a high price to pay and Anansi would need all his trickery if he was to succeed.Slide16

Traditional Literature

The Oral TraditionSlide17
Slide18

The

Rise of the Written Folktale

Giovanni Francisco Straporo

la (1550)

First collection of written stories for children.

Giambattista Basile

The Tale of Tales/Entertainment for Little Ones

Adult themesSlide19
Slide20

Charles Perrault

(

1628-1703

)

French Tales

Extravagant

During Louis

XIV

Mother GooseSlide21
Slide22

People and culture of Germany resides in old tales and legends

Collected stories from around the country

Nursery and Household Tales

The Brothers GrimmSlide23
Slide24

Joseph Jacobs (1854-1916)

Father of English folklore

English response to invasion of French tales

Most tales came from secondary sources

Put well known tales into circulationSlide25

Hans

Christian Anderson

(1805-1875)

Mother introduced him to folktales

Retold traditional tales with his own twist

But most tales original

Hans Christian Anderson AwardSlide26
Slide27

Folklore and Folktales in America

Stories from slaves

Native American Stories

Tall Tales

Cowboy SongsSlide28
Slide29

Types of Folk Literature

Cumulative tales

Animal tales

Trickster tales

Humorous tales

Tall tales

Ghost storiesSlide30

Types of Folk Literature

Fairy tales

Realistic tales

Legends

Epics

Ballards

Fables

Myths

Religious stories

Literary talesSlide31

Cumulative tales

The House that Jack Built

The House That Jack Built

This is the house that Jack built

This is the Malt

That lay in the house that Jack built.

This is rat

That ate the malt

That lay in the house that Jack built…Slide32

Animal Tales

The Three Little Pigs

Chicken

LittleSlide33

Animal Tales

Have been around for 1000’s of years

Native Americans

European folktales are rich with animal characters

The Three Little Pigs

The Three Bears

Henry PennySlide34

Trickster tales

Trickster tales feature a clever, devious animal or character whose pranks usually cause trouble for another character. In most instances, the trickster goes away gloating and unpunished, though in some tales there is a turnabout, and the trickster falls prey to the mischief he started.

The trickster figure is found all over the world. Sometimes this figure is either creative or subversive. They are mischievous, cunning and humorous and usually have the ability to switch between animal and human form.Slide35

Trickster TalesSlide36

Humorous Tales

Numbskull tales

Hans Clodhopper

Hans Christian AndersenSlide37

Tell Tales

Pippi Longstocking

Pecos Bill

John HenrySlide38

Ghost Stories

Northrop Fry- Literature shows us the heaven we seek and the hell we wish to avoid…

And

Bloody Mary Ritual Slide39

Fairy Tales

Generally involve:

Magic

Royalty

Commonly associated with apprenticeship tales or hero tales.Slide40

Realistic Tales

The Eggs

Sea Captain and the

Ripple effect of not paying

For his meal

Story remains in the realm of

Possibility.Slide41

Legends

Stories about saints or other heroes who might actually have lived.

King Arthur

Robin HoodSlide42

Epics and Ballads

Ballads are narratives in song, and mostly built of

four-line stanzas.

Popular in England from the 14

th

century on.

Epics are extended accounts of the exploits of national heroes.

Beowulf: a Scandinavian hero from the 16 century.Slide43

Myths

Myths

One method in which stories try to explain the mysteries of he universe to society.Slide44

Myths

Classical Myths from Greece and Rome:

Our planets:

The Tale of Icarus Daedalus- A boy and his father

Moral of the story

Aim for the middle course and avoid extremes. In other words, be balanced.Slide45

Religious Stories

Considered to be SPECIAL because they are sacred to one group of people or another.

Stories range

from:

The

Life of Jesus

by

Katherine Paterson

Patrick, Patron Saint of Ireland

(inspired by Saint Valentine) – Robert Sabuda

My Jewish Holidays

(Peter Catalanatto)

Budda and Muhammed

- A picture book by

Demi