Blog Post #5 Fables vs. Fairy Tales
A famous fable is The Boy Who Cried Wolf. The version I read has been retold by B.G. Hennessy and illustrated by Boris Kulikov. In The Boy Who Cried Wolf, the boy is a shepherd watching over his flock of sheep. The boy gets bored and runs into town screaming that wolves have come to eat his sheep. The townspeople drop everything they are doing and run to the pasture. There are no wolves. The next day, the boy repeats his actions and the townspeople run to help him. Again, there are no wolves. On the third day, the boy hears wolves. He runs to town, screaming for help however the townspeople turn their back on him fearing that he is lying once again. The boy in this version loses his sheep.
There is a moral or a lesson in each fable. It is very clearly stated. The moral uses dramatic action to heighten the effect of the story. The fables are short and easy to retell. Some fables are written down and illustrated with lots of color and the appearance of action like this version. They are also handed down orally from generation to generation to teach others not to make the mistakes of the main character in the fable.
Fairy Tales are stories that contain magic and an idealized look at life. Fairy tales tend to start with the words, "Once Upon a Time" and end with "and they lived happily ever after". The characters in fairy tales tend to be talking animals and royalty. There is a battle of good and evil. Good always wins out. The stories are set in beautiful castles or forests. I chose to read Cinderella in the Treasury of Fairy Tales by Geraldine McCaughrean and illustrated by Sophy Williams. There are more than 1,500 known variations Cinderella. In this version, Cinderella's father dies and she is left with an evil stepmother. She is cast into the role of servant to her stepmother and three stepsisters. One day, an invitation to the royal ball is delivered to the castle. Beautiful Cinderella dreams of going to the ball but the evil stepmother refuses; however the stepsisters are allowed to attend the ball. Cinderella, who never complains feels helpless until a magical fairy godmother comes to help her. Cinderella's fairy godmother helps Cinderella get ready with a twitch of her wand. Cinderella, now beautifully dressed arrives at the ball. She meets the prince and they are wed. Virtue is rewarded and greed and wickedness are punished.
Fables and fairy tales are both originally from the oral tradition. They have both been handed down for generations. Fables teach lessons and are short and to the point. Fairy tales tend to have beautiful language and are primarily for entertainment. Fairy tales are dominated by magic where good always overcomes evil. Fairy tales that are written down tend to have beautiful pictures to go along with their wondrous stories.
There is a moral or a lesson in each fable. It is very clearly stated. The moral uses dramatic action to heighten the effect of the story. The fables are short and easy to retell. Some fables are written down and illustrated with lots of color and the appearance of action like this version. They are also handed down orally from generation to generation to teach others not to make the mistakes of the main character in the fable.
Fairy Tales are stories that contain magic and an idealized look at life. Fairy tales tend to start with the words, "Once Upon a Time" and end with "and they lived happily ever after". The characters in fairy tales tend to be talking animals and royalty. There is a battle of good and evil. Good always wins out. The stories are set in beautiful castles or forests. I chose to read Cinderella in the Treasury of Fairy Tales by Geraldine McCaughrean and illustrated by Sophy Williams. There are more than 1,500 known variations Cinderella. In this version, Cinderella's father dies and she is left with an evil stepmother. She is cast into the role of servant to her stepmother and three stepsisters. One day, an invitation to the royal ball is delivered to the castle. Beautiful Cinderella dreams of going to the ball but the evil stepmother refuses; however the stepsisters are allowed to attend the ball. Cinderella, who never complains feels helpless until a magical fairy godmother comes to help her. Cinderella's fairy godmother helps Cinderella get ready with a twitch of her wand. Cinderella, now beautifully dressed arrives at the ball. She meets the prince and they are wed. Virtue is rewarded and greed and wickedness are punished.
Fables and fairy tales are both originally from the oral tradition. They have both been handed down for generations. Fables teach lessons and are short and to the point. Fairy tales tend to have beautiful language and are primarily for entertainment. Fairy tales are dominated by magic where good always overcomes evil. Fairy tales that are written down tend to have beautiful pictures to go along with their wondrous stories.
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