What are folk tales

A question storytellers are often asked

And one not so easily given a quick yet satisfactory answer. A discussion on the Storytell listserv led me to compile this short list of leads you might like to follow.
(What they are is as uncertain as how to spell the term: “folk tale” or “folktale”. Both spellings seem to be used interchangeably.)

In Search of the Folktale
Storyteller Doug Lipman offers a helpful and practical start to finding out more.

Tim Sheppard, storyteller, trainer and maintainer of the Storytelling FAQ, suggested the following sites and gave these comments:

Folktale Category History Rant
Of course, everyone should know Tim Jennings’ irreverent and vigorous introduction to the various approaches folklorists have taken to theorising about folk tale origins and categories.


Fractured fairy tales
A page indicating the persistence of folk tales in modern culture. (Thanks to Max for pointing me to the link.)

Go here for tales to watch

Go here for a list of all tales included on this site

Go here to receive an e-mail notification when new tales are added

Permission to tell outlines my views on copyright

For those who are teachers: Telling stories in the classroom: basing language teaching on storytelling