A Study of Folktales’ Visual Representation in Literature

Abstract

Since the dawn of time, people have congregated around the fires and shared tales of voyages, mighty creatures, vengeful demons, and the heroes who overcame them, establishing themselves as figures to be admired and loved. For thousands of years, folklore and mythology have given rise to these vivid tales and assisted humanity in making sense of the universe. It is interesting to discover how society is still being shaped by these captivating stories, and these stories have found a new medium in the form of graphic narratives. With the theoretical understanding of the genre as well as through examples of certain Indian graphic narratives, the paper argues that the genre of graphic narrative is closest to the oral narrative. By looking into their similarity, the paper explores why it is used by authors of folktales and why the genre is most suitable for folklore. Furthermore, this paper discusses how oral storytelling skills are incorporated, embraced and appreciated in the genre of graphic narratives.