Tall Tales

What is a tall tale?  A tall tale is a story with unbelievable parts, told as if it were true and factual.  Some stories are exaggerations of actual events  Think of “fish stories” – “I caught a fish so big it almost sunk the boat”…no it didn’t…

What is a tall tale?  Tall tales are often told so as to make the narrator seem to have been a part of the story.  They are usually humorous and good natured

What is a tall tale?  The line between legends and tall tales is distinguished primarily by age  Many legends exaggerate the exploits of their heroes, but in tall tales, the exaggeration looms large, to the extent of becoming the whole story.

What is the purpose of a tall tale?  While settlers were travelling west during the great westward expansion, families would entertain themselves by telling stories.  As the stories were told again and again, they would take on a life of their own and eventually become known as “American Folklore”

Now, Check this out!

Your turn  Now that you have an understanding of what a tall tale is, read one of the two stories available  Either “Babe the Blue Ox” or “Birth of Paul Bunyan”  You will be writing your own tall tale after reading, so make sure to pay attention to the different story elements present within these examples.

Your turn  Your first step is to choose a tall tale hero  You may invent a new character, maybe based on a legendary hero from your area  Remember, the key is to exaggerate your hero’s characteristics. Make him or her bigger or stronger or faster than anyone else.  Now, you need an adventure for your tall tale hero. Once again, the key is to exaggerate. The main event of a tall tale is not something that can happen in real life.