O tale is a genre characterized by being a narrative literaryshort, having the beginning, middle and end of the story narrated in a brief way, but enough to tell the complete story.
the tale has well-marked elements and structure, where the type of story can indicate the type of tale we are reading. Let's learn a little more about this narrative genre.
See too: Clarice Lispector – author of important stories in national literature
Elements of a tale
for a narrative be considered a short story, some elements are very important: characters, narrator, time, space, plot and conflict.
Characters
Narratives (real or fictional) need to have one or more beings experiencing their story. These beings can be people or even, animals, objects and imaginary beings who come to life and awareness to live that story — are the characters in the narrative.
Although it is common for the tale to have fewcharacters, there are tales with many of them (inhabitants of a neighborhood, for example). Even so, the narrative remains brief.
Storyteller
And the voice that tells the story within the narrative. O storyteller can tell the story in three ways:
- Narrator character: when one of the characters who experience the story also plays the role of narrator, that is, one of the characters narrates the story. That's why, often, the verbs they are conjugated in first person, but they can also be conjugated in third person when the narrator-character tells what happens to the other characters.
- Narrator-observer: this type of narrator does not participate in the story. Instead, he is just a “voice” telling what happens, narrating the story. However, like the reader, this narrator does not know what is going on in the characters' consciousness, he does not know what happened in the past (prior to the narrative) nor what will happen in the future.
- Omniscient Narrator:like the observer, he does not participate in the story. However, this “voice” is omniscient, that is, it knows everything in the universe of that narrative: it knows (and can tell) what the characters are thinking and feeling. It also knows (and can tell) the past before the narrative and the future.
Time
The narratives take place in a certain period: it is about the duration time between the beginning and the end of the narrative and of the time when the narrative takes place. It is more common for short stories to happen in a short time (may be minutes or even a few days), but it is it is possible that they will last for many years (in any of these cases, the narrative will be brief because it is a tale).
Some tales are about stories that take place these days, and others may be set in some a place in the past or even in a future imagined by the author (and described by the narrator of the story).
Space
Like time, narratives need to take place in a space, described explicitly or implicitly, where the characters are located.
Again, as it is a short and short narrative, it is more common for the tale to occur in just one or a few spaces, but it is still possible that many scenarios are covered during the story (which could be just a small room in a house, an entire country or another distant and imaginary galaxy). In any case, the narrative will remain short.
Plot
This is what happens in history, that is, the sequence of actions that makes the narrative exist and have a structure: a beginning, a middle and an end. We'll talk more about the plot later.
Conflict
Finally, the tales have a conflict, which is a situation generated by one of the initial actions (or in one of the initial actions) and that causes other actions to be taken by the characters to solve the problem. This sequence of actions forms the plot and usually leaves the beginning of the narrative different from the end.
short story structure
The tale is usually structured in four parts: introduction, development, climax and conclusion. Let's go to them:
- Introduction (or presentation/initial balance): it is the beginning of the narrative. In it, we can discover the context of the narrative: who the characters are, what is the space and time in which the story will be narrated and what are its first events.
- Development (or complication/emergence of conflict): presents the actions that modify the initial state of the narrative. We see the conflict (problem-situation) that will make the characters act to resolve it.
- Climax: it is the moment of greatest tension, when the problem is at its height and the actions taken will define the course of history.
- Conclusion (or outcome/conflict resolution): as the name implies, it's the end of the story, which will probably be different from how it started. It may show that the problem has been fixed or not, depending much more on the type of story we are reading. We'll meet these types next.
Tale Types
The tale is classified as a gender narrative, that is, a type of narration. However, there are several types of stories depending on the elements that make up the story and how it can end, giving subgenres to them. Let's look at some more fam.bones:
fairy tale (or wonderful tale)
They are short narratives that have a "wonderful" element in its composition, that is, something magical or supernatural. There are no explanations for the supernatural interventions that take place in the narrative; both characters, narrator and even the reader are not impressed by what happens.
The characters, places and times are not historically determined, which is clear from the generic beginning of the "Once Upon a time". Despite this, we know that its origin is medieval, approximate period in which most of its stories take place. In this type of story, the reader expects a happy ending and a moral of the story, which usually happens.
horror tale
A more modern subgenre than the fairy tale. In horror tales, the stories include supernatural elements without that air of naturalness: these are horror tales with characterslegendary, such as vampires, werewolves, undead etc.
Here, one can already see a difference in the characters' perception of supernatural facts and even the reader is frightened by the story. The narrative does not always end with a happy ending.
fantastic tale
Short narratives that lead the "absurd" element to scenarios and characters from everyday life. They are ordinary characters leading an ordinary life until something absurd happens, something that couldn't happen in reality.
It is precisely the proximity to the reader's reality that causes a greater strangeness in history. The reader looks for an explanation for what happens (is it a dream?), but he doesn't get scared as happens in horror tales.
Also access: Ruth Rocha's magical world
examples of short stories
Let's read some short stories to see what we've learned. Try, after reading, to answer who the characters are; what kind of narrator does this tale have; where and when the story takes place; what is the plot and the climax; what was the outcome; or what kind of tale it is. Good reading!
The party in heaven |1|
(Traditional Brazilian tale)
Among all the birds, news spread of a feast in the sky. All birds would attend and began to make animals and other animals incapable of flight jealous.
Imagine who said that he was also going to the party... The Frog! Soon he, heavy and not even knowing how to give a career, would be able to appear in those heights. Because the Frog said that he had been invited and that he was definitely going. The animals just died laughing. The birds, then, don't even talk!
Frog had his plan. The day before, he looked for Vulture and gave a good chat, amusing the owner of the house a lot. Then he said:
'Well, comrade Vulture, whoever is lame leaves early and I'm on my way, because the way is long.
The Vulture replied:
- Are you really going?
- If I go? Until then, without fail!
Instead of leaving, the Frog walked around, entered the Vulture's bedchamber and, seeing the guitar on top of the bed, went inside, shrinking himself.
The Vulture, later, took the guitar, tied it to his shoulder and flapped its wings towards the sky, rru-rru-rru...
Reaching the sky, the Vulture lowered the guitar in a corner and went looking for the other birds. The Frog put an eye out and, seeing that he was alone, he jumped up and took to the street, all satisfied.
They don't even want to know what amazement the birds had, seeing the Frog jumping in the sky! They asked, they asked, but Sapo just made small talk. The party started and Sapo took part in a big part. At dawn, knowing that he could only return the same way he had come, Master Sapo slipped away and ran to where the Vulture had stayed. He looked for the viola and made himself comfortable, like the other time.
The sun was coming out, the party was over and the guests were flying, each one at his destination. The Vulture grabbed the guitar and hit the Earth, rrrrrrr...
I was halfway there, when, on a curve, the Frog moved and the Vulture, peeking into the instrument, saw the animal there in the dark, all bent over, like a ball.
— Ah! Frog comrade! Is this how you go to the party in heaven? Stop being trusted!!!
And, in those distances, he turned the guitar over. The Frog plummeted down as it came whizzing by. And he said, in the fall:
"Béu-Béu!" If I escape from this, never again a wedding in heaven!
And seeing the saws below:
— Remove stone, or I'll break you!
It hit the rocks like a genipap, spacing itself out. He was in pieces. Our Lady, with pity for the Frog, gathered all the pieces together and the Frog came back to life again.
That's why the Sapo has all the leather full of patches.
(Luís Câmara Cascudo)
Read too: How to write a narrative text?
Teque Teque Muu! Cows typewriter |2|
Farmer Geraldo has a problem. Your Cows like to type on the typewriter. He listens all day:
TEQUE, TEQUE MUU!
TEQUE, TEQUE MUU!
TEREQUI TEQUI, TEQUI MUU!
At first, he doesn't trust his ears:
— Typewriters? Impossible!
TEQUE, TEQUE MUU!
TEQUE, TEQUE MUU!
TEREQUI TEQUI, TEQUI MUU!
Afterwards, he doesn't believe his eyes:
“Dear Farmer Geraldo, the shed is very cold at night. We want electric blankets. Sincerely, the Cows.”
"It's not enough for the Cows to have found the old typewriter in the shed, now they want electric blankets?" No way! said the farmer Geraldo. Electric blankets nothing!
So the Cows go on strike. They leave a note on the shed door: “Sorry, the shed is closed. There will be no milk today!"
"Will there be no milk today?" yelled farmer Geraldo.
In the background he could hear the Cows:
TEQUE, TEQUE MUU!
TEQUE, TEQUE MUU!
TEREQUI TEQUI, TEQUI MUU!
The next day, he receives another note:
“Dear farmer Geraldo, the Chickens are also cold. They want electric blankets. Sincerely, the Cows.”
Cows are increasingly impatient with the farmer. They leave another note on the door of the shed: “Closed, there will be no milk. There will be no eggs.”
"There won't be eggs?" yelled farmer Geraldo.
In the background he could hear the Cows:
TEQUE, TEQUE MUU!
TEQUE, TEQUE MUU!
TEREQUI TEQUI, TEQUI MUU!
Cows that write? Chickens on strike? Who ever heard such a thing? How can I run the farm without milk and without eggs? — Farmer Geraldo was furious.
The farmer picks up his own typewriter: “Dear Cows and Chickens: There will be no electric blankets. You are just Cows and Chickens. I demand milk and eggs. Sincerely, farmer Geraldo.”
Pato, who had not taken sides, takes the ultimatum to the Cows.
The Cows call an emergency meeting. All the animals gather around the shed to snoop around, but none of them can understand a single “MUU”.
Farmer Geraldo waits for the answer all night.
Early the next morning, Pato knocks on the door and hands a note to farmer Geraldo: “Dear farmer Geraldo, we agreed to exchange the typewriter for electric blankets. Leave them at the shed door, outside, and we'll send the machine through Pato. Sincerely, the Cows.”
Farmer Geraldo thinks the exchange is a good deal. He leaves the blankets near the shed door and waits for Pato to arrive with his typewriter.
The next morning, he receives a note: “Dear farmer Geraldo, the lake is very boring. We want a trampoline. Sincerely, the Ducks.”
TEQUE, TEQUE QUACK!
TEQUE, TEQUE QUACK!
(Doreen Cronin)
Grades
|1| SANTOS, Yolanda dos (Selection and translation). Legends, fables and apologists. In: Anthology of world literature. São Paulo: Gráfica Carioca, 1958.
|2| CRONIN, D. Teque, teque one, cows that type to the typewriter. Translation Ana Bergin. Rio de Janeiro: Rocco, 2003.
