TALES AS AGE-OLD EPIC NARRATIVE

Abstract

Tales represent a peculiar human way of experiencing the world. This paper displays and analyzes tales using the tools of folklorism, structuralist literary theory and psychonalysis. In tales, space and time are as a rule fictitious, that is, scenes and chronology are completely abstracted. The characters, who belong to either one or the other pole of the type hierarchy, fight their battles successfully without exception. It is impossible to discuss the genre of tales in general terms, so it is better to examine them by subgroups. The study emphasizes that tales include elements of national history, moral values, way of living, range of emotions and thoughts; this is what makes them indispensable to socialisation, this is what makes them a cultural medium. The author reveals that tales, these exciting fables of folk wisdom, with their clear cut composition and distinct, intelligible imagery, are in fact reality seen through the eyes of a child. Thus, choosing the right tale, based on Büchler’s three epochs, promotes overall personality development; assists pedagogical work as a holistic tool.