A fairy tale is the age-old wisdom of the Russian people

What is a fairy tale, and what is its role in the life of almost any person? Who among us in my childhood did not hear these wonderful fantastic works from the lips of my mother or grandmother, did not read them in kindergarten by syllables, did not pass like literature in the framework of the school curriculum? A cartoon, and feature films based on? We can say that a fairy tale is something with which not one generation of people has grown up, and not only in our country. What educates and shapes the personality of each person.

Definition

But not everyone will be able to give a definition: "a fairy tale is ..." And what, in fact, is a fairy tale? Let's start with all sorts of dictionaries. In them, a fairy tale is, first and foremost, a work of folk folklore, oral creativity, a narrative about heroes and events, usually fictional, passed from mouth to mouth. But in the last two centuries, such folk works are actively published in books and in huge editions, so that we always have the opportunity to not only listen to them, but also read them. A folklore tale is a fictional work. It can be contrasted with such "authentic" narratives, like the epic, for example.

Literary

And there is also a fairy tale literary. It, in contrast to folk, folklore, has a certain author (it is sometimes called the author's). Often, such works are closely related to folk. Sometimes the author simply retells them without adding anything, but there are tales where the source material is completely over-processed. Folklore precedes the author's literature, occupies a primary place in the classification of fiction. But the author's tales of famous writers are rightfully included in the treasury of the world classics of such literature.

Other values

If we talk about other meanings of the word fairy tale, then it can be noted that this term in a figurative sense defines something fantastic and tempting, sometimes unattainable in ordinary life situations. And sometimes so they call something that no one believes: pure fiction, untruth, fiction (with a negative even coloring).

Origin of the word

According to scientists, the word itself appears in everyday life not earlier than the 17th century and comes from "kazat", which meant "list" or "precise description". In the modern context, the word "fairy tale" was used later, and earlier the word "fable" was used to denote a similar concept.

Classification of folk tales

Researchers of folk tales believe that they are based on myths that have lost their sacred significance. Myth is associated with a certain ritual. In the fairy tale, the artistic side comes to the fore. And events occur outside the existing geography. For such works are characteristic: anonymity, collectivity and oral. Simply put, folklore tale does not have a specific author, but is transmitted by a multitude of storytellers from mouth to mouth, preserving the main plot. Sometimes it adds any details, like variations. It can be said that the works of CNT (oral folk art) are a collective creation. According to the generally accepted research of folklore classification, all these creations can be divided into tales about animals or plants, about inanimate nature or objects, magical, boring, cumulative, novelistic and some others. This cohort also includes anecdotes and stories.

Household Tale

This is related to the novel works of CNT. Household fairy tales occupy a rather large place in folk folklore. They differ from, for example, magical ones in that the narrative is based on stories from daily life. In them, as a rule, there is no fiction, and real characters are involved: the wife and the husband, the merchant and the soldier, the master and the worker, the priest, etc. These are the works of the oral creativity of the people about fooling a master or priest, about the admonition of a negligent wife, about a crafty soldier who has a wit. Basically, a household fairy tale is a work on a household or family theme. The main sympathies are experienced soldier, skilled and savvy worker who achieve their goals, passing sometimes through comic or terrible situations. At the same time, the irony of the narrative is revealed. Such tales, as a rule, are short. The plot develops quickly, at the center of the action is one episode that looks like a fairy tale-story. It is in Belinsky's everyday fairy-tales that moral, everyday and characteristic features of the entire Russian people are displayed: crafty mind, irony, simple-heartedness and diligence. Household fairy tales contain neither horrors nor special magic, but can be endowed with irony and comicism. Externally, this work looks like a fairy tale-byl. This seeming plausibility is one of many characteristic features of such creativity.

Examples of everyday fairy tales

They can be listed quite a lot: "The Barin and the Dog," "Fedul and Melanya," "The Barin and the Man," "The Fool and the Birch," "The Funeral of the Goat," "The Soldier's Overcoat," "The Pot."

Everyone remembers, perhaps, the everyday fairy tale "Kasha from the Ax", in which a sharp-minded soldier cooks the food as if out of nothing (from one ax), and meanwhile cunningly begs the greedy housewife for all the necessary products.