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
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.
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