Children's Literature Genre: Fantasy (please give credits when you would use this. Thanks!)

3. Settings transcends the world
of reality.
The fantasy world is vividly and
convincingly described, regardless of
how fantastical it may be.
Characters are well developed
and behave in believable ways.
Plots are well structured and
believable too.
They have logical actions.

4. Themes reflect the same
universal ideas presented in
other forms of children’s literature.
Themes are woven into the story and
developed metaphorically through the
characters and their actions.
Tone is often serious, though
stories are often light, airy and
humorous.
Fantasy is perfectly suited to the
thoughtful exploration of philosophical
issues at a level that can be understood
and appreciated by the child reader.

6. originated orally
has no author
For example:
“Cinderella,”
“Sleeping Beauty,” and “Little Red Riding
Hood.”

7. Peculiarities of Traditional Fantasy
Traditional stories differ in various ways from modern
writings, and therefore, are held to a different critical
standard.
Characters must be well developed in modern stories,
but in traditional tales character development is lean
and spare.
(Ex. Cinderella)
Traditional tales, then, are stories of the human
experience told in primary colors.

8. Peculiarities of Traditional Fantasy
Plots are also simple and direct in Traditional
Fantasy. They are often stories that show the
underdog making good and success is often obtained
against overwhelming odds, such as accomplishing
an impossible task.
Story lines are accompanied by typical themes, such
as the rewards of mercy, kindness, and
perseverance; justice particularly the punishment of
evil; and the power of love.

9. Peculiarities of Traditional Fantasy
Another hallmark of traditional fantasy is repeated
patterns or elements.
Ex. The magical number three appears frequently in
tales: Rumpelstiltskin’s three evenings of spinning straw
into gold, Cinderella’s three visits to the ball

11. 1.Folktales or Stories of the
People
They are called "folk" because they are
part of the oral tradition handed down
from generation to generation by the folk.
A. Cumulative Tales
These stories are added upon as the
telling unfolds. The story is told up to a
certain point, then begun again from near
the beginning and told until a new segment
is added.
Ex. “I know an Old Lady”

12. 1. Folktales or Stories of the People
A. Cumulative Tales
Ex. “I know an Old Lady”
I know an old lady who swallowed a cow
I don't know how she swallowed the cow
She swallowed the cow to catch the goat
She swallowed the goat to catch the dog
She swallowed the dog to catch the cat
She swallowed the cat to catch the bird
She swallowed the bird to catch the spider
That wriggled and jiggled and tickled inside
her

13. 1. Folktales or Stories of the People
B. Pourquoi Tales
These folktales answer questions
or give explanations for the way
things are, particularly in nature.
Ex. “Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People’s Ear”

14. 1. Folktales or Stories of the People
C. Beast Tales
- are stories with animals as the
principal players.
Ex. “The Three Little Pigs” and “The Three
Billy Goats Gruff”

15. 1. Folktales or Stories of the People
D. Noodlehead or Numbskull Tales
These humorous stories center on the
escapades of characters who are not too
bright.
Ex. “Epaminondas” and “Hans in Luck”

16. 1. Folktales or Stories of the People
E. Trickster Tales
Often a variety of beast tales, the trickster
tale features a character who outsmarts
everyone else in the story.
Ex. “Br’er Rabbit from the Uncle Remus
stories”

17. 1. Folktales or Stories of the People
E. Realistic Tales
Realistic tales seem to have their basis in an
actual historical event or an actual figure
from history.
Ex. “Dick Whittington’s Cat”

18. 1. Folktales or Stories of the People
E. Fairy Tales
Of all the folktales, the fairy tale, or wonder
tale, is the most magical. In fairytales we
see enchantments that go beyond talking
animals to fairy godmothers, wicked
witches, magical objects and the like.
Ex. “Snow White”, “Beauty and the Beast”,
“Aladdin and His Wonderful Lamp”

19. 2. Tall Tales
Exaggeration is the major stylistic
element in tall tales. Tall characters were
based either on actual people or on a
composite of rough-and-tumble
lumberjacks, sailors, or cowboys.
Ex. “The Seven Chinese Brothers”

20. 3. Fables
Fables are brief stories meant to teach a
lesson, and they usually conclude with a
moral such as “Haste makes waste.”
Ex. “ Collection of Aesop’s Fables”

21. 4. Myths
Myths grew out of people’s need to
understand and explain the world around
them and their own existence; they
therefore recount the creation and tell of
the gods and goddesses who control the
fate of human.
Ex. “In the Beginning: Creation Stories from
Around the World (1988)”

22. 5. Epics, Ballads, and Legends
Epics are lengthy hero tales or even a
series of tales focusing on a hero.
(Ex. “The Iliad” and “The Odyssey”)
Ballads are typically hero stories in poetic
form.
(Ex. “The Iliad” and “The Odyssey”)
Legends. The heroes in legends are rooted
a bit more firmly in history.
Ex. (“The Iliad” and “The Odyssey”)
So, The Iliad could be considered an epic and
a legendary ballad. Another example, King
Arthur also lives in epic, ballad, and legend.

23. 6. Religious Stories
Stories derived from the sacred writings
of Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism,
Islam, and other religions of the world
contribute to this arena of traditional
literature.
Ex. “Baboushka and the Three Kings”
“Buddha Stories (1997)” “And the Earth
Trembled (1996)”

26. Modern fantasy is often categorized by
the type of fantastic story element
employed.
1. Toys and objects imbued with
life
(Ex. “Pinocchio” by Carlo Collodi)
2. Tiny humans
(Ex. “The Borrowers” by Mary Norton)

27. 3. Peculiar characters and situations
Ex. “Mary Poppins” by P.L. Travers
4. Imaginary worlds
Ex.“Alice in the Wonderland” by Lewis
Carroll

28. 5. Magical powers
Ex. “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire” by
J.K. Rowling
6. Supernatural Tales
Ex.“Wait Till Helen Comes: A Ghost Story” by
Mary Downing

29. 7. Time-warp fantasies
Ex. “Tom’s Midnight Garden” by Philippa
Pearce
8. High fantasy
Ex.“The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe”
by C.S Lewis

31. 1. Magic
Magic is fantasy literature’s most basic
element
2. Other worlds or Secondary
Worlds
In much of fantasy, a special
geography or universe is established,
a place wherein magic may freely
operate.

32. 2. Other worlds or Secondary Worlds
Authors employ two common methods of
incorporating a secondary world to their
stories.
1. The first and most common is simply
setting the entire tale in an
imaginary place.
Ex. Middle Earth in “The Hobbit” by J.R.R
Tolkien
2. The second method takes the
character from our primary world
into a secondary world through
some sort o portal.
Ex. Through the wardrobe in “The Lion, the
Witch and the Wardrobe” by C.S. Lewis

33. 3. Good versus Evil
This basic theme gives rise to the
conflict in a story.
4. Heroism
The hero’s quest will always follow an
old-age pattern that is the backbone of
many of today’s fantasy stories.
5. Special Character Types
Fantasies may include characters who
come from either our legendary past
or an author’s vivid imagination.

34. 6. Fantastic Objects
Characters in fantasy stories often
employ magical props in
accomplishing heroic or evil deeds.
These objects (magic cloaks, swords,
staffs, cauldrons, and mirrors) are
imbued with power.
Ex. Harry Potter’s flying broom

37. 1. It gives readers the sheer delight of “let’s pretend”.
2. Fantasy has the ability to work our emotions with
the same vividness as a dream.
3. Another value of fantasy is its ability to develop a
capacity for belief.

38. 4. Fantasy casts light on the realities of life much as a
metaphor illustrates truth in general communication.
In its broad definition, metaphor is a figurative
language and strengthens writing in at least three
ways:
A. Metaphor speeds understanding.
B. Metaphor creates interest.
C. Metaphor adds emotional appeal.

39. End.