Lesson 12: Fable, Fairy Tale, Myth “Fairy tales may be unreal, but they are not untrue.” – Max Luthi, literary critic Myth A myth is an ancient story or set of stories, especially explaining the early history of a group of people or about natural events and facts, often dealing with supernatural beings, ancestors, and/or heroes (for example, a creation myth, Greek mythology, etc.). A myth will often reveal beliefs a culture held about virtue, the meaning of life, honour, justice, etc. Allegory An allegory is a story, play, poem, picture, or other work in which the characters and events directly represent particular qualities, ideas, or even people related to morality, religion, or politics. The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C. S. Lewis is an allegory of Christian beliefs about redemption. John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress is an allegory of the Christian life. Fable A fable is a short story or folk tale embodying a moral, which may be expressed explicitly at the end—like Aesop’s fables. The word “fable” comes from the Latin “fabula” and shares a root with “faber,” which means “maker, artificer.” Thus, though a fable may be conversational in tone, the understanding from the outset is that it is an invention, a created fiction. A fable may be set in verse, though it is usually in prose. Fairy tale A fairy tale is a story featuring folkloric characters such as fairies, goblins, elves, trolls, giants, talking animals, and others. The fairy tale is a sub-class of the folktale. These stories often involve royalty and modern versions usually have a happy ending. In some cultures, fairy tales may merge into legendary narratives, where the context is perceived by teller and hearers as having historical actuality (like Hansel and Gretel, Jack and the Beanstalk, etc.). Elements of the short story - setting: common fairy-tale settings include castles, cottages, woods, mountains, etc. - time span: some myths span years, others only a few hours - character(s): often royalty, peasants, talking animals, heroes, giants, monsters, etc. - dialogue: most myths and fairy tales contain dialogue (fables not as often) - plot: common plot devices are magical journeys and/or quests, wishes granted, great battles, trickery, deception, etc. - conflict: usually some variation on the ongoing conflict between Good and Evil - resolution: good triumphs over evil, heroes are recognized and honoured, the story ends with a wedding, etc. Assignment Please write a myth, fable, or fairy tale of your own (or at least a fragment of a tale—it does not have to have an ending) that is at least one page in length (max 3 pages double spaced). You may include allegorical elements or themes, although it is not necessary. Your tale can take place in any world you care to create. Write about whatever you enjoy thinking about or imagining the most. You may use any of the figures of speech or literary terms that we have learned, although it is not necessary. (If you have already created a mythical world or mythical characters in a previous fictional assignment, you may use them or add onto them for this assignment.) .