Tale is a textual genre marked by short narrative, written in prose and less complex than novels.
The origin of tales is related to the tradition of telling stories verbally. When transcribed, these same stories (which often follow a single plot) result in a concise narrative that can be read in a very short time.
The term short story can be translated into English as "tale", a type of short text that necessarily addresses epic, folkloric or fanciful themes. For this reason, the concept of short stories remained, for a long time, related to these themes.
With the emergence of new writing techniques and styles, the term acquired a broader meaning that can be expressed in the English language as "short story", a text whose only obligatory features are the short length and writing in prose.
learn more about Affairs.
Characteristics of the tale
The current literary variety allows a tale to be presented in different ways. As stated above, the only absolute characteristics of the style are the prose writing and the narrative short, so a short story can follow any genre or structure without implying its classification.
However, as a natural consequence of the short narrative, the short stories have some elements that, regardless of the genre and structure chosen by the author, end up being recurrent:
- single plot: Unlike novels, short stories tend to focus on a plot that doesn't unfold into smaller plots. Often the story revolves around a single situation.
- Simplicity: Due to the unique plot, the short stories do not usually require great interpretations by the reader.
- short time: short stories usually have plots that do not extend over long periods. It is common, for example, that the story takes place in a single day.
- start near end: Generally, tales do not devote time to introducing the environment and the characters, so the story starts close to the climax and the end.
- few characters: because they are more objective, short stories usually have a very small number of characters.
- sudden end: in short stories, it is normal for the end to happen immediately after the climax. There is, therefore, no stage in history in which we can follow the consequences of conflict resolution.
- single objective: as it does not have developments, the short story seeks to cause a unique feeling in the reader (joy, indignation, melancholy, etc.) or, simply, to tell a story.
These characteristics make the short story the perfect textual genre for content aimed at children, especially fairy tales. It is worth clarifying that these elements are not mandatory and the absence of one or more of them does not disqualify the text as a short story.
read about Narrative text.
Tale example
The following short story is called "A Verdade also Cândido" by the writer José Cândido de Carvalho and brings together all the elements listed above.
"When he arrived in Pipeiras, Chief Nonô Pestana was that buzzing, that uneasiness. The delegate came dragging a huge paddle. It was with great pride that Nonô said showing the work instrument:
"I don't have this spontaneous confession business at all!" With me everyone enters the instrumental. It's the only way for authority to know if the subject is criminal or innocent.
And when Nonô hadn't rolled up his sleeves, a man named Chico Cabeção had been killed by dismemberment. For what he confessed to being sorry and ready to purge, in the meshes of the law, the crime of its creation:
— I killed and buried Chico Cabeção in the backyard of my house.
In fact, the one butchered there was dying to never be Chico Cabeção again. That's when the police chief, within his principles of justice, passed the confessor through a brave and clever paddle. And the little guy was beaten so much that he ended up disavowing everything. He swore with folded hands that he was a liar and a inventor. That someone else had butchered Chico Cabeção. And proud Nonô:
'That's what I say and taste. There is no way for the suspect to tell the truth. If I don't administer this correction, Chief Nonô Pestana, which is me, would send a poor innocent to a thirty-year-old jail.
And released the man."
see more examples of stories.
Tales and Chronicles
Tales and chronicles are very similar literary models. Both are short texts, written in prose and without specific genre and structure. The difference between the two is in the text content.
While the objective of short stories is just to tell a short story, fictional or not, chronicles usually convey a critical reflection or teaching applicable to everyday life. To achieve this goal, the chronicle can take the form of a linear story (with a beginning, middle and end) or even be a set of ideas not connected by a plot.
Read more about chronicles.
Read too:
- Storyteller Types
- Meaning of Textual Genres