Муниципальное общеобразовательное бюджетное учреждение средняя общеобразовательная школа №11 городского округа город Нефтекамск Республики Башкортостан
COMPARATIVE STUDY OF ENGLISH AND RUSSIAN FAIRY TALES
Author: Kornyakova S.I.
Research adviser: Akhtamova E.Z.
Neftekamsk 2016
Contents
1. Introduction………………………………………………………………………...3
1.1. Elements of Fairy Tales…………………………………………………………..5
1.2. Types of Fairy Tales……………………………………………………………...8
2. Fairy tales’ Characteristics………………………………………………………..10
2.1. Characteristics of Russian Folk Tales………………………………………......10
2.2. Characteristics of English Folk Tales…………………………………………...13
3. Comparative Analysis……………………………………………………………..16
4. Conclusion………………………………………………………………………...19
5. List of Literature…………………………………………………………………..20
Introduction
In our days the English language has become the international language of communication. Knowledge of English language has become an integral part of modern life. So reading the English- language literature is one of the most important aspects of effective learning. We learn new words and expressions, necessary for us for free communication. Reading of books, texts in English with an intuitive understanding of unfamiliar words simplifies the process of learning. And folklore, a genre of children’s literature, is always considered as one of the most mysterious and interesting genres. And one of the most popular parts of folklore is a fairytale. It has got interesting plot, unusual characters and a happy end that really attracts readers. It is common when Russian native speakers read some English folk fairytale they start comparing them with Russian one and they notice some similarities.
It should be said that it is worthy to study the similarities and the differences between Russian fairytales and English fairytales. English and Russian folklore belongs to the different kinds of folklore. One represents the western folklore and another - north-west folklore. It also shows the difference between their cultures and difference between people’s mentality. So it makes comparative study of both culture’s fairytales actual. By examining people will learn more about their own and others’ heritage, moral world, and lifestyles among different cultural groups of people. Nowadays when we should pay attention on differences of people’s cultures and respect it for keeping the world in peace.
The aim of the study is to find out similarities and the differences between Russian fairytales and English fairytales.
Object of research - the British and Russian fairy tales.
Subject of research - similarities and the differences between Russian and English fairytales.
Research methods: observation, comparison and analysis.
Research tasks:
The research questions in the study are presented as follows:
1. What common elements do fairytales include?
2. What kind of fairytales exists in both Russian and English cultures?
3. What are the similarities and differences between two cultures’ fairytales?
The research work consists of introduction, main part, conclusion and a list of literature. Main part includes theory of studying types and characteristics of fairytales and practice of comparing Russian and English fairytales. We have read nearly 10 fairytales which we have found in websites and in the English folk tales book adapted for Russians.
1.1. Elements of Fairy Tales
A fairy tale or fairy story is a fictional story that usually features folkloric characters (such as fairies, goblins, elves, trolls, witches, giants, and talking animals) and enchantments, often involving a far-fetched sequence of events. In modern-day parlance, the term is also used to describe to something blessed with unusual happiness, as in "fairy tale ending" (a happy ending) or "fairy tale romance", though there are notable examples and genres of fairy tales that do not end happily. Colloquially, a "fairy tale" or "fairy story" can also mean any far-fetched story. [link] .
