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| Cinderella and the Fairy Godmother Painting by William Henry Margetson [Public domain] |
Some of these stories were originally written down and have clear origins, such as The Ugly Duckling by Hans Christian Andersen.
But most of these stories were first told orally and have unclear origins. And as these stories were passed down and spread to different parts of the world, there are often different versions of each story. The changes in the story often reflect the difference in region, values, customs, and way of life.
In this genre, it is quite acceptable to add your own take on the story and change things.
We can break this genre into 4 categories:
Fairy Tale - A story that has elements of magic or fantasy creatures (e.g. faries, trolls, witches, etc.). Fairy Tales often depict the conflict between good and evil.
Folk Tale - A story passed down by people, often to teach some lesson or emphasis certain traditions or values of the society. (There are usually no magical elements or fantasy creatures.)
Legend - A story of "real" people and events, that is not completely verifiable. It usually has some fiction with facts that have been distorted or exaggerated. These stories are based on history.
Myth - A story that explains natural events through symbolism and metaphors (i.e. a story that explains why things happen). Myths often involve a god, supernatural being, or hero, etc. Myths are generally considered to be fiction and not historically accurate.Book Reviews:
- All the Ever Afters: The Untold Story of Cinderella's Stepmother by Danielle Teller
- Reviewed January 2019
- The traditional Cinderella story is a fairy tale.
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