Good day to all! This is the fourth week of Literature and I will tell you what has been happening in the wide world of children's lit.
This week we discussed chapter 6 in our textbooks. This chapter focused on traditional literature. Traditional literature includes folktales, tales that are timeless and may or may not have happened. Folktales commonly tell tales of an animal or person's adventures, include supernatural foes and aids, and the theme of good triumphs over evil. Fables are short tales where animals are personified and teach a lesson through their actions. Myths, which are accepted on faith, are tales of history but not proven to be true. An example of this would be the myths of the Greek gods, they are told as history, but it was never proven the gods existed. Legends usually involve human characters and are generally set in a time less remote. They are considered to be true by the story teller and the audience, and embroider historical facts.
All of these stories contain one common thing- values. Traditional literature was set up to teach children values such as understanding the world, identifying struggles, and enjoying life.
We also learned the characteristics of each of the types of traditional literatures in order to authenticate them. Plots, characterization, setting, style, and motifs. As well as the differences in these when it comes to different countries.
Here is my list of books and/or stories to consider when it comes to traditional literature.
Any tales about King Arthur, tales about Robin Hood, The Three Little Pigs (a definite given!), Sleeping Beauty, Snow White, any of the Grimm Bros. tales (but be sure to read them before your child, some of them can get quite graphic, unlike the Disney versions).
More next week! See ya soon!