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Listen to part of a lecture in a literature class.

Professor:

Now, we can’t really talk about fairytales without first talking about folktales because there’s a strong connection between these two genres—these two types of stories. In fact, many fairytales started out as folktales.

So, what’s a folktale? How would you characterize them? Jeff?

Student:

Well, they’re old stories; traditional stories. They were passed down orally within cultures from generation to generation, so they changed a lot over time. I mean every storyteller or maybe every town might have had a slightly different version of the same folktale.

Professor:

That’s right. There’s local difference. And that’s why we say folktales are communal. By communal, we mean they reflect the traits and the concerns of a particular community at a particular time. So, essentially, the same tale could be told in different communities, with certain aspects of the tale adapted to fit the specific community. Hmm, not the plot…the details of what happens in the story would remain constant. That was the thread that held the tale together. But all the other elements, like the location or characters might be modified for each audience.

The thread of an argument, a story, or a situation is an aspect of it that connects all the different parts together.

4. The plot of a film, novel, or play is the connected series of events( episode ) which make up the story.

Episode : An episode of something such as a series on radio or television or a story in a magazine is one of the separate parts in which it is broadcast or published.

Okay, so…what about fairytales? They also are found in most cultures, but how are they different from folktales? I guess the first question is: What is a fairytale …and don’t anyone say, “A story with a fairy in it!” because we all know that very few fairytales actually have those tiny, magical creatures in them. But, what else can we say about them? Mary?

Mary:

Well, they seem to be less realistic then folktales, like they have something improbable happening—a frog turning into a prince, say. Oh, that’s another common element—royalty, a prince or princess—and fairytales all seem to happen (take place) in a location that’s

nowhere and everywhere (沒有確切地方，任何地方) at the same time.

Professor:

What’s the line? Hmm, how do all the story start? “Once upon a time, in a far away land…” Well, in the case of folktales, each storyteller would specify a particular location and time, though the time and location would differ for different storytellers. With fairytales, however, the location is generally unspecified, no matter whom the storyteller is. That land far away? We’ll come back to this in a few minutes.

Student:

Umm, I thought the fairytale was just the written version of an oral folktale.

Professor:

Well, not exactly, though that is how many fairytales are developed. For example, in the late 18^th century, the Grimm brothers travelled throughout what （what’s） now Germany, recording local folktales. These were eventually published as fairytales, but not before undergoing a process of evolution. (revolution) Now, a number of things happen when an oral tale gets written down. First, the language changes; it becomes more formal, more standard; some might say, “less colorful”. It’s like the difference in your language depending on whether you’re talking to someone or writing them a letter. Second, when an orally transmitted story is written down, an authoritative version with a recognized author is created. The communal aspect gets lost; the tale no longer belongs to the community. It belongs to the world, so to speak. Because of this, elements like place and time can no longer be tailored to suited a particular audience, so they’d become less identifiable—more generalizable—to any audience . On the other hand, descriptions of characters and settings can be developed more completely. In folktales, characters might be identified by a name, but you wouldn’t know anything more about them. But in fairytales, people no longer have to remember plots. They’re written down, right? So more energy can be put into other elements of the story; like character and setting. So you get more details about the characters—about where the action takes place. What people’s houses were like; whether they’re small cabins or grand palaces. And it’s worth investing that energy, because the story, now in book form, isn’t in danger in being lost. Those details won’t be forgotten. If a folktale isn’t repeated by each generation, it may be lost for all time. But with a fairytale, it’s always there in a book, waiting to be discovered, again and again. Another interesting difference involves the change in audience—who the stories were meant for. Contrary to what many people believe today, folktales were originally intended for adults, not for children. So why is it that fairytales seem targeted towards children nowadays?

meme

n. cultural idea, social practice, concept or action that becomes a norm and begins to repeat itself consciously in a society (term coined by Richard Dawkins in his book "The Selfish Gene", 1976)

1. What is the lecture mainly about?

¡         Oral traditions in folktales and fairy tales

¡         Common characters and plots in folktales and fairytales

¡         Differences between folktales and fairy tales

¡         Hidden meanings in folktales and fairytales

2. What does the professor mean when he says that folktales are communal?

¡         They vary little from one community to another.

¡         They serve to strengthen ties among individuals within a community.

¡         They relate important events in the history of a community.

¡         They can be adapted to meet the needs of a community.

3. Why does the professor clarify the concept of a “fairy”?

¡         To explain the origins of the term “fairy tale”

¡         To eliminate a possible definition of the term “fairytale”

¡         To support a claim about the function of fairy tales

¡         To indicate that fairies are a major element in fairy tales

4. In the lecture, the professor discusses characteristics of folktales and fairy tales. Indicate the characteristics of each type of tale. Click in the correct boxes.

This question is worth two points.

5. What does the professor say about the setting of fairy tales?

¡         The tales are usually set in a nonspecific location.

¡         The location is determined by the country of origin of a tale.

¡         The tales are set in a location familiar to the author.

¡         A storyteller varies the location of a tale depending on the audience.

6. Listen again to part of the lecture. Then answer the question.

Why does the professor say this:

¡         To support the student’s statement

¡         To ask the student to clarify her statement

¡         To find out if the students know what story the line comes from

¡         To clarify the relationship between time and space in fairy tales

C

D

B

A

BAABBB

A