Literature Atlas

How Stories Are Told
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Genre

Tall Tale

Epic and Heroic Narrative

A tall tale is a story with unbelievable elements, told as though it were true and factual, in which exaggeration dominates the story itself rather than the ordinary happening the story is nominally about.

Facts
Place of Origin
American frontier (United States) 1
Notable Example
Paul Bunyan 1
Defining Trait
Exaggeration dominates the story, told as if it were true and factual 1
Connections

Features Author

Source Wikipedia: Rudolf Erich Raspe
In the Other Atlases

Originated In

Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject originated.

Sources
1. Tall tale - Wikipedia
  • Origins section
    The tall tale's origins are seen in the bragging contests that often occurred when the rough men of the American frontier gathered.
  • Examples section, Paul Bunyan entry
    Paul Bunyan, huge lumberjack who eats 50 pancakes in one minute, dug the Grand Canyon with his axe, made Minnesota's ten thousand lakes with his footprints, and also has a blue ox named Babe who made the Mississippi River
  • Lead section, opening sentence
    A tall tale is a story with unbelievable elements, told as if it were true and factual.
  • In Group: Folk Tales, Legends and Myths, Lead section
    A tall tale is a story with unbelievable elements, told as if it were true and factual.
View the Source
Wikipedia: Rudolf Erich Raspe
Features Author: Rudolf Erich Raspe, Lead
Quote, Features Author: Rudolf Erich Raspe, Lead
his collection of tall tales The Surprising Adventures of Baron Munchausen
View the Source
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