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Description:

Folk tales are all about conveying a deeper meaning—no banjos required. Arabian Nights is one of the most famous collections, so get ready to learn some lessons.

Language:
English Language

Transcript

00:03

Arabian Nights, a la Shmoop. Arabian Nights, or as it is known by its official

00:10

title, One Thousand and One Nights, is chock-full of folk tales.

00:15

Okay, great... but what is a folk tale?

00:18

Well, let's take a look at one in Arabian Nights...

00:21

...and see if we can figure out exactly what makes a folk tale, well...a folk tale.

00:29

"The Fisherman and the Jinni."

00:32

Right off the bat, the title clues us in to one common aspect of a folk tale... stock

00:39

characters.

00:40

These fictional characters exhibit common characteristics or mannerisms. They are drawn

00:45

from cultural stereotypes, and they keep popping up in multiple stories.

00:50

So... it's almost as if they are "in stock."

01:02

In this particular story, we've got a poor fisherman who is struggling to feed his family...

01:07

...and the Jinni... which is just an old-timey way of spelling "genie"...

01:13

... grants him a wish.

01:14

In other words...

01:16

They're stock... predictable... expected. They don't offer any unexpected surprises;

01:22

instead they look and sound exactly the same every time they appear in a text.

01:27

However, these predictable characters meant to be simple and easy to understand because...

01:32

they're meant to represent something else.

01:35

Maybe a human trait, like kindness, treachery or forgiveness.

01:39

So if you're reading about cookie cutter characters who seem to be popped out of a mold...

01:43

...and the story uses those characters to send a message or teach a lesson...

01:47

...your folk tale antennae should be up and wiggling.

01:51

Okay, what else?

01:53

Folk tales are about the folks of a particular culture.

01:56

So in a folk tale about the American South, you might come across such vocab as grits,

02:01

country music, and cowboys.

02:04

In this story, we've got fishing, references to Allah and Solomon, coppersmith, vizier

02:11

<<vi-zeer>>, and Last Judgment... all cultural references that fit "Western and Southern

02:18

Asia."

02:18

So... we can check another box in the "folk tale" column.

02:22

We should also be on the lookout for very simple language.

02:25

Folk tales don't generally get too flowery or abstract... instead, the language is concrete,

02:30

basic and straightforward.

02:31

You would see something like this:

02:34

"On a day he went forth about noontide to the seashore, where he laid down his basket

02:39

and, tucking up his shirt and plunging into the water, made a cast with his net and waited

02:44

till it settled to the bottom."

02:45

Makes it easy to understand and follow... as long as it isn't written in Arabic.

02:51

Folk tales also don't tend to stick to reality.

02:54

The world of the unlikely or implausible is totally fair game.

02:59

Humans being visited by otherworldly or divine beings? Sure, why not?

03:04

Somebody just catch a shooting star in their hand? We don't see why that couldn't happen.

03:09

Need a genie to come out of a bottle? Might be lookin' at a folk tale, ladies and gents...

03:14

Even the smallest details will often be exaggerated or unrealistic in a folk tale.

03:19

Like the smoke in this story that... "almost touches heaven."

03:22

Really? Might explain why all those angels are running for the emergency exits.

03:29

Finally, folk tales will usually deal with universal themes...

03:31

...like the power of love, the battle between good and evil, or... the deliciousness of

03:39

pizza.

03:39

You know... stuff you just can't argue. So here's a quick recap for all you soon-to-be

03:46

folk-a-philes. Look for:

03:48

Stock characters...

03:49

...the teaching of a lesson or moral...

03:51

...language and terminology specific to a particular culture...

03:55

...simple, concrete language...

03:58

...supernatural or unrealistic events...

04:00

...exaggerated details...

04:02

...and universal themes.

04:04

If you're reading something that checks most of those boxes, chances are good you're reading

04:08

a folk tale.

04:09

Take us out, magic carpet.

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