Children's Literature, Briefly

Chapter 9..... Traditional Fantasy

Traditional fantasy deals with folklore and stories that were originally told orally and passed down. In fact, no one knows exactly where these stories originated or who first told them. i really like the differences and similarities that the stories share between cultures. For example, almost every country has a version of Cinderella, but each story incorporates a different touch that reflects the society and culture of each country. I actually took an Anthropology class that compared each of the different versions. We talked about Yeh-Shen, who has a magical fish that helps her get to the ball, and the Spanish version, Little Gold Star, where the fairy god mother is the Virgin Mary. Both of these stories not only tell the traditional tale of Cinderella, but also give you little clues into what is important to these cultures.