American Division Literature [ 17 ]

17- ] American Division Literature .

Fiction .

The Shorter Narratives .

They require tighter , more economical structures . Some shorter genres include :

1-] The Tale : that centers on an outcome . Look to “ O Henry” for some example tales .

2-] The Tall Tale :  that centers on the exaggerated feats of [ generally ] American heroes .Examples include such characters as Paul Bunyan and Davy Crockett [although some tall tales have been written in other countries ].

3-] The Fable : that centers on a moral . The moral is often stated in an epigram put forth by the writer or one of the characters at the end [ called a beast fable when the characters in the fable are talking animals ] . Examples include the famous fables of Aesop .

4-]The Folk Tale :  that is a narrative that originally was transmitted orally.  Elements of the folk tale are commonly found in tall tales and fables .

5-] The Parable : that teaches a lesson by using very tightly structured allegory . As pointed out by Professor William Harmon and the late C. Hugh Holman of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in “ A Handbook to Literature [ Macmillan Publishing Company , 1992 ] , The most famous parables are those of Jesus Christ [ examples include the “ Prodigal Son ,” the “ Parable of the Sowers" , and the “ Parable of the Workers” ] .

6-] The Legend : that relates the life of the hero – people whose lives are of legendary “ proportions” .

7-] The Myth : that once was believed to be true , but is now accepted as fiction.  These stories are generally of anonymous origin and include supernatural elements .