Defining Children's Literature and Traditional Narrative Forms

Children's Literature: Definition and Scope

Definition

Children's literature encompasses:

• Texts written, if not exclusively for children, then at least with child readers in mind.
• All language-based artistic manifestations likely to interest children.
• Books suitable for developing readers.

Categories

Children's literature is often categorized into:

1. Works which weren’t originally intended for children.
2. Literature written specifically for children.
3. Instrumental literature.

Traditional Tales

Traditional tales have been handed down from generation to generation by word of mouth. Fairy tales are considered a sub-genre of the folktale, which is itself a sub-genre of folklore.

Legends

Legends are narratives about the achievements of real, half-real, or imaginary heroes. Their principal characters are human (e.g., Robin Hood).

Myths

Myths are usually sacred and associated with ritual. They account for the origin of the world and humans. The characters may be deities, humans, or animals.

Fables

Fables are brief tales in which animal characters talk and act like humans to indicate a moral lesson or satirize human conduct (e.g., The Hare and the Tortoise).

Folktales

Folktales are generally regarded as fiction. The tales are set in any time or place and often contain common motifs, such as supernatural helpers.

Types of Folktales

• Cumulative
• Humorous
• About animals
• Realistic
• Magic and wonder tales

Fairy Tales

Fairy tales, whether ancient or modern, are stories of magic. They may feature giants, dwarfs, witches, talking animals, and other fantastical elements.

The word Fairy derives from the Old French faerie, meaning enchantment or magic.

Narrative Characteristics

• Narration tends to be linear, making the story easy to follow.
• The language is simple, and no long explanations are provided of the magical elements.
• Setting is often remote, inexplicit, or absent.
• There is typically a lot of conflict and action.

Distinction: The term Folk indicates the origin (oral tradition); Fairy indicates the nature of the story (magic).

Evolution of the Literary Fairy Tale

16th and 17th Centuries

• There were no collections of fairy tales specifically for children, as these tales were often not considered appropriate for young audiences.
• Fairy tales circulated in Britain primarily in oral form.

18th Century

Many collections of fairy tales appeared in Britain, including the translations of major European authors:

• Perrault
• Grimm
• Andersen
• Madame d'Aulnoy

Late 19th Century

• Joseph Jacobs collected and retold English, Celtic, and Indian tales between 1890 and 1894.
• There were also many compilations of Irish stories.
• Writers adopted the conventions of the fairy tale, beginning the tradition of authored fairy stories.
• The old fairy tales, which had circulated by word of mouth, found their place in approved children’s literature, leading to the appearance of the modern fairy tale.