: Re: What defines a Fairy Tale versus typical Fantasy? My second-grader has been asked to write a "fairy tale." We are both clueless about what makes a story a "fairy tale" different from a fantasy

@Goswami879

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A fairytale is a more palatable way of demonstrating a moral or ethical lesson to your audience. No-one wants to be preached to but if the lesson is couched in an entertaining form - in this case a story - then they will listen and, despite themselves, learn.

The reason for the fantasy elements is part of this. By using otherworldly characters, creatures and settings the storyteller isn't pointing fingers or apportioning blame to any particular individual or group that the audience might know. This keeps things clear in the audience's mind and makes it much easier to use allegory to tell the tale.

Hope that helps.

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