What is a Fairytale?

What’s the difference?• Folktale: any belief or story passed on

traditionally, esp. one considered to be false or based on superstition.

• Tall tale: An exaggerated, unreliable story (ex..Paul Bunyon)

• Myth:a traditional or legendary story, usually concerning some being or hero or event, with or without a determinable basis of fact or a natural explanation, esp. one that is concerned with deities or demigods and explains some practice, rite, or phenomenon of nature (ex.. Pandora’s Box)

What’s The Difference?• Fairy tale:a: a story (as for children)

involving fantastic forces and beings (as fairies, wizards, and goblins) —called also fairy story b: a story in which improbable events lead to a happy ending (ex..Cinderella)

• Fantasy: could be described as something that contains rudiments that are not realistic, such as magical powers, talking animals, etc. Fantasy is often characterized by a departure from the accepted rules by which individuals perceive the world around them; it represents that which is impossible (unexplained) and outside the parameters of our known, reality. Make-believe is what this genre is all about. (Ex.. Harry Potter

Let’s Look At Some Common

Elements Of Fairytales…

Common Fairytale Elements

• One character is jealous of another character because she/he is good or beautiful.

• A character may be put to a test.• Magical creatures or beings may

give help to characters. • Honesty and cleverness is

rewarded and foolishness and evil is punished.

More Elements•Characters may be transformed into something better.

•Character may marry royalty.

•They live “Happily Ever After”

• http://teacher.scholastic.com/writewit/mff/fairytales_discovering.htm

• http://www-ma.beth.k12.pa.us/jhoke/jhwebquest/jhwebquest.htm

• http://www.pitt.edu/~dash/type0510a.html

• http://www.geocities.com/heartland/estates/4967/fairytales.html