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Fictional stories that can take place in any time period and in any location ("Long ago in a far off land....") they usually contain one or more of hte following plot elements: (1) Magical/supernatural enemies: ogres, witches, giants, etc. (2) Magical helpers: Fairy Godmother, Magic wand, Magical beans, etc. (3) Tasks and quests: Rescue princess, slay dragon, find gold, etc. (4) Reward of good character/behavior. (5) Punishment of bad behavior/character. |
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Essentially the same as Folktales. |
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Short tales in which animal characters that talk and act like humans learn a lesson or show a moral to the story. ("Slow and steady wins the race.") |
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Stories that explain "how" and /or "why>" They are fictional, but ancient Greeks and Romans considered them to be truthful explanations of events that happened in the world around them. (The god Zeus explains why we have thunder and lightning.) |
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Fictional stories that are believed by some to be truthful,, or at least loosely based on some actual event or person. The stories take place in real time periods, locations, and even within historical events, but they are too impossible to be real (Robin Hood, King Arthur>) |
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Tall-tales may be based onn real people who once lived, but everything about them has been stretched and exaggerated into boastful fictional stories. (Paul Bunyan, Johnny Appleseed, Davy Crockett.) |
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