What Makes a Folktale?
Many folktales share common characteristics: Setting: The setting of folktales is non-specific in terms of time and place. The reader cannot identify where or when the story occurs. In the European folktale tradition, the setting often includes enormous castles, deep dark woods, and the huts of the poor. Characters: The characters in folktales are not complex. They do not mature or become wiser during the course of the story. They are usually stereotyped characters that fall into one of two groups: the good and the wicked. The good characters are rewarded, while the wicked are punished. Usually… Plot: The plot of folktales usually involves a movement from powerlessness to power, and poverty to wealth. A man or woman is helped, often through magic, to gain power over the person who is oppressing them. The evil oppressor sometimes receives a gruesome punishment. Most heroes and heroines are passive characters who do not really succeed through their own hard work. Instead, they are assi
