Literary and folk tales belong to the same genre; therefore, it is rather difficult to determine how a folk tale differs from a literary one. Visible differences are only the form of the narrative and the internal content. The plot of any fairy tale is based on an amazing story about unprecedented adventures (sometimes misadventures) of the main characters, but in folklore the plot is built according to the traditional scheme, but in the literary narrative the author has a version of the presentation.
Folk tales
To identify the differences between literary and folk tales, one should study the definitions of these concepts. A folk tale is an ancient cultural heritage that, albeit in embellished form, retained the ancestors' understanding of the relationship between the world (nature) and man. Here, the line between evil and good is clearly demarcated, the basic laws of morality and moral principles of human society are reflected, and striking features of national identity, beliefs, and everyday life are demonstrated. Tales called folk tales have their own classification:
- Magic ("Magic Ring", "Two Frosts", "Frost").
- Epic ("Damask steel", "Vavil and buffoons", "Dobrynya and the Snake").
- Household ("Poor master and servant", "Thieves and judge", "Dear lunch").
- Bogatyrsky ("Ivan - the peasant son and Miracle-Yudo", "Ivan - the cow son", "Nikita Kozhemyak").
- Satirical ("Good Pop", "Fool and Birch", "Porridge from the Ax").
A separate niche in the presented classification is occupied by fairy tales, the characters of which are animals ("Geese-Swans", "Goat-Dereza", "Masha and the Bear"). Experts associate their occurrence with ancient pagan rituals and beliefs.
Literary tales
When comparing folk and literary tales, it is worth considering that the latter arose much later than the first. Thanks to the introduction of enlightening ideas in European literature, the first author's readings-processing of folklore legends appeared in the 18th century, and already in the 19th century, traditional fairy-tale stories were widely used by writers. Among the most successful in this field are A. Hoffmann, S. Perrault, H. H. Andersen and, of course, the Grimm brothers - recognized classics of the genre.
The similarities between the literary and folk tales are determined by the fact that both folklore motifs are repeated, magical attributes are necessarily present, but in the literary development of the plot, the choice of the main characters is strictly subordinate to the will of the author. Also, from the second half of the 19th century, a literary fairy tale becomes very close to short stories and even short stories. A striking example is the work of Russian writers: L. Tolstoy and A. Pogorelsky, and European: S. Lagerlef, O. Wilde and L. Carroll.
The general. Folklore traditions
Comparing the features of the folk and literary tales, special attention should be paid to the folklore traditions of the author’s tale, combining it with the folk:
- The writers use in their works the plot motifs of folklore (moral and moral temptation - the test of the protagonist, the presence of animal helpers, the wonderful origin of the characters, hatred for the stepdaughter of the stepmother, etc.).
- According to the respected Russian folklorist V. Ya. Propp, writers use traditional, familiar from childhood, images of central characters that perform certain functions (antagonist, protagonist, assistant to the main character, giver, pest-prankster, stolen object, false hero).
- In their creation, storytellers create time and space in accordance with the unwritten laws of the fairytale folklore world: the place is fantastic, sometimes indefinite: the distant kingdom, the dilapidated dugout, Buyan Island , etc.
- The use of poetic speech techniques: triple repetitions, constant epithets, verbal formulas, vernacular, proverbs and sayings, phraseological units.
Such close attention to folklore sources allows us to see the appeal to them of storytellers and the specifics of a literary fairy tale.
Differences
To understand how a folk tale differs from a literary one, it is worth paying attention to the originality of form and content, namely:
- In the author's fairy tale, pictoriality is more clearly expressed, that is, in more detail, detail and, most importantly, the appearance, emotions of the characters, the scene and events are colorfully described.
- In the literary fairy tale there is psychologism, a more in-depth and detailed study of the inner world, the feelings and emotions of the characters.
- Characters of the author’s legend 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 the actions and actions of the heroes.
- Like any 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; "The Tale of the Dead Princess and the Seven Knights" - graceful, gentle, sad; "The Tale of the Priest and of his Worker Balda" - jokey, mocking; The Tale of the Fisherman and the 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 face of the author, his spiritual world, addictions and moral values. This is a fundamental difference between the folklore legend, in which the ideals of the ethnos are displayed, and the personality of a particular narrator is erased.
Briefly about the main thing
So, what is the difference between a folk tale and a literary one? The latter is an author's work, unlike the first, which appeared as a result of collective creativity as an epic subgenre. Literary legend is a well-established recognized genre of fiction, and folklore is a special kind of folklore genre, the characteristic of which is oral retelling.
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. Pushkina, V.F. Odoevsky, P.P. Ershova, V.A. Zhukovsky, who are part of the golden fund of domestic and world literature for children. Their reading contributes to the speedy formation of moral and aesthetic representations of children, develops their literary horizons and general culture. But most importantly, such works contribute to the development of creative abilities, imagination and unconventional thinking of a young reader.