Genres: Vocabulary for Unit 4

Myths

Tales that explain the actions of gods, goddesses, and the heroes who interact with them.

These stories often serve the purpose of explaining natural events or showing the connection between people’s earthy lives and the afterlife.

Tall Tales A type of folk tale that uses hyperbole–

deliberate exaggeration for comic effect. They often involve a hero who performs

impossible feats. They are a form of legend– stories based

on fact that become less true with each retelling.

Epics

Long narrative poems about larger-than-life heroes who engage in dangerous journeys, or quests, that are important to the history of a nation or culture.

FablesBrief stories that often feature

animals that act like humans. Usually end with a moral that is

directly stated.

Heroes and HeroinesLarger–than-life figures whose

virtues and deeds are often celebrated in stories from the oral tradition.

Understatement Expressing something in a way

that is deliberately less dramatic than it should be, for comic effect.

Ex: •"It is just a little cool today" - when the temperature outside is 5° below zero.