Exploring theme and genre through

different contexts…

ORAL TRADITION

Oral tradition: the sharing of stories, cultures, and ideas by word of mouth.

Stories told in oral tradition were created before the first people who told them knew how to write. The stories

expressed the values of these people.

Common elements of oral traditions

are themes or

morals.

Theme: a message about life that is at the center of the

story.Some themes are

universal…they apply to every time and

place and are part of many cultures.

Moral: a lesson about life taught in a story.

Heroes & Heroinesmen and women who

do great and often seemingly impossible

deeds.

MYTHa tale that

explains the actions of gods, goddesses, and the heroes who

interact with them.

MYTHOLOGY:the group or

collection of all of the myths by

culture or as a whole

Legends:traditional stories based on real-life events. Often

fact changes to fiction and the individual (character/s) often

become larger than life

Folk tales:stories about ordinary people that reveal a culture’s traditions

and values – and often they teach a lesson.

Fairy tale: a story in which

improbable events lead to a happy

ending. Also, they often include

"legendary deeds."

Tall tales:often focus on a hero who does impossible feats. These tales

often use hyperboles, or exaggeration, for

comic effect.

Fables:a story (with animals

as the characters) that illustrates a moral (usually a

short, simple moral or lesson)

EPIC:a long poem about a larger-that-life hero

who goes on a quest or dangerous journey.

Epics are often important to the history of a culture or nation.

Can you label these:

The OdysseyThe Lion and The Mouse

Johnny Appleseed Popocatepetl and Ixtacihuatl

The Lochness Monster King Midas and the Minotaur

Jack and the Beanstalk

EpicFable

Tall TaleFolk TaleLegendMyth

Fairy Tale