Genres: Vocabulary for Unit 4

Myths  Tales that explain the actions of gods, goddesses, and the heroes who interact with them.  These stories often serve the purpose of explaining natural events or showing the connection between people’s earthy lives and the afterlife.

Tall Tales  A type of folk tale that uses hyperbole– deliberate exaggeration for comic effect.  They often involve a hero who performs impossible feats.  They are a form of legend– stories based on fact that become less true with each retelling.

Epics  Long narrative poems about larger-than-life heroes who engage in dangerous journeys, or quests, that are important to the history of a nation or culture.

Fables  Brief stories that often feature animals that act like humans.  Usually end with a moral that is directly stated.

Heroes and Heroines  Larger–than-life figures whose virtues and deeds are often celebrated in stories from the oral tradition.

Understatement  Expressing something in a way that is deliberately less dramatic than it should be, for comic effect.  Ex: "It is just a little cool today" - when the temperature outside is 5° below zero.