What is the difference between a folk tale and a literary one? Similarities and differences

Literary and folk tales belong to the same genre, therefore it is rather difficult to determine the difference between a folk tale and a literary one. Visible differences have only a form of narrative and inner content. The basis of the story of any fairy tale is an amazing story about the unprecedented adventures (sometimes misadventures) of the main characters, but in folklore works the plot is built according to the traditional scheme, but in the literary narrative has the author's version of the presentation.

Folk tales

In order to reveal the differences between literary and folk tales, it is necessary to study the definitions of these concepts. The folk tale is an ancient cultural heritage, which, albeit in embellished form, has preserved the representation of ancestors about the relationship between the surrounding world (nature) and man. Here the line between evil and good is clearly delineated, the basic laws of morality and the moral principles of human society are reflected, and the bright features of national identity, beliefs and way of life are demonstrated. Tales, called folk, have their own classification:

• Magic ("The Magic Ring", "Two Frosts", "Frosty").
• Wonderful ("Damascus Bulat", "Vavila and buffoons", "Dobrynya and the Serpent").
• Household ("Poor master and servant", "Thieves and judge", "Dear Lunch").
• Bogatyrsky ("Ivan is a peasant son and Miracle Yudo", "Ivan is a cow's son", "Nikita Kozhemyaka").
• Satirical ("Good Pop", "Fool and Birch", "Porridge of the Ax").

A separate niche in the presented classification is occupied by fairy tales, the heroes of which are animals ("Geese-swans", "Goat-Dereza", "Masha and the Bear"). Their appearance is associated with ancient pagan rituals and beliefs.

Literary tales

Making a comparison of folk and literary tales, be sure to take into account that the latter arose much later than the first. Thanks to the introduction of educational ideas into European literature, in the 18th century the first author's readings-processing of folklore legends appear, and already in the 19th century traditional fairy-tale subjects began to be widely used by writers. Among the particularly successful in this field are A. Hoffmann, S. Perrot, G. H. Andersen and, of course, the Grimm brothers - recognized classics of the genre.

The similarities of the literary and folk tale are determined by the fact that folk motifs are repeated in both, magical attributes are necessarily present, but in the literary development of the plot, the choice of the main characters is strictly subordinated to the author's will. Also from the second half of the XIX century the literary tale becomes very close to novels and even novels. A vivid example can serve the works of Russian writers: L. Tolstoy and A. Pogorelsky, and European: S. Lagerléf, O. Wilde and L. Carroll.

General. Folklore traditions

Comparing the features of the folk and literary tale, one should pay special attention to the folklore traditions of the author's fairy tale that unites it with the folk tale:

• Writers use in their works the plot motifs of folklore (moral and moral temptation - the test of the protagonist, the presence of animal assistants, the wonderful origin of the characters, hatred of the step-mother stepmother, etc.).
• According to the respected domestic folklorist V. Ya. Propp, writers use traditional images of central characters, familiar from childhood, that perform certain functions (antagonist, protagonist, assistant to the protagonist, giver, wrecker, stolen object, false hero).
• In their creation, time and space storytellers create in accordance with the unwritten laws of a fantastic folklore world: a place - a fantastic, at times vague: the far-away kingdom, a dilapidated dug-out, the Buyan Island , etc.
• The use of techniques of poetic speech: triplicate repetitions, permanent epithets, verbal formulas, vernacular, proverbs and sayings, phraseological units.

Such close attention to the folklore origins makes it possible to see the appeal of the fairy-tale writers to them and the specific character of the literary fairy tale.

Differences

To understand what distinguishes the folk tale from the literary, it is worth paying attention to the originality of form and content, namely:

• In the author's fairy tale pictoriality is brighter, i.e. in more detail, in detail and, most importantly, colorfully describes the external appearance, the emotions of the characters, the scene and events.
• In the literary tale there is psychology, a more in-depth and detailed study of the inner world, feelings and emotions of the characters.
• The characters of the author's story are not generalized types, they have unique individual character traits. For example, such writers as Ershov, Pushkin, Odoevsky, pay attention to the psychological motives of actions and actions of heroes.
• Like every literary work, the tales of writers are characterized by a pronounced stable authorial position, which determines its emotional tonality. For example: "The Tale of Tsar Saltan ..." - pure, bright, noble; "Tale of the dead princess and the seven heroes" - elegant, tender, sad; "The Tale of the Priest and of his Worker Balda" - a jokey, mocking; "The Tale of a Fisherman and a Fish" is ironic, but sad.

What is the difference between a folk tale and a literary one? The fact that the author's work allows the reader to recognize the author's face, his spiritual world, attachments and moral values. This is a fundamental difference of the folkloric legend, in which the ideals of the ethnos are displayed, and the identity of the particular narrator is obliterated.

Briefly about the main

So, what is the difference between a folk tale and a literary one? The latter is an author's work, in contrast to the first, which appeared as a result of collective creativity as an epic sub-genre. The literary legend is a well-established recognized genre of fiction, and the folk one is a special kind of folklore genre, whose characteristic is an oral paraphrase.

Favorite literary genre of kids

Literary tales are one of the most revered literary genres in children. Even the school reading program contains the works of such writers. S. Pushkin, V.F. Odoevsky, P.P. Ershova, V.A. Zhukovsky, who enter the gold fund of national and world literature for children. Their reading contributes to the early formation of moral and aesthetic representations of children, develops their literary outlook and common culture. But most importantly, such works contribute to the development of the creative abilities, imagination and unconventional thinking of the young reader.